Ray Noble
Encyclopedia
Ray Noble was an English
bandleader
, composer
, arranger and actor
. Noble studied music at the Royal Academy of Music
and became leader of the HMV
Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day. The most popular vocalist with Noble's studio band was Al Bowlly
.
. Union bans prevented Noble from taking British musicians to America so he arranged for Glenn Miller
to recruit American musicians. Glenn Miller played the trombone in the Ray Noble orchestra which performed Glenn Miller's composition "Dese Dem Dose
" as part of the medley "Dese Dem Dose/An Hour Ago This Minute/Solitude" during a performance at the Rainbow Room in 1935. The American Ray Noble band had a successful run at the Rainbow Room
in New York City
with Bowlly as principal vocalist.
Bowlly returned to England but Noble continued to lead bands in America, moving into an acting career portraying a stereotypical upper-class English idiot. His last major successes as a bandleader came with Buddy Clark
in the late 1940s.
Ray Noble wrote both lyrics and music for many songs that became popular, contributing "Love Is The Sweetest Thing", "Cherokee", "The Touch of Your Lips", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You
" and "The Very Thought Of You
" to popular culture. He co-wrote "Goodnight, Sweetheart
" (a number one hit for Guy Lombardo
on U.S. charts), "Turkish Delight" and "By the Fireside". The Ray Noble composition "You're So Desirable" was recorded by Billie Holiday
and Teddy Wilson
, and by Robert Palmer in 1990.
Ray Noble was also an arranger who scored many record hits in the 1930s: "Easy to Love" (1936), "Mad About the Boy" (1932), "Paris in the Spring
" (1935).
Noble and Bowlly's 1934 recording of "Midnight, the Stars and You" was prominently featured on the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick
's film The Shining
in 1980.
Another example of a Noble/Bowlly classic, the 1931 song "Guilty
", can be found on the Amélie
film soundtrack.
Noble played the piano but seldom did so with his orchestra. In a movie short from the 1940s featuring Ray Noble and Buddy Clark (one of his most popular band singers), Ray Noble is asked by the announcer to play one of his most popular hits. He sits down at the piano and plays "Goodnight, Sweetheart" ("Goodnight sweetheart, 'til we meet tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart, parting is such sorrow"). This is the song that once seemed to be played at the end of every high school and college prom, the end of every party featuring live music, and the last song played by a dance band to signal the end of the evening.
Although Noble was no singer, he did appear twice as an upper crust Englishmen on two of his more popular New York records, 1935's Top Hat
and 1937's Slumming on Park Avenue
.
Noble provided music for many radio shows like The Charlie McCarthy Show
and Burns and Allen
and also guest appeared in some of their films. He and his orchestra appeared with Edgar Bergen in the 1942 film Here We Go Again
and in 1937's A Damsel in Distress (film)
with Burns and Allen. Noble played a somewhat "dense" character who was in love with Gracie Allen
. His catchphrase was "Gracie, this is the first time we've ever been alone together."
Ray Noble was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 1987, Ray Noble was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
in Agatha Christie's Poirot:Death on the Nile, 'Love is the Sweetest Thing' is played at the end of the film.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Noble studied music at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
and became leader of the HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day. The most popular vocalist with Noble's studio band was Al Bowlly
Al Bowlly
Albert Allick Bowlly was a Southern-African singer, songwriter, composer and band leader, who became a popular Jazz crooner during the 1930s in the United Kingdom and later, in the United States of America. He recorded more than 1,000 records between 1927 and 1941...
.
Career
The Bowlly/Noble recordings achieved popularity in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Union bans prevented Noble from taking British musicians to America so he arranged for Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
to recruit American musicians. Glenn Miller played the trombone in the Ray Noble orchestra which performed Glenn Miller's composition "Dese Dem Dose
Dese Dem Dose
Dese Dem Dose is a 1935 instrumental composed by Glenn Miller and recorded by The Dorsey Brothers orchestra.Dese Dem Dose was recorded in New York on February 6, 1935, and was released as a 78 by The Dorsey Brothers on Decca paired with "Weary Blues" as Decca 469B. Ray McKinley, the drummer in the...
" as part of the medley "Dese Dem Dose/An Hour Ago This Minute/Solitude" during a performance at the Rainbow Room in 1935. The American Ray Noble band had a successful run at the Rainbow Room
Rainbow Room
The Rainbow Room was an upscale restaurant and nightclub on the 65th floor of the GE Building in Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.-Cuisine:...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with Bowlly as principal vocalist.
Bowlly returned to England but Noble continued to lead bands in America, moving into an acting career portraying a stereotypical upper-class English idiot. His last major successes as a bandleader came with Buddy Clark
Buddy Clark
Buddy Clark was a popular American singer in the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:Clark was born Samuel Goldberg to Jewish parents in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He made his Big Band singing debut in 1934 with Benny Goodman on the Let's Dance radio program. In 1936 he started to perform on the...
in the late 1940s.
Ray Noble wrote both lyrics and music for many songs that became popular, contributing "Love Is The Sweetest Thing", "Cherokee", "The Touch of Your Lips", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You
I Hadn't Anyone Till You
"I Hadn't Anyone Till You" is a popular song written by Ray Noble in 1938.Tony Martin sang it with the Ray Noble band in 1938, reaching number four in the charts over a period of twelve weeks....
" and "The Very Thought Of You
The Very Thought of You
"The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard published in 1934, with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. In addition to Noble's own hit recording of the song with his orchestra, featuring the vocals of Al Bowlly, there was also a popular version recorded that same year by Bing Crosby. A decade later, the...
" to popular culture. He co-wrote "Goodnight, Sweetheart
Goodnight, Sweetheart (1931 song)
"Goodnight, Sweetheart" is a popular song of the 1930s and 1940s, and was written by the British song-writing team of Ray Noble, Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, and performed by Rudy Vallée, Bing Crosby and Dean Martin, among others....
" (a number one hit for Guy Lombardo
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
on U.S. charts), "Turkish Delight" and "By the Fireside". The Ray Noble composition "You're So Desirable" was recorded by Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
and Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson
Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson was an American jazz pianist whose sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.-Biography:Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in...
, and by Robert Palmer in 1990.
Ray Noble was also an arranger who scored many record hits in the 1930s: "Easy to Love" (1936), "Mad About the Boy" (1932), "Paris in the Spring
Paris in the Spring
Paris in the Spring is a popular song composed in 1935, with lyrics by Mack Gordon and music by Harry Revel. It was first introduced by Mary Ellis in the film Paris in Spring. A version was also recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra...
" (1935).
Noble and Bowlly's 1934 recording of "Midnight, the Stars and You" was prominently featured on the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's film The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
in 1980.
Another example of a Noble/Bowlly classic, the 1931 song "Guilty
Guilty (1931 song)
"Guilty" is a popular song published in 1931. The music was written by Richard A. Whiting and Harry Akst. The lyrics were written by Gus Kahn....
", can be found on the Amélie
Amélie
Amélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
film soundtrack.
Noble played the piano but seldom did so with his orchestra. In a movie short from the 1940s featuring Ray Noble and Buddy Clark (one of his most popular band singers), Ray Noble is asked by the announcer to play one of his most popular hits. He sits down at the piano and plays "Goodnight, Sweetheart" ("Goodnight sweetheart, 'til we meet tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart, parting is such sorrow"). This is the song that once seemed to be played at the end of every high school and college prom, the end of every party featuring live music, and the last song played by a dance band to signal the end of the evening.
Although Noble was no singer, he did appear twice as an upper crust Englishmen on two of his more popular New York records, 1935's Top Hat
Top Hat
Top Hat is a 1935 screwball comedy musical film in which Fred Astaire plays an American dancer named Jerry Travers, who comes to London to star in a show produced by Horace Hardwick . He meets and attempts to impress Dale Tremont to win her affection...
and 1937's Slumming on Park Avenue
Slumming on Park Avenue
"Slumming on Park Avenue" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1937 film On the Avenue, where it was introduced by Alice Faye.-Notable recordings:*Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook...
.
Noble provided music for many radio shows like The Charlie McCarthy Show
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
and Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
and also guest appeared in some of their films. He and his orchestra appeared with Edgar Bergen in the 1942 film Here We Go Again
Here We Go Again
-In film and television:* Here We Go Again , a 1970s American sitcom starring Larry Hagman* Here We Go Again , a 1942 film featuring Fibber McGee and Molly, Edgar Bergen and Ginny Simms-Albums:...
and in 1937's A Damsel in Distress (film)
A Damsel in Distress (film)
A Damsel in Distress is a 1937 English-themed Hollywood musical comedy film starring Fred Astaire, Joan Fontaine, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. With a screenplay by P. G...
with Burns and Allen. Noble played a somewhat "dense" character who was in love with Gracie Allen
Gracie Allen
Grace Ethel Cecile Rosalie Allen , known as Gracie Allen, was an American comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner and comic foil of husband George Burns...
. His catchphrase was "Gracie, this is the first time we've ever been alone together."
Number One Hits
Ray Noble had several number one hits in the 1930s on the U.S. pop singles charts:- Love is the Sweetest Thing, 1933, no.1 for 5 weeks;
- Old Spinning Wheel, 1934, no.1 for 3 weeks;
- The Very Thought of You, 1934, no.1 for 5 weeks;
- Isle of Capri, 1935, no.1 for 7 weeks;
- Let's Swing It, 1935, no.1 for 2 weeks; and,
- Paris in the Spring, 1935, no.1 for 1 week.
Honors
"The Very Thought of You", recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra on Victor in 1934, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.Ray Noble was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 1987, Ray Noble was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
in Agatha Christie's Poirot:Death on the Nile, 'Love is the Sweetest Thing' is played at the end of the film.
Sources
- Peter Gammond, "Noble, Raymond Stanley (1903–1978)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006 accessed 7 July 2007