Ted Heath
George Edward "Ted" Heath (born March 30, 1902 in London , † November 18, 1969 in Virginia Water , Surrey ) was a British trombonist and band leader .
Life
Since his father was the leader of the Wandsworth Borough Band , Ted Heath came into contact with the music very early. At the age of 10 he was able to win a tenor horn competition, and from the age of 14 he played the trombone. He earned his first money as a street musician . Around 1919 he also had the opportunity to play in Doc Cook's orchestra, a ragtime orchestra then guesting in London , with which Sidney Bechet had also come to England. Heath was discovered by the band leader Jack Hylton , who got him his first permanent job in 1922. Heath had other engagements in 1924/25 with Bert Firman , from 1925 to 1927 with Jack Hylton and from 1927 to 1935 with Bert Ambrose .
After contracts with Sid Lipton and Geraldo , he was commissioned by the BBC in 1944 to found his own orchestra, which was mainly active in the field of swing and, to a limited extent, modern jazz. From 1945 the band performed every Sunday at the Palladium in London. A specialty in the big band's repertoire was an arrangement of the London Suite by Fats Waller, which was originally written for solo piano . Several tours led through England, to the European mainland and in 1956 for the first appearance in the USA . His last albums, most of which he recorded for the London label , included a series of recordings of note for note re-enacted arrangements of legendary big bands. After his death, his orchestra was directed by Don Lusher .
Individual pieces of music
Bakerloo Non Stop by Ted Heath (recorded by his big band), named after a London subway line, was the signature tune of BFN in Hamburg after the Second World War , which opened their popular program Seventeen Hundred Club .
In the episode Murders When the Leaves Fall of the crime series Inspector Barnaby , the piece of music The Creep plays a crucial role.
Discographic notes
- Pop Hits from the Classics (Decca BLK 16156-P)
- Ted Heath's First American Tour (Decca LK 4167) (1956)
- The Great Film Hits (Decca LK 4307) (1959)
- Ted Heath Swings In High Stereo (London PS 140)
- Big Band Bash (Decca PFS 4018) (1962)
- Fever (London 820 180-2 RT) (CD)
- Coast To Coast (London 820 355-2 RT) (CD 1964/1985)
- The Golden Age of Ted Heath (Horatio Nelson Records) (CD SIV 6102) (1989)
literature
- Leo Walker: The Big Band Almanac . Ward Ritchie Press, Pasadena. 1978
Web links
- Ted Heath Band, 1945-2000 on www.donlusher.com
- George Edward 'Ted' Heath on Wandsworth History Online
- Biography in the Bigband Library
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Heath, Ted |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Heath, George Edward (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British trombonist and band leader |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 30, 1902 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
DATE OF DEATH | 18th November 1969 |
Place of death | Virginia Water, Surrey |