Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Desert Island Discs
Presented by Roy Plomley
Scottish musician who began as a classical pianist, turned to jazz, formed a band at 11, turned pro at 15, worked as arranger and accompanist, and had a hit sol
Eight records
The keepsakes
The book
No book choice is mentioned in the transcript.
Because it's a wonderful escape. And I think, you know, on a desert island I want a world that I can lose myself in.
The luxury
Not recorded.
In conversation
Presenter asks
Do you come from a musical family?
Uh my mother was a piano teacher.
Presenter asks
What was your very first appearance in public?
I think about the age of eleven and a half I formed a band, my own band, a trio or a quartet and we used to play school dances.
Presenter asks
And when you moved out of the Toffee League?
I became a professional musician at the age of fifteen, nearly sixteen, yeah. Well, uh well I joined a junior band and we toured all over Britain and uh Scandinavia and Holland.
Presenter asks
Arranging, where did you learn about arranging?
Well, do you know, honestly, I don't know. Uh I've scenes that I've always known about arranging, it's a it's a God-given gift, which I, of course, I studied a bit when I got to a difficult bit, uh, like how do you write for a bass trombone? I had to r read a book, but in fact it's all in my mind and it has not by any uh studying on my part.
The recording
Timestamps play the recording from that turn
Joe Henderson
This download is the only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desert Island Discs. The presenter was Roy Plumley.
Presenter
I was born in Glasgow when I was whipped away from there after about eight weeks and I spent all my junior days in Kirkcardi in Hifshire. Yes. Do you come from a musical family?
Presenter
Uh my mother was a piano teacher. Yes. Did she teach you? Uh yes, until about the age of ten I she started me off in a orthodox classical uh
Joe Henderson
The GTQ
Presenter
teaching. Then I suddenly got this uh terrible thing that jazz thing and I veered off my mother's teaching.
Presenter
uh into a sort of jazz thing or whatever was jazz then, what I thought was jazz then. What was your very first appearance in public?
Joe Henderson
One was
Presenter
I think about the age of eleven and a half I formed a band, my own band, a trio or a quartet and we used to play school dances. And I remember our fee for the first school dance was a big tin of toffees.
Presenter
And when you moved out of the Toffee League?
Presenter
I became a professional musician at the age of fifteen, nearly sixteen, yeah. Well, uh well I joined a junior band and we toured all over Britain and uh Scandinavia and Holland. And you were playing the piano? Yes I was. And accordion and doubling arranging. Arranging, where did you learn about arranging?
Presenter
Well, do you know, honestly, I don't know. Uh I've scenes that I've always known about arranging, it's a it's a God-given gift, which I, of course, I studied a bit when I got to a difficult bit, uh, like how do you write for a bass trombone? I had to r read a book, but in fact it's all in my mind and it has not by any uh studying on my part.
Joe Henderson
How long did you stay with the Junior Scotts Band?
Presenter
months and then the REF called and uh Any music in the REF? Oh yes, I was forming jazz quintets and quartets and trios and jazz clubs and things all over the place.
Joe Henderson
Lens
Joe Henderson
Buff.
Presenter
But we were supposed to be a
Joe Henderson
Supposed to be doing white.
Presenter
You were doing that? Well, I was officially a photographer. Ariel?
Presenter
Uh sometimes.
Presenter
I preferred it on ground, of course.
Presenter
And then when you came out the area.
Presenter
Well, I had time to think during the Air Force days and I thought that touring maybe wasn't the greatest life in the world. So I th thought of something that w could keep me in London and I
Presenter
decided that I'd like to try music publishing. Yes, brutally, I mean you started, I presume, song plugging. That's the way most people start music publishing. Yes, yes. It didn't break your heart.
Joe Henderson
Just publish it.
Presenter
Well, at first there's one lovely story that my boss, Jimmy Phillips, who I think is the daddy of Tin Pan Alley.
Presenter
sent me out to I think it was Kingston Empire.
Presenter
And we were plugging a song called One Meat Ball and he sent me out to see Rob Wilton. He happened to be up here. And although I knew about Rob Wilton and I knew about One Meat Ball not being very suitable for him, I had such reverence for Jimmy Phillips that, like an idiot, I went over to Kingston and asked Rob Wilton to sing One Meat Ball. And I said Jimmy Phillips sent me. He said, Who the hell Jimmy Phillips?
Joe Henderson
I can just imagine dear Rob Wilton singing one meatball.
Presenter
What was the next step? Um well during the publishing uh time people used to come into the office and uh ask me to could I play a song over for them and they wanted to hear new songs. And apparently they liked the sort of piano I was playing to demonstrate the songs and they said would I?
Presenter
Was I working Friday and would I care to do a television show or a or a concert somewhere? The people like Donald Pierce, Pejula Clark, the Beverley Sisters, dear Alma Cogan, all sorts of people. I became an accompaniser or musical advisor or whatever it is, you know.
Joe Henderson
Yes, television, radio?
Presenter
Uh the everything, records, yes, yes, mhm. Fine.
Joe Henderson
Records.
Presenter
What inspired you to become a solo artist?
Presenter
I wasn't inspired to become one. I was sort of pushed into it. I really had no aims to be a solo artist at all. I lived a lot of my life in recording studios and I knew everybody through my associations with those big star artists. So one day a record man said, uh, do you ever fancy making a record on your own? And uh
Presenter
So we've made a record and it was a it was a success, uh I'm very happy to say.
Joe Henderson
And the
Presenter
Yes, and then you started doing the same act on the holes.
Presenter
Well, yes, uh uh I had the hit record and I was still quite happy to be a publisher and writer and uh accompanist to people. But uh then an agent came and said, Listen, you've got a hit record, why don't you do a single act?
Presenter
So in fact we compromised that I went we went out on a tour I went out on a tour with Petula Clark.
Presenter
And in the first half of the the the show, they'd sneak me in doing my fifteen minutes worth of
Presenter
Oh, solo act, not very well conceived solo act. Uh and then in the second half of the show I'd put a different jacket on and play piano for better as usual.
Joe Henderson
Yeah.
Joe Henderson
So now things were pretty plain sailing with radio and television series and the halls and so forth. When did your nickname, Mr. Piano, originate?
Presenter
This happened in Holland, uh, just about the time when I was making my first record, and I was over there doing a television show, or television series, and uh
Presenter
In the hotel we were staying, my recording manager was also staying in the same hotel, and there were quite a few phone calls for me. The hotel porter
Presenter
Couldn't remember my name, or he knew I was in room three or something, and uh Yes, yes. But he knew I was a piano player, so he said, telephone for Mr. Piano.
Joe Henderson
Yeah.
Presenter
And uh my record manager thought that was uh uh quite a fair name and it stuck.
Joe Henderson
Yeah.
Presenter
Yeah.
Joe Henderson
What about Tim?
Presenter
Yeah.
Joe Henderson
ambitions. You you're still looking for the really big hit number.
Presenter
No, I don't think so. Um uh obviously I'd love one to come along. But uh no I think I've I've
Presenter
got to my uh the extent of my ambition as far as records are concerned, which is making albums. I make a lot of albums, you know.
Presenter
Where do you get ideas for numbers? Do you sit at the piano with a blank mind or
Presenter
No, uh
Presenter
I I have set myself up, say I must write a song today, just because I ought to write a song, and I set myself up with manuscript paper, the sharpened pencil, the everything, the piano there, and I sit there, as you said, with a blank mind, nothing happens. When the the ideas happen
Presenter
It's about um driving the car from Glasgow to London at three o'clock in the morning, you're tired and trying to keep awake, then the ideas tumble out like mad.
Presenter
I don't think I've ever written a song with a piano in front of me.
Presenter asks
What inspired you to become a solo artist?
I wasn't inspired to become one. I was sort of pushed into it. I really had no aims to be a solo artist at all. … So one day a record man said, uh, do you ever fancy making a record on your own? … So we've made a record and it was a it was a success, uh I'm very happy to say.
Presenter asks
When did your nickname, Mr. Piano, originate?
This happened in Holland, uh, just about the time when I was making my first record, and I was over there doing a television show, or television series, and uh … the hotel porter … couldn't remember my name … But he knew I was a piano player, so he said, telephone for Mr. Piano. … And uh my record manager thought that was uh uh quite a fair name and it stuck.
“I think about the age of eleven and a half I formed a band, my own band, a trio or a quartet and we used to play school dances. And I remember our fee for the first school dance was a big tin of toffees.”
“Well, do you know, honestly, I don't know. Uh I've scenes that I've always known about arranging, it's a it's a God-given gift, which I, of course, I studied a bit when I got to a difficult bit, uh, like how do you write for a bass trombone? I had to r read a book, but in fact it's all in my mind and it has not by any uh studying on my part.”
“I wasn't inspired to become one. I was sort of pushed into it. I really had no aims to be a solo artist at all.”
“I have set myself up, say I must write a song today, just because I ought to write a song, and I set myself up with manuscript paper, the sharpened pencil, the everything, the piano there, and I sit there, as you said, with a blank mind, nothing happens. When the the ideas happen … It's about um driving the car from Glasgow to London at three o'clock in the morning, you're tired and trying to keep awake, then the ideas tumble out like mad. I don't think I've ever written a song with a piano in front of me.”