The BIG Jack Hylton list.........

Jack Hylton

b. 2 July, 1892, Great Lever, Lancashire, England, UK, d. 29 January, 1965, London, England, UK

Theme song: "Oh, Listen To The Band"

Jack Hylton was a pioneer of British Dance Bands and lead what many regard as the premier European show band of the 1920's and 1930's. He appeared all over continental Europe while recording prolifically.   In 1929 alone, Jack Hylton and his Orchestra sold more than three million records and gave 700 performances. If you would like to know why,...just listen to their great 1928 recording of a tune called "I Kiss Your Hand Madame", composed by Samuel M. Lewis, Fritz Rotter, Ralph Erwin Vogl, aka: Harry Wright, and Joe Young tune dates back to ca. 1912, and this version was originally released in Europe on the HMV label in 1928, as "Fantasie Über: Ich Küsser Ihre Hand, Madame". The vocal is by Sam Browne. Listening to this rendition shows just how advanced the Hylton band was for that time. Out of the Jack Hylton Band came such future bandleaders as Billy Ternent, Paul Fenoulhet, Chappie D'Amato, Jerry Hoey, Peter Yorke and Jack Jackson. His musicians were paid well in return for high standards.

Jack Hylton was hardly an imposing figure at five-foot-three, but he was tough, shrewd and a giant in the British entertainment scene for forty years. Jack was famous both for presenting symphonic concert arrangements (many of which were penned by his right-hand man and deputy conductor, Billy Ternent) and for his impressive stage effects. The band was strong vocally and included over the years such singers as the ever reliable Sam Browne, Pat O'Malley (who later emigrated to the States), Alice Mann, Denny Dennis, Dolly Elsie (Jack's sister), June Malo, Bruce Trent, and Americans Dick Murphy as well as the vocal group that Jack discovered and brought to Europe - The Swingtette.

Jack Hylton's early career was spent playing piano with concert parties; performing as "The Singing Mill Boy", and working in a double act with Tommy Handley. He joined the band at the Queen's Hall, London and the Queen's Dance Orchestra started recording for HMV on 28 May 1921. Jack was the only member of the band who could read music and his name soon appeared on the label as director of the Orchestra. His 1922 band had Bernard Tipping, trombone; Basil Wiltshire drums; Bert Heath Trumpert; unknown tenor sax; Jack Raine, trumpet Chappie d'Amato, sax; Dick de Pauw, violin and Bert Bassett on banjo.

Using Paul Whiteman's records as a model, he gradually moulded the Orchestra into an impressive musical unit. He concentrated his efforts on touring while occasionally appearing in several West End shows. By 1926, Jack Hylton and his Orchestra were well established and made their very first broadcast.

They were never regular broadcasters on the BBC so their appearances on the air were greeted as occasions not-to-be-missed. Hylton's was the first British Band to broadcast to the United States. In the later 1930's they did appear on commercial radio in the Rinso Radio Revue on recorded half-hour programmes. Hylton himself had the foresight to have his broadcasts recorded and stored in his archives.

Between 1927 and 1938 the band made 16 European tours and was extremely popular on continental Europe. In 1932, Jack Hylton was awarded the French Legion of Honour for his services to music. The Band recorded in Paris and in Berlin on HMV records. (A complete half-hour live BBC relay from the Scala Theatre, Berlin (15 February, 1938) was re-issued on LP (Reid RD 7) in 1989. The reverse side of the LP features part of a broadcast first heard on 8 October, 1937.) After being instrumental in arranging visits to Britain by Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and others, Jack set his sights on taking his Band to the USA and in 1935 he secured a contract for 13 hour broadcasts in the States for the Standard Oil Company. The whole band set sail on October 16th and broadcast in mid ocean. Due to the American Musicians Federation ban on visiting foreign musicians, only Hylton, Ternent and his singers Pat O'Malley, Peggy Dell and six other performers were granted permission to work. An American band was formed under Hylton's direction to play and broadcast from the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The American band recorded four sides. The British Band continued under the direction of Sonny Farrar until Hylton's return in 1936. In 1939, Coleman Hawkins toured with the Orchestra and recorded DARKTOWN STRUTTERS BALL and MY MELANCHOLY BABY with them (HMV BD 5550).

The Orchestra made an enormous number of records: on HMV from 1921 until 1931 when he shocked the musical world by transferring to the relatively new Decca label, becoming a Director of the Decca company. He appeared on Decca for two years and then made no records at all in 1934. In 1935 he went back to HMV where he remained as their No.1 band until he disbanded in 1940, but there was another commercial recording gap between May 1937 and September 1938. It is difficult to pick out particular records of note from such a rich library, but a good idea of the band playing hot is BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT (HMV B.5703), a concert arrangement of HANDSOME GIGOLO (also known as JUST A GIGOLO) (HMV.C.1970/ Victor 36031) and the splendour of DID I REMEMBER? (HMV BD 5103), when the orchestra included six violins and a harp, and THERE'S A SMALL HOTEL (HMV BD 5164). In 1935, the Hylton Orchestra appeared in the film "She Shall Have Music" and four years later they appeared in "Band Wagon", a movie offshoot of a popular BBC variety show.

In the mid-1930's, Jack formed a band for his first wife, Ennis Parkes, which toured as Mrs Jack Hylton and her Band which toured with a fair amount of success.



In 1940, Jack Hylton decided to disband as the armed forces began to claim his musicians and he concentrated on his managerial business activities. His farewell concert was at the Paris Opera House. In the post war years, Hylton was a highly successful impresario presenting such shows as The Crazy Gang, Kiss Me Kate, Kismet and Camelot to London audiences. There were two occasions when Jack conducted again. On 12 October 1944, he conducted the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the 1936 concert arrangement of SHE SHALL HAVE MUSIC during a broadcast. Then at the Royal Command Performance of 1950 he conducted a reunion Hylton Orchestra with vocalists Sam Browne and Bruce Trent.

These notes on Jack Hylton were kindly supplied by Mr. Peter Wallace..
In addition, The Lancaster University Library Jack Hylton Archive: http://libweb.lancs.ac.uk/hylton/index.html, has still more information.

The painstaking discography page....amazing! : http://www.petefaint.co.uk/jackhylton/DISCOG.HTM

Here's a huge collection of tunes, I'm getting these up, but perhaps will return to add in more detail via the discography listed above....sorry, late night, I have a kid...lol. These are in three links:

Softly As In A Morning Sunrise 11/04 HV B-5625

Falling In Love Again (waltz) 06/06/30  HMV B-5864
Lonesome Little Doll 15/10/29  HMV B-5727
My prayer 24/07/39  HMV BD-5508
Can't we be friends 26/02/30  HMV B-5952
Deep Night 04/04/29      HMV B-5638
Eeny Meeny Miney Mo 02/01/36  Chicago HMV BD-5035
A bench in the park 1930

Happy days are here again 1930
Have You Met Miss Jones voc=Sam Browne  08/11/39 HMV BD-5529
I Lift Up My Finger And Say "Tweet Tweet!" 1929
I Want To Be Bad 1929
Just One More Chance 1931
Masquerade 23/09/32  Decca F-3161
Mooning 12/10/21     
My Lucky Star 17/09/29 HMV B-5703
Oh! What A Silly Place To Kiss a girl 13/05/30 HMV B-5836
Pardon The Glove 1927
She shall have music 03/01/36 HMV BD-5017
Song of Happiness
The Wedding Of The Painted Doll 26/04/29  HMV B-5637
They all fall in love
Tiptoe Through The Tulips 24/10/29  HMV B-5722
When You And I Were Dancing 27/08/23  Zonophone 2384
The Wooden Rocking Horse 16/10/31

Heut War Ich Bei Der Frieda 26/01/28  Berlin Electrola EG-782 (Jack Hylton Und Sein Orchester -Refrain Austin Egen)
You grow sweeter as the years go by (1939) w/ Bruce Trent
Our Jack's back 17/07/30  Scotland  HMV B-5887 v=Leslie Sarony
You're Blasé 1931 v= Pat O'Malley
Kiss Me Goodnight v=trio with Sam Browne
September In The Rain 07/05/37  HMV BD-5216 v= Tom Wareing
Cutie 1926 (HMV B-2249)  v= Jack Hylton
Adeline1930
Alabama Stomp 12/11/26  HMV B-5170
Angeline 1928
Betty Boop Theme Song 1932
Blue Trot Blues 1923
Borneo 21/06/28  HMV B-5500
Sweethearts On Parade 1928
In the Jailhouse Now 08/02/32Decca F-2824
Sad N' Blue 1927 Jack Hylton's Hyltonians (Kit-Cat Band)
Cuddle Up 1927 hmv 78rpm
The Dart Song  23/04/37 HMV BD-5207

http://www.mediafire.com/?lmafewdc1s1b92s


Life Begins At Oxford Circus  20/03/35 HMV BD-142
Tid-dle-Id-dle-Um-Pum! 29/08/30 HMV B-5897
A - Tisket, A - Tasket 20/09/38 HMV BD-5407
Our Love
South American Joe  15/07/35 HMV BD-203
Happy Feet (High Heels Mix)-JUST FOR FUN...the remix
Da-da-da 14/06/27     HMV B-5296
You're The Cream In My Coffee 13/05/29  HMV B-5650
Shinaniki Da
The Grasshoppers Dance 14/09/33 Decca F-3662
Wish Me Luck 24/07/39 HMV BD-5508
Ol Man River
Black And Blue Rhythm 26/09/33  Decca F-3767
Chick chick chicken 17/09/25 HMV B-2121
Egyptian Ella 11/03/31  Berlin HMV B-5996
He Was A Handsome Young Soldier
I must have that man
I'm perfectly satisfied 
If You Want The Rainbow 1928
Just The Same   24/10/27
Louisville Lou (The Vamping Lady) 03/09/23 HMV B-1690
Me And Jane In A Plane 1927
My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now 18/01/29  HMV B-5595
Talkie Hits Medley 1 30/10/30  HMV B-5926
Fine Alpine Milkman 16/07/30 Scotland  HMV B-5874
Why does my heart go boom ? 22-12-1939
Adorable (1926) (HMV B-5102) Jack Hylton's Kit-Cat Band
My Melancholy Baby 1939 w/ Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax
You're Mine You  v=Pat O'Malley
Breakaway 1929 v=Sam Browne 
Dear Old Southland1922 zonophone78rpm
Nesting time 21/04/27HMV B-5266
Wenn Ich Du War (If I Were You, Dear) 21/06/28  HMV B-5503
 Ja, ja, die Frau'n sing meine Schwache seite 26/01/28 Berlin Elecrola EG-782
Sally's Come Back
The Angelus Was Ringing (Waltz) 10/05/28  HMV B-5481
Rhymes Pts 1 &2 16/10/31 AND 27/10/31 Zonophone 5997 V=Leslie Sarony
Da-da-da 14/06/27  HMV B-5296
Body And Soul 25/02/30  HMV C-1855 V= Pat O'Malley
Fancy You Falling For Me 1930 V= Sam Browne


http://www.mediafire.com/?jc5n2253j42n825


My heart belongs to Daddy 17/11/39
Darktown strutters ball 26/05/39 HMV BD-5550
Run, rabbit, run 14/09/39  HMV BD-5523
Boo-Hoo 1937

The toymaker's dream 30/05/29  HMV B-5656
Midnight blue 05/11/36, HMV BD-5137
Yours Sincerely 24/10/29  HMV B-5728
A cup of coffee, a sandwich, and you 14/10/25  HMV B-2162
I Kiss Your Hand Madame v=Sam Browne 27/11/28  HMV C-1616
In a little gypsy tea room (Mrs. Hylton, Ennis Parkes) 08/08/35 Crown 1
Deed I do
Dreamy Honolulu (waltz) 17/01/24 Zonophone 2502
Everything Stops For Tea - Victor 25265 -1936
Grieving For You 1927
Harmonica Harry 16/07/30  Scotland  HMV B-5875
Herr Lehmann, Herr Lehmann, was macht die Fraulein Gemahlin in Marienbad? 21/05/30 Berlin Electrola EG-1996
I want to be alone with Mary Brown 22/06/28  HMV B-5501
Just a Gigolo/handsome gigolo 10/05/30  BerlinListen to the German band 03/10/32 Decca F-3204
Marvelous 1927
My one and only
On your toes V=the Swingtette
Over the garden wall 1930
Tap Your Feet 28/10/30  HMV B-5939
The Best Things in Life Are Free 23/07/28 HMV B-5507
The King's horses 17/07/30 Scotland HMV B-5875
When Day Is Done 1927
With A Song In My Heart 1930
Ya Gotta Know How to Love 1926
Amy 02/06/30  HMV B-5836 v= Pat O'Malley
Nevertheless (I'm in love with you) v= Pat O'Malley Decca F-2664 (1931)
Buffalo Rhythm 24/10/27 HMV B-5379Salome 30/08/21 (As Queen's Dance Orch.) HMV B-1259
Forty seven Ginger Headed Sailors 21/09/28  HMV B-5542
Spanish Rose 10/05/28  HMV B-5481
Time Alone Will Tell 11/09/31 OR 21/09/31 OR 05/11/31
Aint That A Grand And Glorious Feeling 31/08/27 HMV B-5336  V= Jack Jackson, Billy Ternent, Chappie Damato
Bluebird Sing Me A Song 1928 V= Jack Jackson, Billy Ternent, Chappie Damato
You're My Decline And Fall 1931 v= Pat O'Malley



http://www.mediafire.com/?2ar3nrn2gg32mka