Stanley Black

A highly talented pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor, Stanley Black was one of the leading figures in U.K. light and popular music. Black started recording for Decca Records in 1944, and in the same year became conductor of the BBC Dance Orchestra, a position that lasted until 1952. He also composed signature tunes for several radio programs, including the legendary Goon Show, and in 1977 he became the first non-American to conduct the Boston Pops Orchestra. Black worked on over 100 films, including It Always Rains on Sunday (1948), The Long and the Short and the Tall (1961), and the Cliff Richard musicals The Young Ones and Summer Holiday. His albums sold in huge quantities, not only in the U.K., but also in the U.S., New Zealand, and Japan.