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The Ted Heath Orchestra, or Ted Heath & His Music as they were usually referred to on record, were arguably the greatest of all the British big bands that followed the style of the great American big bands. Certainly, the Heath orchestra was one of the few from Britain that could compare with the best from the USA. Ted Heath learned to play several instruments while still a child, but settled on the trombone while still in his teens. He began playing on a semi-professional basis in order to supplement the family income. After gaining sufficient experience to become fully professional he played trombone with a number of orchestras during the 1920s and 1930s. These included some of the best British orchestras of the day including those of Jack Hylton, Bert Ambrose and Geraldo. Then in 1944, he managed to gather round him sufficient musicians with whom he could exploit his own passion for big band swing jazz. In its turn the Heath orchestra became host to many musicians who would later form their own units and go on to become famous in their own right. These included Ken Baker, Johnny Dankworth, Jack Parnell and Stanley Black- but there were many others. The Ted Heath orchestra were also supported by several vocalists that went on to stardom- those most familiar to record buyers would probably be Dickie Valentine, Lita Roza, and Dennis Lotis. |
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The EP illustrated (Decca STO.1043) is well titled, although it
was issued at the time of the band's most successful period in
the popular music chart during 1958. They had made their mark
early in that year with their great interpretation of 'Swingin'
Shepherd Blues' which came close to the top spot despite stiff
competition from competent rivals. "Hits I Missed" included 'High Noon' (a success for Frankie Laine), 'Three Coins In The Fountain' (Four Aces) (Frank Sinatra), 'Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing' (Four Aces) and 'Secret Love' (Doris Day). Ted Heath had not put any of these songs down on 45-rpm until the release of this EP. |
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Unlike many of its contemporaries the Heath band managed to strike a balance between commercialism and their preferred style, and their records sold well on both sides of the Atlantic.Their musical appeal grew to its greatest during the 1950s when dance halls were still thriving, but they maintained their top billing status well into the 1960s despite the ever changing patterns of popular music. The Heath band drew good material from Television and even 'rock and roll'- using anything that could sustain its 'big band' treatment. The Ted Heath Band's fortunes on record faded somewhat by the end of the 1960s, but by that time their music had become regarded as a national institution. So strong was its identity and appeal, that it even managed to continue under the same name, but new leadership, despite the death of its founder in 1969. |
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