Stan Butcher

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Stanley Robert "Stan" Butcher (26 January 1920, London – 1987) was a British pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader in the fields of jazz and easy-listening.

Life and work[]

Butcher served during the Second World War in an infantry division and played in a military band. After the war, he led a band with trombonist Don Lusher in Pembroke Bay; he then worked in the orchestras of Joe Daniels (1947–48), Freddy Randall (1951), Bernie Stanton(1951), (1953), (1954) and in the 1970s with Stan Reynolds. In 1949-50 and again in 1952 he led his own groups and wrote arrangements for Dixieland bands. With songwriter he composed the song "Sing, Little Birdie" for the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest[1] A recording by duo Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson reached number 2 in the charts. In 1962 he composed, again with Cordell, for Ronnie Carroll, the British Eurovision entry "Ring-A-Ding Girl", which came fourth. In the 1960s he led the big band His Birds and Brass and recorded easy-listening albums for Columbia and Fontana.[2] In 1979 he issued the fusion album Magician, on the Hobo label, in which Barbara Thompson and Ray Russell participated.[3]

His instrumental version of The Seekers' "Morningtown Ride", from his 1966 album His Birds and Brass, was used as the theme tune for the weekly Saturday morning BBC Radio 1 programme Junior Choice presented by Leslie Crowther and Ed Stewart.[4]

Discography[]

  • At Home With .., Bridie Gallagher and Stan Butcher (Parlophone, 1962)
  • Stan Butcher - His Birds & Brass, (Columbia, 1966)
  • Sayin 'Somethin' Stupid and Other Things, Stan Butcher & His Birds and Brass (Columbia, 1967)
  • Big Band Blowout, Stan Butcher Orchestra (Fontana, 1970), with Don Lusher, Bill Le Sage
  • Chaplin, The Hot Strings of Stan Butcher (Fontana, 1970)
  • A Garland for Judy, The Hot Strings, arranged and conducted by Stan Butcher (Fontana, 1970)
  • Wrappin It Up, Stan Butcher and His Orchestra (Columbia, 1971)
  • Magician (1978)

Other sources[]

  • John Chilton: Who's Who of British jazz, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004, ISBN 0-826-4723-46

References[]

  1. ^ "Sing little birdie - lyrics - Diggiloo Thrush". Diggiloo.net. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Stan Butcher Leader Entry". Jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  3. ^ "サービス終了のお知らせ". Thanks.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  4. ^ Stan Butcher - Morningtown Ride on YouTube

External links[]

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