1934 Vintage - British Dance Bands from the Golden Age

1934 Vintage – British Dance Bands from the Golden Age

1. JACK PAYNE AND HIS BAND
All I Do Is Dream Of You - Vocal by Jack Payne
Recorded in London in July 1934

2. THE BBC DANCE ORCHESTRA Directed by HENRY HALL
Because It’s Love – v Les Allen
Recorded in London on Wednesday 28th March 1934

3. TEDDY JOYCE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
I Never Slept A Wink Last Night – Vocal by Jack Plant
Recorded in London on Monday 5th November 1934

4. ROY FOX AND HIS BAND at the Cafe de Paris, London
Aloha Beloved – Vocal by Denny Dennis & Chorus
Recorded in London on Wednesday 11th April 1934

5. HARRY ROY AND HIS BAND From the May Fair Hotel, London
The Continental
Recorded in London on Tuesday 13th November 1934

6. SCOTT WOOD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
Count Your Blessings – Vocal by Sam Browne
Recorded in London on Thursday 8th February 1934


From the Golden Age of British Dance Bands comes a selection of six recordings from 1934. We start with Jack Payne’s Band, which at the time was drawing in big audiences to variety theatres around the country. This is a typically bright performance by Jack’s band, featuring great solo work and a nice vocal by the bandleader himself. Our second item is the work of West Indian composer Reginald Foresythe, better known for rather adventurous numbers such as “Serenade for a Wealthy Widow” and “Garden of Weed”. His work is represented here by a more conventional love song, “Because It’s Love”, played by Henry Hall’s popular radio band and sung by Henry’s resident crooner at the time, Les Allen. Although Les was born in London, he was in fact raised in Canada where our next bandleader, Teddy Joyce, first saw the light of day. Teddy made a big impact in a very short time, having assembled a top-notch orchestra which, after a residency at the Kit Kat Restaurant in London, toured for several years. “I Never Slept A Wink Last Night” is typical of the orchestra’s up-tempo performances and an excellent arrangement which shows of the proficiency of the line up. American-born Roy Fox had been established in London since 1930 and was resident at the Cafe de Paris; still a feature of London nightlife in the 21st Century. “Aloha Beloved” was perfect for the Fox band and a showcase for guitarist Ivor Mairants. However, in terms of popular song, there were few numbers from 1934 that have survived as well as “The Continental”, introduced on screen by the great Astaire and Rogers partnership at RKO. Harry Roy produces a nice bright rendition; the only instrumental number in this selection. Our last number is an attractive song, long forgotten, but hits the right note to draw this video to its conclusion. This is, as you will see, the test record for this Scott Wood performance and it was in due course released on the Regal Zonophone label. Excellent arrangement, as always, by George Scott Wood, and the ever reliable Sam Browne was engaged for this studio session to provide the vocal chorus.


Recorded in 1934 for the Rex, Columbia, HMV, Decca, Parlophone and Regal Zonophone labels, these recordings are long out-of-copyright. These sides have been remastered from original 78rpm discs by this user and are unique transfers. These cannot be copied or sold without the permission of Peter Wallace.