Henry Hall (bandleader)

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For other people of this name, see Henry Hall (disambiguation).

Henry Hall
arranger, actor

Henry Robert Hall, CBE (2 May 1898 – 28 October 1989)[1] was an English bandleader who performed regularly on BBC Radio during the British dance band era of the 1920s and 1930s, through to the 1960s.[2]

Early life and career

Henry Hall was born in

Trinity College of Music where he studied trumpet, piano, harmony and counterpoint.[1]

His first job was as copyist at the head office of the

Salvation Army for which he wrote several marches.[1] During World War I, Hall served with the Royal Field Artillery,[1]
and played trumpet and piano in the regimental band.

Hall's musical career was slow to start but eventually he was engaged by the

London Midland and Scottish Railway to take charge of music throughout their then large chain of hotels, including Gleneagles Hotel, where he had previously led the band.[2]

Hall describes in his autobiography, Here's to the Next Time, that on a Thursday in October 1923 he met a young woman, Margery Harker, while travelling by rail to

St. George's, Hanover Square, London.[3][4]
Henry and Margery had two children during their marriage, Mike and Betty.

In June 1924, on the opening night of the Gleneagles Hotel, Hall persuaded the BBC to broadcast the event on radio,[1] which began his long association with BBC radio.[2]

The 1930s: broadcasting star

It was from Gleneagles that the BBC took him in 1932 to succeed

BBC Dance Orchestra.[5] At 5.15pm each weekday, Hall's radio programme from Broadcasting House gathered a huge following across the nation.[6] His signature tune was "It's Just the Time for Dancing", and he usually concluded with his own composition "Here's to the Next Time".[1][7]

In 1932 he recorded the songs "Here Comes the Bogeyman" and "Teddy Bears' Picnic" with his BBC Orchestra, featuring singer Val Rosing on vocals.[7] The latter song gained enormous popularity and sold over a million copies. In 1934 his popularity was confirmed when his orchestra topped the bill at the London Palladium.[2]

He featured in the documentary BBC The Voice of Britain (1935), the source of the "This is Henry Hall speaking" clip much used in documentaries on this period.

In 1936, Henry Hall made his first feature film and in the same year he was guest conductor of the ship's orchestra on the Queen Mary's maiden voyage, where he wrote the song "Somewhere at Sea".[1][8]

In 1937, the BBC Dance Orchestra played at the opening of the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn, London.[1] Hall's last broadcast with the B.B.C. Dance Orchestra was on 25 September 1937, the band embarking on a variety tour before disbanding in 1939.[7][1] He generated controversy by dropping songs by Jewish composers while playing in Berlin in February 1938.[9]

Later years

During the

Second World War
, Hall played for the troops, and gave concerts and shows in factories all over Britain. Many of these concerts came in the form of "Guest Night" broadcasts. From June to November, 1943, "Guest Night" was replaced by "Henry Hall's Rhythm Entertainment" intended to provide radio entertainment for troops overseas.

After the war he developed his show business interests, becoming something of an agent and producer.

Face the Music.[1]

Hall had a son, Michael, who served in the

Players Theatre in London, founded by actor Leonard Sachs
, and there was a daughter, Betty.

In 1955, Hall published his autobiography Here's to the Next Time. He dedicated it to his wife, Margery.

He ceased regular broadcasting in 1964 and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire,

CBE, in 1970.[1] He died in Eastbourne, Sussex, in October 1989.[1]

A green memorial plaque on the site of his former home at 8 Randolph Mews, Little Venice, was unveiled on 2 May 1996.[10] A blue plaque commemorates Hall at 38 Harman Drive in Cricklewood, London, where he lived between 1932 and 1959.[11]

Popular culture

Hall unknowingly lent his name to a work shift at

Frickley Athletic, who had close ties with the colliery, marked the occasion in their matchday programme with a page, dedicated to Hall, entitled "No More Henry's".[citation needed
]

Hall's song "Hush, Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogeyman" was played in the 2010 video game, BioShock 2.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-939-0
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-906324-25-4
    .
  3. ^ Hall, Henry (1955). Here's to the Next Time. Long Acre, London: Odhams Press Limited. pp. 56–57.
  4. ^ "Hall, Henry R, & Harker Margery" in Register of Marriages for St. George's Hanover Square Registration District, vol. 1a (1924), p. 648
  5. ^ Gilliam, Laurence D. (11 March 1932). "The Man Behind the New BBC Dance Band". Radio Times. No. 441. BBC.
  6. ^ "Heather To Betty - 1936". Spanglefish.com.
  7. ^ a b c Rust, Brian (1972). It's Five Fifteen and Time For Henry Hall and the B.B.C. Dance Orchestra (Sleeve notes). EMI. SH172.
  8. ^ "Somewhere At Sea | Heritage Quay". 22 January 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  9. ^ McCarthy, Albert (1974). The Dance Band Era. The Hamyln Publishing Group Ltd.
  10. ^ City of Westminster green plaques "Westminster City Council - Green Plaques Scheme". Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  11. ^ "HALL, HENRY (1898–1989)". English Heritage. Retrieved 5 August 2012.

External links

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