Jack Leon (born Judah Leon Aronoff; 24 April 1905 – 9 March 1967) was a
Russian-born British dance band and orchestra leader and conductor, of
easy listening and
light orchestral music.
Life and career
Born in
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, the son of a Jewish jeweller, he moved with his family to
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, in 1906, and then to
Deptford in London in 1914. He learned the violin, and while in his teens formed the East London Philharmonic Orchestra. He began using the name Jack Leon professionally, and became a British citizen.
[
He formed Jack Leon's Symphonic Dance Band in 1928, and the following year began recording light orchestral music and novelty songs for the Piccadilly label.][Brian Reynolds, "Jack Leon and His Orchestra", ''Masters of Melody'']
Retrieved 4 January 2021 In 1931 he recorded one of the first versions of the song "Jolly Good Company
"Jolly Good Company" (or "Here We Are Again, Jolly Good Company") is a 1931 song written by English songwriter Huntley Trevor using the pseudonym Raymond Wallace.
The song was published in 1931 by the firm of Campbell Connelly. It was immediatel ...
", and also recorded with vocalist Al Bowlly.[ Jack Leon, ''Al Bowlly Club'']
Retrieved 4 January 2021
From 1933, he was musical director at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, and he also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and the Guildhall Orchestra in the 1930s. He made his first BBC radio broadcasts in 1938, and from 1940 made regular broadcasts from the London Casino. Jack Leon: Search, ''Radio Times'', ''BBC''
Retrieved 4 January 2021 He was also musical advisor for the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
[
During the Second World War, he featured on some 324 editions of the radio programme '']Music While You Work
''Music While You Work'' was a daytime radio programme of continuous live popular music broadcast in the United Kingdom twice daily on workdays from 23 June 1940 until 29 September 1967 by the BBC. Initially, the morning edition was generally ...
'', the greatest number of any bandleader. After the end of the war, he appeared regularly on '' Variety Bandbox'', as well as ''Music While You Work'' and ''Morning Music''. With his New Concert Orchestra, he also recorded extensively in the 1950s for the Mood Music easy listening record label.[
In 1956, he moved to Glasgow, and conducted the Scottish Variety Orchestra, continuing to broadcast several times a week. The orchestra featured on many Scottish television programmes, including ''A Song for Everyone'', featuring Kenneth McKellar, and '' The Andy Stewart Show''. He left the BBC in 1966, and established his own orchestra, which featured on the programme ''Breakfast Special''.][
He died from a heart attack in Glasgow in 1967, aged 61.][
]
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Jack
1905 births
1967 deaths
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
20th-century British conductors (music)
Jewish English musicians