Uploaded April 2015 | Updated September 2026, 29 minutes ago
AND THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST SONG GOES TO - 1968
Winner : Jimmy Webb / Song : "Up, Up, and Away" / Sung by : The 5th Dimension
Other Nominees that year were =
Jimmy Webb for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" performed by Glen Campbell
Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt for "My Cup Runneth Over" performed by Ed Ames
Bobbie Gentry for "Ode to Billie Joe" performed by Bobbie Gentry
John Hartford for "Gentle on My Mind" performed by Glen Campbell
LEON YOUNG
Leon Young started his post-war career as an arranger for the Frank Chacksfield Orchestra. Insiders know that many of these albums, if not all (!), were arranged by Leon Young and .... even conducted.
By 1958 television was well-established in the homes of Britain and this year saw the first screening of The Black and White Minstrel Show featuring the George Mitchell Singers. Leon had known George since the 'George Mitchell Showtimers', as they were called after the war, had recorded a memorable LY arrangement of Ten Green Bottles. They subsequently enjoyed a long and cordial working relationship based on mutual respect, Leon regularly contributing arrangements for the Minstrels which would exploit the particular talents of each of the star soloists as well as the ensemble. The programme was a huge favourite with the public but by 1980 it was considered to be offensive to black people and so was discontinued.
At this time Young was also busy composing, arranging and conducting numerous titles for the Mood Music library. Leon spent hours writing out various combinations of instruments, 'wish lists' on small sheets of paper, in pursuit of an original sound as distinctive as that of Mantovani or Bert Kaempfert. Such an overt style eluded him but his 'signature' is readily apparent in the distinctive string voicing, the use of woodwind, a marked fondness for the flugel-horn and certain harp colorations.
Enter the Swinging Sixties and the emergence of youth culture - Carnaby Street, psychedelia, Elvis, Rock & Roll, The Beatles, and above all the dominance of the electric guitar and of small groups. How much cheaper were four lads than a big band or a large orchestra. You might think that this would prove to be the death knell for Leon's style of music but, largely thanks to Denis Preston, this was not to be. Denis was a record producer whose particular talent lay in bringing together sometimes unlikely pairings of artists at his Lansdowne Studios. He suggested the formation of an orchestra consisting of the very top session musicians of the day, brought together solely for recording purposes and to be called 'The Leon Young String Chorale'.
Other artists recording at Lansdowne were Elaine Delmar, Bent Fabric and Roger Whittaker, all of whom benefited from the accompaniment of The LY String Chorale with his distinctive arrangements. There were also discs issued on various labels featuring the String Chorale alone, the finest of which being Ellington for Strings, a selection of the Duke's compositions specially arranged by Leon for the album which received enthusiastic approval from the man himself. But, of course, the most famous association of this period was with Acker Bilk, an unlikely pairing indeed. Everyone who remembers the sixties remembers Stranger on the Shore. Issued as a single on 25 November 1961 it went straight to number one and stayed in the charts for fifty-eight weeks. Acker's tune, ('Acker' is a west-country pseudonym for 'mate') was given to Leon as a single line on a scrap of paper. From this he produced an arrangement of exemplary craftsmanship and characterised by the restraint so typical of his mature style.
There also followed a long association with Sidney Thompson and his Time for Old Time programme which also resulted in a series of LPs. This might seem an unlikely association as Leon had never set foot on a dance-floor in his life and would have had two left feet. But the knowledge and craftsmanship that he brought to the arrangements was much appreciated.
ACKER BILK
He made his first LP in 1957 and sold out the initial run of 500 pressings within days. More were made to meet demand and it kickstarted what became a glittering career.
Billed as Mr Acker Bilk, he became a chart regular during 1960 with tunes such as Summer Set and Buona Sera but when Stranger On The Shore was released in 1961 he soared to new heights. The single was the first British US No.1 in the Billboard Hot 100, beating The Beatles by two years.
BENT FABRIC
Bent Fabric, is a Danish pianist and composer.
HANDSOME GIGOLO (JUST A GIGOLO)
"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", composed in 1928 in Vienna by Leonello Casucci to lyrics written in 1924 by Julius Brammer
MHO
When 3 masters of music meet .... what you get is a musical masterpiece. Not enough space to write further comments here this time....so we hope the music will speak for itself ! Enjoy
AND THE GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST SONG GOES TO - 1968
Winner : Jimmy Webb / Song : "Up, Up, and Away" / Sung by : The 5th Dimension
Other Nominees that year were =
Jimmy Webb for "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" performed by Glen Campbell
Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt for "My Cup Runneth Over" performed by Ed Ames
Bobbie Gentry for "Ode to Billie Joe" performed by Bobbie Gentry
John Hartford for "Gentle on My Mind" performed by Glen Campbell
LEON YOUNG
Leon Young started his post-war career as an arranger for the Frank Chacksfield Orchestra. Insiders know that many of these albums, if not all (!), were arranged by Leon Young and .... even conducted.
By 1958 television was well-established in the homes of Britain and this year saw the first screening of The Black and White Minstrel Show featuring the George Mitchell Singers. Leon had known George since the 'George Mitchell Showtimers', as they were called after the war, had recorded a memorable LY arrangement of Ten Green Bottles. They subsequently enjoyed a long and cordial working relationship based on mutual respect, Leon regularly contributing arrangements for the Minstrels which would exploit the particular talents of each of the star soloists as well as the ensemble. The programme was a huge favourite with the public but by 1980 it was considered to be offensive to black people and so was discontinued.
At this time Young was also busy composing, arranging and conducting numerous titles for the Mood Music library. Leon spent hours writing out various combinations of instruments, 'wish lists' on small sheets of paper, in pursuit of an original sound as distinctive as that of Mantovani or Bert Kaempfert. Such an overt style eluded him but his 'signature' is readily apparent in the distinctive string voicing, the use of woodwind, a marked fondness for the flugel-horn and certain harp colorations.
Enter the Swinging Sixties and the emergence of youth culture - Carnaby Street, psychedelia, Elvis, Rock & Roll, The Beatles, and above all the dominance of the electric guitar and of small groups. How much cheaper were four lads than a big band or a large orchestra. You might think that this would prove to be the death knell for Leon's style of music but, largely thanks to Denis Preston, this was not to be. Denis was a record producer whose particular talent lay in bringing together sometimes unlikely pairings of artists at his Lansdowne Studios. He suggested the formation of an orchestra consisting of the very top session musicians of the day, brought together solely for recording purposes and to be called 'The Leon Young String Chorale'.
Other artists recording at Lansdowne were Elaine Delmar, Bent Fabric and Roger Whittaker, all of whom benefited from the accompaniment of The LY String Chorale with his distinctive arrangements. There were also discs issued on various labels featuring the String Chorale alone, the finest of which being Ellington for Strings, a selection of the Duke's compositions specially arranged by Leon for the album which received enthusiastic approval from the man himself. But, of course, the most famous association of this period was with Acker Bilk, an unlikely pairing indeed. Everyone who remembers the sixties remembers Stranger on the Shore. Issued as a single on 25 November 1961 it went straight to number one and stayed in the charts for fifty-eight weeks. Acker's tune, ('Acker' is a west-country pseudonym for 'mate') was given to Leon as a single line on a scrap of paper. From this he produced an arrangement of exemplary craftsmanship and characterised by the restraint so typical of his mature style.
There also followed a long association with Sidney Thompson and his Time for Old Time programme which also resulted in a series of LPs. This might seem an unlikely association as Leon had never set foot on a dance-floor in his life and would have had two left feet. But the knowledge and craftsmanship that he brought to the arrangements was much appreciated.
ACKER BILK
He made his first LP in 1957 and sold out the initial run of 500 pressings within days. More were made to meet demand and it kickstarted what became a glittering career.
Billed as Mr Acker Bilk, he became a chart regular during 1960 with tunes such as Summer Set and Buona Sera but when Stranger On The Shore was released in 1961 he soared to new heights. The single was the first British US No.1 in the Billboard Hot 100, beating The Beatles by two years.
BENT FABRIC
Bent Fabric, is a Danish pianist and composer.
HANDSOME GIGOLO (JUST A GIGOLO)
"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", composed in 1928 in Vienna by Leonello Casucci to lyrics written in 1924 by Julius Brammer
MHO
When 3 masters of music meet .... what you get is a musical masterpiece. Not enough space to write further comments here this time....so we hope the music will speak for itself ! Enjoy
