Syd Lawrence

Sydney George Lawrence (born Sidney George Lawrence; 26 June 1923 – 5 May 1998)^[1][2][3][4] was a British bandleader, who became famous in the UK for his orchestra's Big Band sound, which drew on the 1940s style of music of Glenn Miller and Count Basie, amongst others.

Born in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, in 1923,^[1] Lawrence was a talented trumpet player during World War II. He wrote and arranged music. He was based in Cairo during the war years, playing and arranging for the RAF service bands. After he left the armed forces, he played with some of the leading British dance bands of the 1940s, finally being invited to join the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra in 1953.^[5] He stayed with this band for sixteen years playing alongside fellow trumpet player Stan Hibbert.

In 1967, Lawrence teamed up with several of his colleagues at the Northern Dance Orchestra to play the music that he was most enthusiastic about, that of Glenn Miller.^[5] Early concerts at the Mersey Hotel in Manchester were a success, and larger venues were found to play in as the reputation of his band grew.

Respected comedian Les Dawson discovered the Syd Lawrence Orchestra playing in a bar. He liked them so much, that he wanted them to play backing music for his show Sez Les. He begged Yorkshire Television to give them a chance and they did. And so the Syd Lawrence Orchestra was given their first real break on TV and a regular spot on the comedy show. As the music became more popular, Lawrence and his band started touring around the UK, which they did with great success for many years.

En 1969 firmó con Philips Records y el primer lanzamiento de la banda fue en el sello de bajo precio Contour (número de catálogo 6870 550), que se vendía a 10/6d. Titulado "Syd Lawrence with the Glenn Miller Sound" y acreditado a The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, fue grabado en Strawberry Studios el 23 y 25 de septiembre de 1969. Tenía diez pistas, todas canciones o melodías grabadas previamente por Miller entre 1939 y 1942; algunas ligeramente extendidas o reorquestadas. ^{[ 6 ]} La orquesta llegó a grabar unos quince álbumes de larga duración, generalmente en los Strawberry Recording Studios en Stockport, además de apariciones en programas de variedades de radio y televisión. Apareció con su banda en 3-2-1 y también fue vocalista ocasionalmente.

Lawrence se retiró de las giras en 1994 y falleció a causa de un aneurisma en 1998. Tras su muerte, la Syd Lawrence Band continuó su actividad y sigue de gira. La orquesta fue dirigida por Bryan Pendleton y actualmente está dirigida por Chris Dean. ^{[ 7 ]} En 2011 fue elegida la Mejor Big Band del país por undécimo año consecutivo. ^{[ 8 ]}

• Syd Lawrence: El hombre que nos devolvió las grandes orquestas.
• La fabulosa orquesta de Syd Lawrence