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The Background music on this page has been computer synthesized and supplied by Pete
Roxburgh who now lives in Australia.
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Promoter of the Syd Lawrence Orchestra for the passed 30 years
Tony Wild recollects life with Syd
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Like most teenagers in the forties, we had our ?pop? idols
in the
same way as teenagers today (the difference being that the music
we heard and loved did at least have tuneful melodies spoken
like a real old man!). None was more loved and idolised than
Glenn Miller who was a musical phenomenon and the sensation
of his age. With the entry of the USA into the war following
Pearl Harbour, Glenn although over draft age, offered his
considerable talents to his country, eventually coming here to the
UK to support and encourage the allied forces and civilians alike.
It was at Bedford Corn Exchange that I was smuggled into the balcony by a friendly GI with a
school friend and there saw and heard my hero
With his untimely death, and the advent of different pop music, the Big
Bands somewhat faded from the scene, apart from the BBC Northern
Dance orchestra who were both featured on a regular TV series as well
as regularly broadcasting. Syd Lawrence was one of a number of great
musicians in that line-up. The BBC was constrained however, to have
hem play what they thought was what the public wanted to see and hear.
Syd, by now married to Cath and with a son and daughter to support, took a pub to supplement their living,while
still playing, but was not happy. He wanted to play the music of Glenn Miller in particular and other great Big
Band pieces, which were then very neglected. Syd had a great musical ear, and uniquely took down, note by note,
off old 78's, the music which he loved. I don't believe at that time that he thought it would be anything more
than a pleasant exercise.
He enthused a number of other fine musicians in the Manchester area, found a pub with a room where they could have
the ?rehearsal? band, and spent time playing for their own pleasure. As we all know now, it took off, and London
Promoter Robert Patterson heard the Band, booked them to play for a Glenn Miller tribute at the Royal Festival
Hall, with a return clause in the contract for them to play at the Royal Albert Hall within six months. Being
unknown, he only paid Syd a small fee, and with the great success at the Festival Hall, took up his option, making
Syd play the Albert Hall for this similarly small fee. Syd filled the Hall, but was greatly incensed that Robert
failed to offer him more money, and vowed never to work for
him again. It was there where I first saw and heard the orchestra. Never before had I heard Glenn's music played
with such accuracy and feeling. This was something extra special. I discussed with my wife how good they would
sound in our local hall, the Queensway Hall, Dunstable, and with her support I contacted Syd and he played to a
near full house there. Six months later on his return, tickets were almost at a premium.
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It is almost five years now since the world lost this great musician. He re-vitalised
single-handedly Big Band music and while he always played much of Glenn's music, as the years went by, he widened
his range considerably
Having been a professional musician of the highest quality himself, he understood the foibles of musicians. He
demanded perfection from them at each and every performance, giving them verbal ?stick? if anything fell below
his standards of perfection. At the same time, he knew the insecurity of the music industry and always paid his
men well above the union rates, with the
result, that as the orchestra was constantly in demand for many years, predominantly the same musicians stayed
with him. Many of the country's finest players longed for vacancies to occur and jumped at the chance of playing
in this orchestra, acknowledged to be the best in the world.
I count Syd as one of my lifetime friends. Not being a musician myself, but an enthusiast for the music, and being
prepared to spend my time promoting him, we became very close.
Many occasions Syd stayed with our family, and one night at Cambridge he consulted my wife Gill and I to ask if
we thought he was ready to own a Rolls Royce. Gill said to Syd that if he could afford it, then why not have it.
So the next day he went to the showrooms of Jack Barclay at Oxford where he was well entertained and when we met
him that evening at the concert at Reading Town Hall, told us of his purchase. Some few weeks later, staying with
us at
our home in Leighton Buzzard, my wife had a visit from a man to repair the washing machine.
He thumped down his bag of tools, and Gill asked him to be quiet, as Syd Lawrence was asleep upstairs. ?Oh Yeah?
said the engineer, ?pull the other one? so she suggested he look at the front of the house, where, sure enough,
stood Syd's Rolls. He was as quiet as a mouse after that.
I have been asked to write about the funny incidents over the years. While there were obviously incidents over
a 30 year span, Syd was a musician first and foremost.
I certainly felt embarrassed at the un-necessary ?mickey-taking? comments made on the video of the tribute to Syd
at Manchester which must have been most hurtful to his widow, Cath. Yes, Syd did make some gaffs over the years,
but he wasn't a commentator or a raconteur, but the finest musical director this country has known, and I count
it a privilege to have known and worked with him.
He has left a great musical legacy. Chris Dean who had been trombone section leader for some years, with David
Bothwell took over the orchestra some six and a half years ago.
During this time, with enthusiastic help from members of the fan club,
from Jim Crawshaw (one-time Orchestra manager) getting many bookings, and myself promoting the orchestra at about
50 concerts annually, Chris has done a wonderful job. |
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I am confident that Syd would
have been wellpleased that his name and music are in such good
hands. When Syd was at his heyday, work came in all the time.
The Orchestra had difficulty in accepting all the bookings, but
times change,and for the last few years it has been hard graft
getting work to sustain the Orchestra. Musicians like everyone
else have homes and families to support, and the only way that
they can survive professionally is to accept work whenever and
wherever it comes along.
Chris has a pool of top rate musicians to call on, and he, like
his mentor, is a perfectionist, and settles for nothing less than
the best.
The ?Sez Les? series and the Morecambe & Wise show in the
early years featured the Orchestra on TV. At this time, there
seems to be little interest from the TV producers to present this
wonderful music, on which a large percentage of the population
were weaned. For the last two years, Chris Dean and I have collaborated
to present at the major venues in the UK and Ireland tribute concerts
to Glenn Millers' Army Airforce Orchestra with a full string section,
which have been sell-out concerts.
2004 is the centenary of Glenn Miller's birth. It is also the
diamond anniversary of his first broadcast in the UK at Bedford
Corn Exchange, and already I have booked the Corn Exchange so
that we can present a fitting concert to commemorate the sixty
years since Cecil Madden of the BBC presented the Glenn Miller
service orchestra on air from that Hall.
Ten years ago when we celebrated the golden anniversary of that
first broadcast from Bedford, we had the great pleasure of welcoming
Syd back from retirement to front his orchestra, with the late
great Alan Dell as compere and with the legendary ?Peanuts? Hucko
Glenn's clarinet lead, and one of the world leading jazz clarinet
players. It was one of the last times that I had the pleasure
of working with, and meeting my good friends of many years Syd
Lawrence, Alan Dell and Peanuts Hucko.
Hardly a day passes without a memory cropping up of something
we did or said to each other through the many years. We had many
?run-ins? and many good laughs together. The great thing about
Syd was that although he could blow up over what to me was a small
thing, the big things never upset him. He never bore grudges.
He would say his piece, and once said, it was over and
never referred to again.
At all the present day concerts, Chris Dean always makes a point
of praising the foundation laid by Syd, and in turn I am sure
that Syd would be thrilled at the superb orchestra that Chris
now has, and the way that Syd's name is being perpetuated so well.
How lucky I have been to have lived through these momentous years
and to have had the opportunity to enjoy this wonderful music
and to have been a part in giving such musical pleasure to so
many people.
Tony Wild
Syd Lawrence 1924- 1998
He gave us back the Big Bands
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