Harry Bidgood
Harry Bidgood | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Henry Bidgood |
| Born | 29 August 1898 London, England |
| Died | 15 November 1957 (aged 59) England |
| Genres | Jazz, British dance band |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader |
| Instruments | Accordion |
| Labels | Rex, Imperial, Decca |
| Associated acts | Bob and Alf Pearson, Vera Lynn, Sam Browne, Sam Costa, Donald Peers, Cavan O'Connor |
Henry "Harry" Bidgood (29 August 1898 – 15 November 1957),[1] was an English composer, dance band leader and musical director for films.[2]
Born in London in 1898, he studied at the Royal College of Music. Bidgood released dance band music under various names, mostly notably Primo Scala and his Accordion Band, who issued over 200 sides on 78rpm.[3][1] Over the course of 20 years he would frequently broadcast on the BBC. In 1930, he and his band covered Amy, Wonderful Amy, a song about Amy Johnson.[4] Bidgood was also the musical director for numerous films, including several starring George Formby. Apart from the many recordings made under his own name, he also led accordion bands under the names 'Rossini' and 'Don Porto'. As 'Primo Scala', he broadcast regularly on Music While You Work until just before his death. Many of these sessions were directed by deputies, such as Ernest Penfold, owing to Bidgood being in and out of hospital.
He died in November 1957, at the age of 59, having been diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer.[1]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Brown, Terry (18 September 2020). "Harry Bidgood – From Vocalion to Primo Scala – 78rpm Collectors' Community". Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ Huntley, John (1972). British Film Music. Volume 2 of Literature of cinema. 195. p. 247. ISBN 0-405-03897-6.CS1 maint: location (link)
- ^ "Primo Scala and his Accordion Band". NME.
- ^ https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/a/amy.html
External links[]
- Harry Bidgood at IMDb
- Primo Scala at Archive.org
- Harry Bidgood at Archive.org
- 1898 births
- 1957 deaths
- British bandleaders
- Music directors
- 20th-century British conductors (music)