Charles Leonard Kunz (August 18, 1896 – March 16, 1958) was an American-born British musician popular during the
British dance band
British dance band is a genre of popular jazz and dance music that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms during the 1920s and 1930s, often called a Golden Age of British music, prior to the Second World War.
Thousands of miles aw ...
era, and who became a pianist.
Life and career
Kunz was born in
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
* Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
* Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
* Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in T ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States,
the only son of Margaret T. (Wehr) and Leonard Kunz, a master baker who played the
French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
. He made his debut aged six and made his first appearance as a prodigy aged seven. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he led his own resident band, while working in a munitions factory.
He came to the United Kingdom in 1922 as a pianist in a small dance band.
He was to remain there until his death from a heart attack in 1958.
He is buried in
Streatham Vale Cemetery. He was such a distinctive and popular pianist that he abandoned his orchestra to concentrate on his piano playing, both at
music hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...
venues and on 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. ...
...
.
Two of Britain's most famous female vocalists were with his orchestra in the 1930s:
. His best known crooner was George Barclay.
Kunz was the pianist in a dance band which was led by the drummer, Ed Krick. The band came to London in 1922 to play a residency in the
. The band returned without Kunz to Pennsylvania after a successful run at the 'Troc' and, until 1998, still got together for sessions for retirement homes, renamed as 'The B Flats'.
His debut as a soloist came in 1934 at the
, London followed by countless variety theatres in Britain and the Continent, after playing in hotels, restaurants and ballrooms. The same year saw the beginning of what was to become a continuous output of solo records of "Charlie Kunz Medleys". His signature tune was "
", and his closing theme was "Pink Elephants".
He became the highest paid pianist in the world, earning up to £1,000 a week.
His piano transcriptions sold widely in the teaching of piano-playing. Kunz's playing style was a relaxed flowing interpretation of popular melodies played with subtle soft and loud accents, which he called "melody and rhythm with expression".
He was married three times:
* 1) Amanda Dysher (died) (one son Joseph)
* 2) Eva Dorothy "Nin" Lloyd, a fashion model (1923–1939) (two sons Peter and Gerald) In 1939 he was living with Eva in Elmer Road, Chichester Area.
* 3) Pat Sparkes (1942–1958)
He is buried in