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Geoff Love
Geoffrey Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British band leader, musical director, and arranger of easy listening instrumental versions of popular music and film themes. He provided accompanying music for recordings for many vocalists. Starting in the late 1950s, he recorded under the stage name Manuel and the Music of the Mountains. He also recorded under his own name.
Love was born in Todmorden, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the only son and younger of two surviving children (an elder sister Cornelia) of African American Thomas Edward (Kidd) Love and his English wife, Frances Helen Maycock (1892–1975), an actress and singer.
The Loves travelled around Britain as entertainers, but, following the death of his father, the family returned to their grandmother's house in Todmorden. Whilst at school, Love learned the trombone. After leaving school at 15, Love worked as a car mechanic and played trombone at dance halls in the evening. Having turned professional at 17, Love joined Freddie Platt's band.
Later, in 1936, he joined Jan Ralfini's band playing in London and learned to play jazz. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Love was called up and joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps. Whilst in the armed forces, Love spent time learning orchestration by questioning musicians how best to write for their individual instruments.
Following his release from the army, Love became a freelance trombonist and arranger, and also played with Stanley Black's BBC orchestra. He also developed his orchestration through the tutelage of the harpist Marie Goossens.
In the early 1950s, along with saxophonist Harry Gold, his brother Laurie Gold and pianist Norrie Paramor, Love was a member of the 'Pieces of Eight', playing Dixieland jazz.
Although Love continued to play trombone at recording sessions (for example with bandleader Lew Stone), he was doing more and more orchestral arrangements. His arrangements were played by the Cliff Adams Singers, Ambrose and Ken Mackintosh dance bands, as well work for television and radio orchestras.
By the mid-1950s, Love was writing for several recording labels, moving from Philips to Polydor and PolyGram before finally settling at EMI. Whilst at the His Master's Voice label, he arranged for Frankie Vaughan and Alma Cogan, among others. At Columbia, Love arranged Laurie London's gospel song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", a 1957 chart topper in the US.
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Geoff Love
Geoffrey Love (4 September 1917 – 8 July 1991) was a prolific British band leader, musical director, and arranger of easy listening instrumental versions of popular music and film themes. He provided accompanying music for recordings for many vocalists. Starting in the late 1950s, he recorded under the stage name Manuel and the Music of the Mountains. He also recorded under his own name.
Love was born in Todmorden, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the only son and younger of two surviving children (an elder sister Cornelia) of African American Thomas Edward (Kidd) Love and his English wife, Frances Helen Maycock (1892–1975), an actress and singer.
The Loves travelled around Britain as entertainers, but, following the death of his father, the family returned to their grandmother's house in Todmorden. Whilst at school, Love learned the trombone. After leaving school at 15, Love worked as a car mechanic and played trombone at dance halls in the evening. Having turned professional at 17, Love joined Freddie Platt's band.
Later, in 1936, he joined Jan Ralfini's band playing in London and learned to play jazz. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Love was called up and joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps. Whilst in the armed forces, Love spent time learning orchestration by questioning musicians how best to write for their individual instruments.
Following his release from the army, Love became a freelance trombonist and arranger, and also played with Stanley Black's BBC orchestra. He also developed his orchestration through the tutelage of the harpist Marie Goossens.
In the early 1950s, along with saxophonist Harry Gold, his brother Laurie Gold and pianist Norrie Paramor, Love was a member of the 'Pieces of Eight', playing Dixieland jazz.
Although Love continued to play trombone at recording sessions (for example with bandleader Lew Stone), he was doing more and more orchestral arrangements. His arrangements were played by the Cliff Adams Singers, Ambrose and Ken Mackintosh dance bands, as well work for television and radio orchestras.
By the mid-1950s, Love was writing for several recording labels, moving from Philips to Polydor and PolyGram before finally settling at EMI. Whilst at the His Master's Voice label, he arranged for Frankie Vaughan and Alma Cogan, among others. At Columbia, Love arranged Laurie London's gospel song "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands", a 1957 chart topper in the US.