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
Read more
Johnny Mathis
- 60% match to Percy Faith
John Royce Mathis, 30 September 1935, San Francisco, California, USA. In 1956, the 19-year-old Mathis was signed to Columbia Records where he began his career with a jazz-tinged album. A US Top 20 hit with Wonderful! Wonderful! saw him move adroitly towards the balladeer market, and before long he was a major concert attraction, with regular appearances on highly
Read more
Ray Conniff
- 60% match to Percy Faith
6 November 1916, Attelboro, Massachusetts, USA, d. 12 October 2002, Escondido, California, USA. Taught to play the trombone by his father, Conniff studied arranging with the aid of a mail-order course while still at college. In 1934, after graduation, he worked with small bands in Boston before joining Bunny Berigan as trombonist/arranger in 1937. After a spell with Bob Cros
Read more
Gene Autry
- 57% match to Percy Faith
Orvin Gene Autry, 29 September 1907, near Tioga, Texas, USA, d. 2 October 1998, Studio City, California, USA. The eldest of four children of Delbert Autry, a poor tenant farmer, who moved his family many times over the years, before eventually arriving at Ravia, Oklahoma. His grandfather, a Baptist minister, taught him to sing when he was a child so that he could perform in
Read more
Perry Como
- 57% match to Percy Faith
Pierino Como, 18 May 1912, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, d. 12 May 2001, Jupiter Inlet Beach Colony, Florida, USA. Como was an accomplished popular singer with a warm baritone voice, whose repertoire included ballads, novelty numbers and singalongs. Born into a large Italian-American family in Canonsburg, he left his home town barber shop in 1933 and toured with the local b
Read more
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
Read more
Peter Nero
- 56% match to Percy Faith
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
Read more
Stanley Black
- 55% match to Percy Faith
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
Read more
Billy Vaughn
- 53% match to Percy Faith
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
Read more
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
Read more
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
Read more
Vaughn Monroe
- 49% match to Percy Faith
7 October 1911, Akron, Ohio, USA, d. 21 May 1973, Stuart, Florida, USA. Monroe was a Wisconsin State Trumpet Champion in 1926 with an ambition to become an opera singer. This eventually led him to join Austin Wylie And His Golden Pheasant Orchestra and Larry Funk And His Band Of A Thousand Melodies. He studied voice at the New England Conservatory Of Music, and in 1939 sang
Read more
Artist matches
|