Frank Weir (30 January 1911 – 12 May 1981) was a British orchestra leader and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician. He reached number 1 one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1954 with

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

on a recording of the song "

My Son, My Son "My Son, My Son" is a traditional popular music song written by Gordon Melville Rees, Bob Howard and Eddie Calvert in 1954. A recording of the song by Vera Lynn reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in November that year. It was Lynn's ...

", receiving positive reviews in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', '' Cash Box'' and '' Billboard''. His version of " The Happy Wanderer" became one of the most popular recordings of 1954, in both the UK and the US. It featured Weir's soprano saxophone solos between verses. It reached number 12 on the NME's short-lived "Best Selling Singles By British Artists" chart in 1954, on which "

The Little Shoemaker The Little Shoemaker" is a popular song based on the French song, "Le petit cordonnier", by Rudi Revil. The original French lyric was written by Francis Lemarque (page in French). The English language lyrics were written by Geoffrey Claremont P ...

" made #10 and "The Never Never Land" made number 4. Six years later, in 1960, he had his final hit with "Caribbean Honeymoon", which reached a peak position of number 42 on the UK Singles Chart.

Other recordings

*"Mister Cuckoo" / "If Ever You Go To Paree" -

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

R4157 *"What a Difference a Day Makes" / "Together" -

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

F8501 *"The Never Never Land" / "The Little Shoemaker" - Decca F 10324 (1954) *"Parisien" "Phillips 326525 BF 1962"

References

1911 births 1981 deaths 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century clarinetists 20th-century English musicians 20th-century saxophonists British male saxophonists Decca Records artists English bandleaders English jazz clarinetists English jazz saxophonists British male jazz musicians Musicians from London {{UK-musician-stub