Jack Jackson (radio personality)
Jack Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jack Jackson |
| Born | 20 February 1906 Barnsley, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 15 January 1978 (aged 71) Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England |
| Genres | British dance band |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader, trumpeter, composer, disc jockey |
| Instrument | Trumpet |
Jack Jackson (20 February 1906 – 15 January 1978) was an English trumpeter and bandleader popular during the British dance band era, and who later became a highly influential radio disc jockey.
Early life and career
He was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, the son of a brass band player and conductor, and began playing cornet at the age of 11 before playing violin and cello in dance bands.[1] He learnt to play trumpet and worked in swing bands in circuses, revues, ballrooms and ocean liners before joining Jack Hylton's band in 1927. He left Hylton in 1929 and freelanced for a while.
1930s and 1940s
Jackson joined Jack Payne and the BBC Dance Orchestra in 1931. He left Payne to form his own band in 1933.[1] By the end of year Jack Jackson and his Orchestra started a five-year residency at the Dorchester Hotel in London. His signature tune was Make Those People Sway, and his regular closing theme tune was Dancing in the Dark.[2] By 1939 he had a regular radio show on Radio Luxembourg.
After the war he decided not to reform his band, and turned to compering on the BBC Light Programme in such shows as "Record Roundup", which ran from 1948 to 1977. His methods of presentation included punctuating records with surreal comedy clips, and using quick cutting of pre-recorded tapes to humorous effect.[3] This was a major influence on later British DJs such as Kenny Everett and Noel Edmonds.
Later life and career
He had a chat show on TV in 1955.[1] He emigrated to Tenerife in 1962, sending his taped programmes by air to the BBC each week.
Suffering from a bronchial illness, he returned to Britain to live in 1973, and died at Rickmansworth in 1978.[1]
He is remembered as a member of the UK Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
References
- ^ a b c d Dance Band Encyclopaedia: Jack Jackson
- ^ Ades, David; Bickerdyke, Percy; Holmes, Eric (July 1999). This England's Book of British Dance Bands. Cheltenham: This England Books. pp. 47–49. ISBN 0-906324-25-4.
- ^ BBC Radio History 1945-1967: Light Programme
External links
- "Internet Archive Search: Jack Jackson - archive.org (multimedia content in the public domain)". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "British Pathé Search: Jack Jackson - britishpathe.com". Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- "Jack Jackson - Dance Band Encyclopaedia - mgthomas.co.uk". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "Jack Jackson - Radio Academy Hall of Fame - radioacademy.org". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- "Radio Rewind - Radio 2 People - Jack Jackson - Splicing it Up (audio) - radiorewind.co.uk". Retrieved 29 April 2012.
