Ted Heath
Background information
Birth name	Edward George Heath.
Also known as	"Ted"
Born	March 30, 1902 Wandsworth, South London, England
Origin	British.
Died	November 18, 1969 in London.
Genre(s)	Easy Listening, Instrumental, Jazz, Big band.
Occupation(s)	Orchestra leader, Composer.
Instrument(s)	Trombone.
Years active	1916-1969.
Label(s)	Decca, and London.

George Edward 'Ted' Heath (30 March 1902–18 November 1969) was the United Kingdom's most famous bandleader of the 40s, 50s and early 60s. March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in a leap year). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x800, 6 KB) Please see the file description page for further information. ... Wandsworth is a town on the south bank of the River Thames in south-west London. ... South London area South London (known colloquially as Saaf of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Easy listening music is a style of popular music which emerged in the mid-20th century. ... An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or piece without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... London Records is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 through the 1980s. ... Edward Heath can refer to a number of people:- Edward Heath, British Prime Minister from 1970-74 Edward Heath (mayor of New Orleans), mayor of New Orleans from 1867 to 1868. ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in a leap year). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... A bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ...

Heath was born at 76 Atheldene Avenue, Wandsworth, South London; he started playing the trombone at the age of fourteen, and his early career involved stints with Bert Firman, Jack Hylton, Ambrose, Sid Lipton, and Geraldo. Wandsworth is a town on the south bank of the River Thames in south-west London. ... South London area South London (known colloquially as Saaf of the River) is the area of London south of the River Thames. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... Jack Hylton (July 2, 1892–January 29, 1965) was an English band leader and impresario. ... Ambrose in 1927 Benjamin Baruch Ambrose (15 September 1896–11 June 1971) was an English bandleader and violinist. ... Geraldo (Gerald Walcan Bright) (August 10, 1904, London, England, May 4, 1974, Vevey, Switzerland) was a british bandleader. ...

His own first orchestra was brought together in 1944 for BBC broadcasts; in 1946 they played for London Town, a British musical film. The film was an unmitigated disaster, but Heath's career took off, including many hit records ("Swingin' Shepherd Blues" being his biggest success, reaching number three in the charts in 1958), regular work for the BBC, and especially a series – started in 1945 – of Sunday-night concerts at the London Palladium. He and his band were featured in the film Dance Hall in 1950. During the 1950s his orchestra frequently performed at the Hammersmith Palais de Dance and The Orchid Ballroom in Purley, Surrey. From 1956 Heath and his orchestra were regular and popular visitors to the United States. Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... London Town is one of the most infamous flops in the history of British cinema. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The London Palladium in 2004 The London Palladium is one of the most famous of Londons West End theatres. ... Dance Hall is a 1950 British film starring Petula Clark, Natasha Parry, Diana Dors, and Jane Hylton. ... See also: 1949 in film 1950 1951 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film // Events February 15 - Walt Disney Studios animated film Cinderella debuts. ... Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, approximately 5 miles (8km) west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames. ... Purley is the name of more than one place. ... Not to be confused with Surry. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The orchestra was on the cusp between dance music and jazz; not only did Heath employ many of the big-name British jazz-musicians at various times, but his staff arranger was Tadd Dameron, and his programmes of straight dance music were supplemented by projects such as his recording of Fats Waller's London Suite. Heath (in common with many other bandleaders at the time) allowed no unrehearsed improvising, however, and the orchestra was known for its note-perfect perfectionism. Tadley Ewing Peake (Tadd) Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. ... Fats Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an African-American jazz pianist, organist, composer and comedic entertainer. ...

His huge success lasted for about fifteen years, ended only by the popularity of rock and roll and the advent of The Beatles. The orchestra was disbanded in 1964 when Heath's health started faltering, though there have been many reunions of various of the musicians involved. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Heath's grandson, James Heath, continues the musical tradition in the family; his company Burning Vision Entertainment produces music videos. James Heath James Heath (born in London on July 5, 1975) is a British film, commercial and music video director. ... Burning Vision Entertainment logo Burning Vision Entertainment, founded by directors Gratian Dimech and James Heath, is a London based production company. ...

Sources

• Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, & Brian Priestley Jazz: The Rough Guide 2nd edition. ISBN 1-85828-528-3