George Melachrino
George Melachrino (born George Miltiades; 1 May 1909 – 18 June 1965)[1] was a musician, movie composer, and musical director who was English born of Greek and Italian descent. He was an accomplished player of the violin, viola, oboe, clarinet and saxophone.
George Melachrino was born in London, England. As a young boy, he had a love of music. At the age of five, he began composing and by the age of fourteen he enrolled in the Trinity College of Music. In 1927, he began his career by singing and playing at the Savoy Hill Studios in London. For the next twelve years, he played in many different bands and orchestras. In the 1930s, Melachrino started working for bands led by Ambrose singing & playing saxophone with Carroll Gibbons at the Savoy Hotel London, and Bert Firman, and started playing on radio for the BBC. By 1939, he started his own band and secured a contract at the Café de Paris. He joined the Army a year later, and received training at the Corps of Military Police where he became a P.T. Instructor. Melachrino also gained experience as a military musician, at the Army Broadcasting Department, as Musical Director for the recording of entertainment for overseas forces, leading the British Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces and the Orchestra Khaki. After the war, in 1945, he formed the George Melachrino Orchestra, an orchestra that became synonymous with sweet and melodious music . From 1945-1947 he conducted for Richard Tauber in most of his Parlophone recordings and BBC broadcasts.
In 1956, his orchestra's track, "Autumn Concerto", reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart, and remained in the chart for nine weeks.[1]
Melachrino frequently performed on BBC and American Armed Forces Radio. He vied with Mantovani in trying to dominate the post World War II easy listening audiences .
The Starlight Roof Waltz, as performed by the George Melachrino Strings, was the signature tune of the radio programme Moeders wil is wet (1949–1974), the Dutch equivalent of Housewives' Choice.
His lead arranger during the British Band of the AEF & later with the Melachrino Strings was Bert Thompson, who also arranged "Little White Bull" & "The Young Ones".
Melachrino has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Selected filmography
- The Shop at Sly Corner (1947)
- No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948)
- The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948)
- Eight O'Clock Walk (1954)
- The Gamma People (1956)