9 May 1914, Battle, Sussex, England, d. 9 June 1995. After early training on the piano and organ, Chacksfield led small groups in the late 30s before becoming arranger for the Stars In Battledress entertainment unit in World War II. His first radio broadcast was Original Songs At The Piano from Glasgow, and during the late 40s he worked with comedian Charlie Chesters S
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Ronnie Aldrich
- 82% match to Andre Kostelanetz
15 February 1916, Erith, Kent, England, d. 30 September 1993. As a gifted young pianist Aldrich undertook extensive studies, including a period at the Guildhall School of Music in London. Later, he worked with the Folkestone Municipal Orchestra before his career was interrupted by World War II. During the war he played piano and arranged for the RAF Dance Orchestra, remainin
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Helmut Zacharias
- 62% match to Andre Kostelanetz
27 January 1920, Berlin, Germany, d. 28 February 2002. This violinist, arranger, composer and band leader was raised in Berlin. At the age of three he was given a toy violin by his father, himself a professional violinist. The gift was soon replaced by the real thing, and at the age of six he was on the cabaret stage of the Faun on Berlins Friedrichstrasse. At the age
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Peter Nero
- 61% match to Andre Kostelanetz
Bernard Nierow, 22 May 1934, Brooklyn, New York, USA. A stylish pianist, composer, and conductor, throughout his long career Nero has switched, apparently effortlessly, between classical, jazz and popular music. Early on, he trained as a classical musician, and became interested in jazz at the age of 19 after hearing the legendary Art Tatum. In the late 50s, he spent four ye
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Franck Pourcel
- 55% match to Andre Kostelanetz
1 January 1915, Marseilles, France, d. 12 November 2000, Paris, France. With the violin his chosen instrument, Pourcel found playing in downtime jazz combos a liberating change from his studies at the Paris Conservatoire. He became an admirer of Stéphane Grappelli whose mainstream style he emulated before assuming leadership of the French Fiddlers in the late 40s. Sig
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Percy Faith
- 54% match to Andre Kostelanetz
7 April 1908, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, d. 9 February 1976, Ericino, California, USA. During the 30s Faith worked extensively on radio in Canada, and moved to the USA in 1940 to take up a post with NBC. During the 50s he was musical director for Columbia Records, for whom he made a number of popular albums, mostly of mood music. He worked with Tony Bennett, with whom he had
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Nini Rosso
- 52% match to Andre Kostelanetz
Celeste Rosso, 19 September 1926, Italy, d. 1994. As a teenager, Rosso ran away from home through parental pressure to pursue an academic career. After he was found playing trumpet in a Nice night spot, his parents relented, and he formed a small orchestra that garnered a work schedule beyond Italy to include, on one occasion, a tour of India. After a residency on Radio Turi
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Lawrence Welk
- 51% match to Andre Kostelanetz
11 March 1903, Strasburg, North Dakota, USA, d. 17 May 1992, Santa Monica, California, USA. After achieving a measure of competence on the piano-accordion, Welk formed a dance band in the mid-20s, and soon became immensely popular, with engagements at leading hotels and endless one-night stands on the countrys dancehall circuit. The band was widely criticized in the mu
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Stanley Black
- 51% match to Andre Kostelanetz
14 June 1913, London, England, d. 26 November 2002, London, England. This highly talented pianist, arranger, composer and conductor was one of the leading figures in UK light and popular music. At the age of seven, Black began learning the piano and later studied at the Matthay School of Music. His first composition, when he was aged 12, was broadcast by the BBC Symphony Orc
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Billy Vaughn
- 49% match to Andre Kostelanetz
Richard Vaughn, 12 April 1919, Glasgow, Kentucky, USA, d. 26 September 1991, Escondido, California, USA. An extremely successful orchestra leader, arranger and musical director during the 50s and early 60s. In 1952, singing baritone and playing piano, he formed the Hilltoppers vocal quartet, with Jimmy Sacca, Seymour Speigelman and Don McGuire. They had a string of US hits
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Floyd Cramer
- 37% match to Andre Kostelanetz
27 October 1933, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, d. 31 December 1997, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The style and sound of Cramers piano-playing was possibly one of the biggest influences on post-50s country music. His delicate rock n roll sound was achieved by accentuating the discord in rolling from the main note to a sharp or flat, known as slip note
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Mitch Miller
- 36% match to Andre Kostelanetz
Mitchell William Miller, 4 July 1911, Rochester, New York, USA. An oboist, record producer, arranger and one of the most commercially successful recording artists of the 50s and early 60s. Miller learned to play the piano at the age of six, and began studying the oboe when he was 12, and later attended Rochesters Eastman School of Music. After graduating in 1932, Mille
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Nelson Riddle
- 36% match to Andre Kostelanetz
Nelson Smock Riddle, 1 June 1921, Oradell, New Jersey, USA, d. 6 October 1985, Los Angeles, California, USA. After studying piano, Riddle took up the trombone when in his early teens, and in the late 30s played in a number of big bands, including those led by Jerry Wald, Charlie Spivak, Tommy Dorsey and Bob Crosby. After a stint in the army, he settled in California and stud
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Artist matches
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