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Stephen Russell "Steve" Race OBE (1 April 192122 June 2009) was a British
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
,
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
and
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and
television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...
.


Biography

Born in
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
, the son of a lawyer, Race learned the piano from the age of five.Spencer Leig
"Steve Race: Musician and broadcaster best known for his association with the programme 'My Music'"
''The Independent'', 24 June 2009 He was educated (1932–37) at Lincoln School, where he formed his first jazz group, which included a young
Neville Marriner Sir Neville Marriner, (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English violinist and "one of the world's greatest conductors". Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another compilation ranks Marriner #14 of the ...
, later a major figure in the world of classical music. At sixteen, he attended the
Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...
, studying composition under Harry Farjeon and
William Alwyn William Alwyn (born William Alwyn Smith; 7 November 1905 – 11 September 1985), was an English composer, conductor, and music teacher. Life and music William Alwyn was born William Alwyn Smith in Northampton, the son of Ada Tyler (Tompkins ...
. After leaving the academy, Race (encouraged by the classical music critic of the ''
News Chronicle The ''News Chronicle'' was a British daily newspaper. Formed by the merger of '' The Daily News'' and the ''Daily Chronicle'' in 1930, it ceased publication on 17 October 1960,''Liberal Democrat News'' 15 October 2010, accessed 15 October 2010 be ...
'', Scott Goddard) wrote occasional dance band reviews for ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' and, in 1939, joined the Harry Leader dance band as pianist, succeeding
Norrie Paramor Norman William Paramor (15 May 1914 – 9 September 1979), known professionally as Norrie Paramor, was a British record producer, composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader, and orchestral conductor. He is best known for his work with Cliff Ri ...
. Race joined the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
in 1941, and formed a jazz/dance
quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...
. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he began a long and productive career with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, where his ready wit, musicianship and broad musical knowledge made him much sought after as a musical accompanist for panel games and magazine shows, such as ''Whirligig'' and '' Many a Slip''. At the same time he was playing in the bands of
Lew Stone Louis Stone known professionally as Lew Stone (28 June 1898 – 13 February 1969) was a British bandleader and arranger of the British dance band era, and was well known in Britain during the 1930s. He was known as a skillful, innovative a ...
and
Cyril Stapleton Cyril Stapleton (31 December 1914 – 25 February 1974) was an English violinist and jazz bandleader. Biography Born Horace Cyril Stapleton in Mapperley, Nottingham, England, Stapleton began playing violin at the age of seven, and played on lo ...
, and arranging material for
Ted Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...
. In, 1949 The Steve Race Bop Group recorded some of the first British
bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...
records for the Paxton label. These included four sides with Leon Calvert,
Johnny Dankworth Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant ...
, Peter Chilver, Norman Burns (drums), Jack Fulton (bass) and Race on piano, and four more (with the addition of saxophonist
Freddy Gardner Frederick James Gardner (23 December 1910 – 26 July 1950) was a British jazz and dance band saxophonist during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life His father sold artist's materials, while his mother was a dressmaker. He took up the saxophone at 1 ...
) as the Bosworth Modern Jazz Group on the Bosworth label. He also developed a sideline arranging
player piano A player piano (also known as a pianola) is a self-playing piano containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism, that operates the piano action via programmed music recorded on perforated paper or metallic rolls, with more modern i ...
rolls for the Artona company. From the 1950s to the 1980s, he presented numerous music programmes on
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
and
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
. Additionally, in 1955, he was appointed the first Light Music Advisor to the independent television company
Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...
. He is probably best known as the chairman of the long-running light-hearted radio and TV
panel game A panel show or panel game is a radio broadcasting, radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity conte ...
'' My Music'' which ran from 1967 to 1994. He presented and wrote most of the questions for all 520 episodes broadcast. He also presented ''Jazz For Moderns'' on radio and ''
Jazz 625 ''Jazz 625'' is a BBC jazz programme featuring performances by British and American musicians, first broadcast between April 1964 and August 1966. It was created by Terry Henebery, a clarinetist recruited in 1963 as one of the new producers fo ...
'' on television for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in the 1960s. Away from music, for two years from 1970 Race co-presented (with William Hardcastle) the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
"drive-time" news magazine '' PM''. Race coined the term ''Denham Concerto'' for short romantic film pieces inspired by the success of
Richard Addinsell Richard Stewart Addinsell (13 January 190414 November 1977) was an English composer, best known for film music, primarily his '' Warsaw Concerto'', composed for the 1941 film '' Dangerous Moonlight'' (also known under the later title ''Suicide S ...
's ''Warsaw Concerto'', such as
Hubert Bath Hubert Charles Bath (6 November 188324 April 1945) was a British film composer, music director, and conductor. His credits include the music to the Oscar-winning documentary ''Wings Over Everest'' (1934), as well as to the films ''Tudor Rose'' ...
's ''Cornish Rhapsody'',
Nino Rota Giovanni Rota Rinaldi (; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979), better known as Nino Rota (), was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visco ...
's ''Legend of the Glass Mountain'' and Charles Williams' ''The Dream of Olwen'', after the
Denham Film Studios Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's '' Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s t ...
where many of them were made.


Composer

As a composer, he produced a number of pieces in the jazz, classical and popular idioms. The bebop jazz piece ''Blue Acara'' (named after one of the many tropical fish he and his wife collected) was arranged for jazz band or for full orchestra and recorded by
Harry Parry Harry Owen Parry (22 January 1912 – 18 October 1956) was a Welsh jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Biography Parry was born in Bangor, Wales. He played cornet, tenor horn, flugelhorn, drums, and violin as a child, and began on clarinet a ...
. It is likely that the composer of light
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
n dance tunes known as "Esteban Cera" was Race hiding behind a pseudonym. ''Faraway Music'', the theme to an
ITV Play of the Week ''Play of the Week'' is a 90-minute British television anthology series produced by a variety of companies including Granada Television, Associated-Rediffusion, ATV and Anglia Television. Synopsis From 1955 to 1967 approximately 500 episodes a ...
in 1961, was issued as a
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
by Steve Race and his Orchestra. Others followed, including one of his better-known compositions, the short instrumental piece ''Nicola'' (named after his daughter), which won an
Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
in 1962. The 'b' side of the 1962 single featured another instrumental, ''Ring Ding''. The follow-up single ''Pied Piper (The Beeje)'' reached No. 29 in 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 March 1963. In the mid-1970s this piece was played as
Queen's Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...
ran onto the pitch at the start of each home game at Loftus Road. Steve Race was a season ticket holder and keen fan of the club. Race wrote (and with the Steve Race Orchestra performed) library music for the
Chappell Recorded Music Library Chappell may refer to: Places * Chappell, Nebraska, United States * Chappells, South Carolina, United States * Chappell (crater) on the moon * Mount Chappell Island, Tasmania, Australia * North West Mount Chappell Islet, Tasmania, Australia Organi ...
, an example being ''Pacemaker''. But his best-known and, according to his autobiography, his most lucrative composition is his music for the
Birds Eye Birds Eye is an American international brand of frozen foods owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe, and Simplot in Australia. The former Birds Eye Company Ltd., originally named "Birdseye Seafood, Inc." had be ...
frozen peas
jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...
, "Sweet as the moment when the pod went pop". Race also wrote the acoustic guitar jingle which introduced programmes made by
Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was con ...
in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the film ''
Calling Paul Temple ''Calling Paul Temple'' is a 1948 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. It was the second in a series of four Paul Temple films distributed by Butcher's Film Service. The ...
'' (1948) Race (with Sid Colin) wrote two of the songs performed by
Celia Lipton Celia Lipton Farris, DStJ (25 December 1923 – 11 March 2011) was a British actress, singer and philanthropist.Crosstrap ''Crosstrap'' is a 1962 British B-movie crime film, starring Laurence Payne, Jill Adams and Gary Cockrell, and marking the directorial debut of Robert Hartford-Davis. The screenplay was adapted from a novel by John Newton Chance. The film was ...
'', and the scores for ''Three Roads to Rome'' (1963), ''Against the Tide'' (1965) and ''Land of Three Rivers'' (1966). ''Windsor Blues'', a duet written in 1970 for
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
(cello) and the
Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, and a ...
(trumpet) has been recorded. (The two titles refer to the same person, and the cello part was intended to be tape recorded by Charles).''Music for a Prince, Music by a Prince''
Toccata TOCN0009 (2021)


Personal life

Race's autobiography, ''Musician at Large'', was published in 1979, and in 1988 Souvenir Press Ltd published his book about his grandfather's short but interesting life, from lead miner to missionary, entitled ''The Two Worlds of Joseph Race.'' Race married Marjorie Leng in 1944 and they had a daughter, Nicola. Marjorie died from cancer in 1969. He married again in 1970, to radio producer Léonie Mather, who survived him. Race had his first heart attack in 1965. He died of the second attack at his home in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, in June 2009.


Publications

*''Piano-Style: A Complete Guide for the Modern Dance Band Pianist'' (sheet music, 1949) * ''Musician at Large'' (autobiography, 1979), ) * ''The King's Singers: A Self Portrait'' by Race, Nigel Perrin and The King's Singers (1980, ) * ''My Music'' (1980, ) * ''Dear Music Lover'' (1981) * ''Music Quiz'' (1983, ) * ''The Two Worlds of Joseph Race'' 1988


References


External links

* *
Steve Race appears on ''Desert Island Discs'', 27 November 1971
– Daily Telegraph obituary {{DEFAULTSORT:Race, Steve 1921 births 2009 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Classical music radio presenters English radio presenters English game show hosts English television presenters English pianists English composers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Lincoln, England Royal Air Force personnel of World War II 20th-century pianists 20th-century English musicians People educated at Lincoln Grammar School Classical musicians associated with the BBC