Looking for a Bandleader

[Chilton]

Does anyone have a good detailed knowledge of 1930/1940s Bandleaders in the UK?

[joboy]

Chilton ... can you give us any idea what sort of band?
Brass? Military? Dance? Jazz? Calypso? Sallies?
any clue at all and we'll try to help.
Joe

[liverpool annie]

Hi Chilton !

Like Our Joe says .... depends on the music .... but heres 5 !! are you looking for somebody in particular ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:English_bandleaders

Annie 

[Chilton]

Thanks for the replies. The guy I am looking for is a dance band leader. His name is Wally Dewar and he was my mother's cousin. He was also a pianist. He plied his trade in London and Brighton dance halls. He did compose and perform songs. I am really looking for some sort of biography or who he worked with, what was his reputation in the music world, if he has any descendants.  He was born Walter Richard Pigott in 1901. I have checked all the search engines and can only find sheet music sales of his stuff.

[crystalight]

Hi Chilton, please forgive me if this is a bit off topic    not sure if it helps you 

but I have a 3x Great Uncle who apparently was a bandmaster with a band called "The Fitzgerald's" made up of himself, Gerald Fitzgerald Wright born1858 in Broadwater Sussex and his "girls" (his daughters I believe) Ethel, Adelaide, Violet, Caroline and Geraldine all born between 1885 and 1894.

Not sure if it included his wife Augusta Kate Mason, he was previously married to her sister 

I have been unable to find out any information about the band, can anyone help?

Best wishes Crystal 

You beat me to the reply and it looks as if this is not you're man sorry 

[Martin Briscoe]

My Taid played trombone in several brass and silver bands.  He used to say that he had also played with various professional musicians or bands so I did look around the WWW to see if there were any sites with information, perhaps even an anorak with a database of every band and their members! But I didn't have any success.

Martin Briscoe

[millymcb]

Me too!

I'm looking for a band who played dance halls in the late 1930s/1940s in Manchester.  It was led by someone called Bob Beasley (Beazley, Beesley - not sure of the spelling) and could possibly have been called The Bob Beasley Band (or however it was spelt).  If anyone has heard of them or has any thoughts I'd love to know.

Thanks

Milly

[Martin Briscoe]

I can't see him mentioned in Manchester's Music Makers but it covers a slightly later period, mainly post-WWII.

There is another book in the same series, Dance Band Days around Manchester, but I don't have a copy of that one.

They are also available from the MLFHS.

Martin Briscoe

[Rabbit B]

Hi Chilton,

Wally Dewar apparently played in Brighton and Hove, have found this link for you, found one of the references at a quick look but you might want to study it more carefully.  It appears to be a message board about Big bands http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__6376_path__0p214p218p.aspx  Happy hunting!

Rabbit B