[ Ben Hammond Orch. ]
A visitor, Mr. John Tyler, has noted that "Ben Hammond and his orchestra" was a pseudonym for "Jay Wilbur and his band".
Here's the Ben Hammond Orchestra playing "I'm Needing You", recorded in Jan. 6, 1937. This is from an old 'Crown' Label 9 inch record originally sold only in F. W. Woolworth stores in Great Britain. (The singers in the band on this date were Jack Cooper, Sam Costa and Vera Lynn. Matrix No. H-779-1. )

      [ Spike Hughes Orch. ]
b. Oct. 19, 1908 London, UK, d. Feb 2 , 1987 London, England
Overview
Bassist, arranger and Bandleader.
Arranged for many British bands in the late 1920s before forming his own group 'The Decca-dents' (and also 'The Three Blind Mice'). Formed his own band in 1930. Later played with the Jack Hylton orchestra. In 1931, played string bass on some of Henry Hall's very first Decca recordings. Traveled to the U.S.A. in 1933 where he arranged some sessions with Henry "Red" Allen, Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins. Among the tunes that the Spike Huges Orch., recorded in the USA (with these men) were "Zonky", written by Fats Waller, and "Music At Sunrise" He then returned to England and was active into the 1980's. However, he forsook Jazz in 1934, afterwards which his main activity was in Classical Music and also as a journalist.

      [ Ted Heath Orch ], (40's)
"Click" on this Ted Heath, prompt to view the complete Ted Heath bio (presently listed on the American Bands Database).

      [ The Heralds of Swing ], (40's)
A group of ex-Ambrose musicians formed this co-op band in Feb. 1939. They managed to get a booking into London's Paradise Club which lasted from Feb. 10, 1939 until May of 1939. It was another one of those salary disagreements that did the band in. The Paradise wanted a reduction in the number of men employed, and the band could not accept. They were able to obtain some broadcast time in June through August, 1939, but the war broke out shortly thereafter, and that spelled end for the Heralds of Swing. (Some of the personnel found musical work in the RAF Squadronaires orchestra.)

      [ Harry Hudson Orch. ]
d. July 27, 1969
Harry didn't have an orchestra of his own. His was one of the "Studio" orchestras active all through the 1930's. Listen now to the Harry Husdon Orchestra playing "High Up On A Hill Top"

Active with the Edison Bell's Radio Label. Line-up often included such sidemen as: Sylvester Ahola, Lew Davis, Sid Phillips and George Melachrino Some of his re-issued recordings are under pseudoyms of The Blue Jays; The Radio Rhythm Boys, and the Deauville Dance Band.

Among the other songs that Hudson recorded were:
"Swing On The Gait" - Harry Hudson's Melody Men
"It's A Million To One You're In Love" - Harry Hudson's Melody Men
"What'll You Do?" - Harry Hudson Melody Men
"Make My Cot Where The Cot-cot-cotton Grows" - Harry Hudson's Melody Men
"How Long Has This Been Going On?" - Harry Hudson's Melody Men (composers: George & Ira Gershwin)
"Miss Annabelle Lee" - Harry Hudson's Melody Men

      [ Leslie "Jiver" Hutchinson & his Orch ], (40's)
b. March 16, 1906, Kingston, Jamaica, BWI
d. Nov. 1959, Weeting, Norfolk County, England.
As a young man, Leslie played trumpet in the "British West Indies Regimental Band" (Jamaica, BWI). In 1924, that band, with Hutchinson, went to England to play at the Empire Exhibition in London. In 1935, at the urging of both Bertie King, a former B.W.I Regimental bandsman, and Yorke De Souza. he took up permanent residence in England.

It should be noted that there was another Leslie Hutchinson -"Hutch", a Black American singer, who was arguably the most popular singer in the U.K. at this same time.

"Jiver" began work in England with Happy Blake at the Cuba Club and then at the Cabin Club in Soho London . He then toured with a Stage Show, prior to working briefly with Leslie Johnson's "Emperors of Jazz". When Ken Johnson, singer and dancer, took over the "Emperors", "Jiver" remained with Johnson from April 1936 until early 1938. In addition he was working with Jack Davies, Al Craig, and finally with Fela Sowande, an import from Nigeria, with whom he worked for almost a year, -leaving in Oct 1939. "Jiver" did however guest with Johnson throughout this period, including playing in the movie 'Traitor-Spy' in 1939. In late 1939, "Jiver" finally led a band of his own for an engagement at the Florida Club in Mayfair London.

From 1941 to 1942, "Jiver" worked with Sid Philips, but also guested with (Bert) Ambrose. He moved on to Maurice Burman before joining Geraldo, in 1943 and 1944, as 'star soloist'. During this time the band toured the Middle East. After they returned, "Jiver" began working with Lew Stone.

In the Spring of 1944, he again formed his own band using many of the sidemen from Ken Johnson's orchestra. "Jiver" led this band till 1949, touring extensively to India, Scandinavia, Holland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium and other European countries." "Jiver" rejoined Geraldo in 1950 and, on and off, worked almost exclusively with him until 1956.

It's probably important to point out, that another one of Jiver's contributions at this time was maintaining a high visibility for such other Black musicians, - both British born and imports, as Joe Appleton (Sax), Coleridge Good (bass), Clinton Maxwell (drums), and in later years for Geore Tyndale (sax), Peter Pitterson, Bushy Thompson and Frank Williams (trpts), with home grown Cab Kaye and Marion Williams. "Jiver" also worked with the wonderful American Black pianist Mary-Lou Williams during her long stay in England, as well as appearing in the 1953 Alec Guiness film "Captain's Paradise".

After a short stay with George Feirstone he again worked with Geraldo from May 1954 till Oct. 1956. During this time he also established his "Ebony Knights" in 1955, and a new band in 1956. Leslie "Jiver" Hutchinson was tragically killed, In Nov. 1959, when the band bus left the road in Norfolk County, England. "Jiver" Hutchinson was survived by his daughter Elaine Delmar.
Thanks to Mr. Derrick Wilkinson for the above notes on Leslie "Jiver" Hutchinson.

      [ Hermanos Deniz Cuban Rythmn Orch. ], mid-1950s
b. July 31 1912, Butetown, Cardiff, Wales, UK, d. July 17 2005 Age: 92.
né Francisco Antonio Deniz.      ( Guitarist and bandleader )
Overview:
In 1953, inspired by an encounter with Carmen Miranda's musicians, Frank and his brothers Joe and Laurence, formed the orchestra, which for several years enjoyed residencies at the 'Grosvenor House' hotel and the 'Talk of the Town'. Over the years, Frank Deniz, whose career included touring with songwriter Hoagy Carmichael, also did much uncredited session recording, usually 'light music', and even some rock'n'roll dates with Tommy Steele and Marty Wilde. He organised bands for private functions well into the 1980s, when he and his pianist wife Clare spent their winters in Spain. In the 1990s, they returned to England after Clare contracted Parkinson's disease and Spain became unfeasible. Following her death in 2002, Deniz continued to provide sandwiches for visitors and, alongside old world manners, an instructive window on the past.

Frank and his brothers were the sons of an Portuguese-African seaman from the Cape Verde Islands. On Sundays, Portugese-African friends gathered in his family's parlour where they often played their violins and guitars. In this way, Frank and his brothers grew up listening to traditional Portugese music, Caribbean and African airs, sea shanties and popular songs. (Remember, "Jazz" had not yet come to Wales, or to Europe.)

As a 12 year old child, he was already working, and upon graduating school, found work with a local newspaper. Shortly afterwards, his father decided that the youngster would do better at sea. On one voyage, Deniz, then working in the ship's kitchen, traveled to south America, where he first heard the guitar music that captivated him for the rest of his life.

All this time, Deniz was still a working seaman, with his guitar always at his side on his travels to India, Malayasia, Australia and China. On one 1931 voyage, Father and son were working on the same ship that sailed to the Soviet Union. Sadly, it was there that his father fell ill, and died in an Odessa hospital.

Later, after qualifing as a ship's engineer, one voyage took him to Jacksonville, Florida, where his ship had gone to get cotton. There, he experienced the horrors of racial segregation, and learned about lynchings. But, in Galveston, Charleston, and in Boston, -wherever the ship went, he could listen to the work songs and to the Blues that were sung by African-American longshoremen, as well as listening to the gospel singing of "holy-roller" preachers and their congregations at Black Baptist churches.

In 1936, after 10 years as a working sailor, he began playing music on shore. In Cardiff, he joined pianist "Clara (later Clare) Wason's Hawaiians", and the couple were wed shortly afterwards. At first, the couple relied on Clare's income as a pianist. Moving between Soho dives and bottle-parties was invaluable training. In 1937, he played second guitar with Ken "Snake Hips" Johnson's, all-Black orchestra, where his guitarist brother Joe was already installed. During this time, he also accompanied famed American singer Adelaide Hall when she appeared in Mayfair.

During WWII, Deniz served in Britain's merchant navy; in charge of an engine-room crew that included brother Joe. One voyage brought them to Brazil, where the music so reminded them of their childhood Portugese-African afternoons. A later voyage took the brothers to France, where, as a member of accordionist Eric Winstone's quartet, Frank helped to entertain wounded troops. When their ship was bombed, Winstone intervened trying to keep his guitarist on land, but the merchant service would not relinquished its hold on Deniz until he had been torpedoed twice more.

With war's end, Frank and Clare moved to London, where, in time, he was helped by fellow guitarists Ivor Mairants, and famed Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. His big break came when he joined the band of pianist Stanley Black, who loved Latin music and had heard the Deniz brothers play. Black, leader of the BBC Dance Orchestra from 1944, was the first person to employ Deniz on radio, introducing him to people who who helped establish him in that medium.

The Deniz mid-1950s orchestra roster included:
Leader/Electric Guitar: Frank Deniz
Spanish Guitar: Joe Deniz
Piano: Jules Rubin
Bass: Lawrence Cann
Maraccas/Vocals: Alfonse Noel
Bongoes/Panderette: Sid Rich