Alan Breeze
Encyclopedia
Alan Louis Breeze was a singer with the Billy Cotton Band Show
.
He was born in West Ham
, London
, to Louis Breeze, a concert and oratorio singer and a member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
, and Isobel, who taught with the old London County Council
.
At the beginning of his career, Breeze sang in working men's club
s, restaurants and even theatre queues. He produced some 78 recordings, for example from his later repertoire: "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
". He produced recordings at film studios for actors who could not sing. He met the band leader Billy Cotton
, who was to change his career forever.
Breeze started with Billy Cotton in 1932, without a contract, and stayed for 36 years. He became one of the most popular UK vocalists, on radio, television and in theatres around the UK
. His recordings
are still occasionally heard on the radio
.
Breeze died in January 1980.
Billy Cotton Band Show
The Billy Cotton Band Show was a popular Sunday afternoon radio programme on the BBC Light Programme from 1949 to 1968.The band leader, Billy Cotton, was a larger-than-life Cockney character who started each show with the cry “Wakey-Wake-aaaay!”, followed by the band’s signature tune “Somebody...
.
He was born in West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to Louis Breeze, a concert and oratorio singer and a member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
, and Isobel, who taught with the old London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
.
At the beginning of his career, Breeze sang in working men's club
Working men's club
Working men's clubs are a type of private social club founded in the 19th century in industrial areas of the United Kingdom, particularly the North of England, the Midlands and many parts of the South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class men and their families.-...
s, restaurants and even theatre queues. He produced some 78 recordings, for example from his later repertoire: "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts
"I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" is a novelty song composed in 1944 by Fred Heatherton, an English songwriter. It celebrates the coconut shy at funfairs....
". He produced recordings at film studios for actors who could not sing. He met the band leader Billy Cotton
Billy Cotton
William Edward Cotton , better known as Billy Cotton, was a British band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the dance band era. Today, he is mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, although his musical talent emerged as early as the 1920s...
, who was to change his career forever.
Breeze started with Billy Cotton in 1932, without a contract, and stayed for 36 years. He became one of the most popular UK vocalists, on radio, television and in theatres around the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
are still occasionally heard on the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
.
Breeze died in January 1980.