BBCLaurie Holloway, the previous musical director of BBC leisure displays equivalent to Parkinson and Strictly Come Dancing, has died elderly 86.
The pianist and composer was once widely known to a era of TV audience, and likewise labored with singers equivalent to Petula Clark, Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck.
Holloway, described through his circle of relatives as a “a much-loved and lovely particular person”, died “after a brief sickness”, Mike Parkinson, the son of Sir Michael Parkinson, showed to BBC Information.
Holloway composed TV theme tunes for programmes together with Blind Date, Beadle’s About, Sport for a Chuckle, Depraved Ladies and Maggie and Her.
Born in Oldham in 1938, Holloway started finding out piano at a tender age and changed into an organist and choirmaster at his native church elderly 12.
He went directly to play at ballroom dances and on cruise ships. He additionally labored as a studio consultation musician and performed with the Cyril Stapleton band.
His credit come with Clark’s hit Downtown, launched in 1964. He labored with Humperdinck within the early Nineteen Seventies, taking part in on his albums and becoming a member of him on a excursion of the USA.
He additionally labored with Cleo Laine, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis Jr, violinist Stephane Grappelli, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the John Dankworth Band, ahead of he more and more started to paintings on tv displays.
Holloway’s circle of relatives known as him “an inspiration” to them and the ones he labored with, or who adopted his “illustrious musical occupation”.
“He was once extraordinarily pleased with the charity The 1st viscount montgomery of alamein Holloway Song Agree with that he created together with his past due spouse, the singer Marion 1st viscount montgomery of alamein, supporting younger singers, for which he was once awarded an MBE through Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II” they added.
“He’s going to be deeply overlooked and remembered with nice affection.”
Strictly Come Dancing function
The musician started operating along chat display host Sir Michael Parkinson in 1998, staying with the display for the next decade, together with after its transfer to ITV in 2004.
The 2 males had been shut buddies and Holloway wrote a tribute to Sir Michael for UK Jazz Information following his loss of life in 2023. The 2 males lived shut to one another in Bray, Berkshire.
Additionally in 2004, Holloway acted because the musical director for the primary sequence of Strictly Come Dancing. He equipped a number of musical preparations each week and endured operating at the display for the next two sequence.
It set the tone for the are living song at the massively fashionable dancing festival which has remained on air for twenty years.
He was once made an MBE in 2013 for products and services to song.
