Bedford Corn exchange hosts the Syd Lawrence Orchestra
Beryl Today
photo (c)Sharon
Dawson
Special Guest Star
Beryl Davis
The annual Glenn Miller Tribute concert by the Syd
Lawrence Orchestra was held on the very day 55 years after Glenn Miller
took off from Twinwoods Farm Airfield on the 15th December 1944 never
to be seen again.This concert was performed by the only orchestra since
the Glenn Miller Orchestra to be able to re-create the true sound that
Glenn Miller had worked to achieve. The
Syd Lawrence Orchestra in its 32nd year of existence is now led by the very
talented
.
Chris Dean
The concert was held in the Corn Exchange in Bedford
England where The Glenn Miller Band did many of its wartime broadcasts
in 1944. Singing StarBeryl Davis
now in her 70's who sang with the band during those war years, was special
guest singer.
During the first half of the concert the orchestra played the great
classic's in the Miller library Moonlight Serenade, Little Brown Jug, Skylark, Yes My
Darling Daughter, Deep Purple, In the Mood, Sunrise Serenade, One O'clock
Jump, Pennsylvania 65000, Stardust, It Happened in Sun Valley, I Know
Why, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Serenade in Blue, Kalamazoo, At Last and
ending with American Patrol.
A Younger Beryl
Malcolm Laycock
A very young Beryl with Oscar Rabin
The second half on the concert began with
Malcolm Laycock (BBC Big Band Sounds presenter) informing the audience
that the band would now recreate one of the Glenn Miller Chesterfield
broadcasts. These shows were 15 minute broadcasts put over the air three
times a week sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes.. After getting the
audience warmed up for Glenn Millers arrival (played by Chris Dean)
he began the count down to begin the broadcast, getting the audience
to count down Ten- Nine- Eight--------- Two- One..
Announcer:- This is the CBS Radio Network, Then began an amusing recreation
of one of Glenn's programmes together with the corny scripts of those
days read by Chris Dean and Malcolm Laycock. The music of course was
terrific. Rhapsody in Blue, And the Angels
Sing, Perfidia, Jersey Bounce ending in a short version of Moonlight
Serenade. Malcolm Laycock then told us
the time of Glenn's last broadcast ending by saying that Glenn was a
very fine trombonist. At this Chris Dean gave us a demonstration of
his skills on the Trombone .
The concert then continued
in the Military Style of Glenn AAF band with
St. Louis Blues.
Sarah Gilbertson.
Bryan Pendleton. Tony Jocobs.
Broderick Crawford
(announcer) Ray McKinley, Glenn. (1943)
Now Chris Dean walked on stage dressed in American
style uniform and looked more the part albeit not an exact uniform of
the AAF. The next tune played by the band was When
Johnny Comes Marching Home. Chris introduced
the next number mentioning Johnny Desmond 'The Creamer' who sang this
number during those war years, now to be sung by the resident male singer
Tony Jacobs, This is a Lovely Way to Spend
an Evening.
Malcolm Laycock then mentioned
Mel Powells composition now played by the brilliant Bryan Pendleton
on Piano, My Guys Come Back.
as the applause die down after the piece,
Malcolm continued by saying,
My Guy Come Back:, Ladies and gentlemen I am delighted now to
bring you a lady who's "Come back' Harry Davis little girl, with the Oscar
Rabin band, who toured Europe with Stephane Grappelli and DJango
Reinhardt. Bob Hope called her to America, she sang with Vaughn
Monroe, Les Brown and Benny Goodman and who followed Doris Day
for a year on Frank Sinatra's Radio Show, and she was the young
lady who sang on the 17th August 1944 broadcast with Glenn's AAF
Orchestra from the forces Canteen right here at the Corn Exchange.
She now lives in the USA and she tours all over
the world. She has flown back specially to be with us to make tonight
even more special, Ladies and Gentlemen the legionary Miss Beryl Davis.
As she walked onto the stage the band began to
play Moonlight Serenade, she look absolutely fabulous and as the music
faded she said, " Ladies and Gentlemen I don't think you could
possibly imagine how I feel right now, I'm going to cry, I don't care.
You don't mind do you?" The audience response throughout the theatre
was a resounding "No", She looked so good we knew we were
going to enjoy this lady's songs.
"I've had a fantastic time here "
she told us " of course, I did have a fantastic time many years
ago, in 1942 the Glenn Miller band went to war and became the AAF band.
During those war years I was a very young singer growing up in England,
'A VERY YOUNG SINGER' (audience laughter) (infact she was nineteen years
old) "and many of those bands and Hollywood movie stars came through
England on their way to the ETO and one of those stars was the famous
Glenn Miller AAF band, at the time and it was the thrill of my life
that I was invited to sing with the band. In fact we did so many shows,
broadcast of course, but mostly other shows and concerts, dances and
what not that he decided it might be safer for me if they issued me
with a uniform. I became the only British civilian to be officially
attached to the 8th Air force and that was kind of weird, it really
was, but it was a wonderful honour and I am very very proud to tell
you that being here on this particular date is a very emotional thing
for me.
Yesterday of course I went to see the Twinwoods
Control Tower at the old Airfield.
(this was Glenn's last stop before flying off never to be seen again.)
Do you know its been 55 years since I was here, isn't that amazing.
(Audience applause) This is a very special evening for me tonight and
what a wonderfull band." (Great applause for the Syd Lawrence Band)
"The music for the 40's was special as you know, here's a few of
those songs I sang and I'm still singing them. I don't have to worry
about new tunes everybody wants to hear the same old tunes. It makes
it so easy. This song I sang right here with Johnny Desmond and the
Chew Chiefs, see if you remember it. (Beryl then broke into the popular
Miller number Don't Sit Under the Apple
Tree.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, Vera Lynn sang this
and still does I'm sure:-
(song: White Cliffs of Dover)
Ladies and Gentlemen the last show The Glenn Miller band did under the
leadership of Glenn Miller was from the servicemen's club in the heart
of London its called the Queensbury Club, that particular day the 12th
December 1944 we did two broadcast in the afternoon and one concert
at night. Ladies and gentlemen this is one of those songs I sang on
the last broadcast I did with Major Glenn Miller with the Glenn Miller
AEF Band".
(song I'll Be Seeing You.)
