1. Jack Hylton mostly retired from the music industry after 1940, becoming a successful theatrical businessman until his death.
24 Facts About Jack Hylton
1. 2.
Jack Hylton was born John Greenhalgh Hilton in Great Lever near Bolton, Lancashire, the son of George Hilton, a cotton yarn twister.
3.
Jack Hylton's father was an amateur singer at the local Labour Club and Hylton learned piano to accompany him on the stage.
4.
Jack Hylton later sang to the customers when his father bought a pub in nearby Little Lever, becoming known as the "Singing Mill-Boy".
5.
Jack Hylton performed as a relief pianist for various bands.
6.
Jack Hylton returned to London, playing with the "Queens" Dance Orchestra, wrote arrangements of popular songs and recorded them for the His Master's Voice and Zonophone under the label "Directed by Jack Hylton", his records carrying the new style of jazz-derived American dance music.
7.
Unlike many other bandleaders who took up residences at nightclubs and ballrooms, Jack Hylton often embarked on lengthy tours of England, which ultimately moulded the concept most Britons had of jazz.
8.
Jack Hylton first appeared on radio through station 2LO in 1924, and on 24 June 1925, he cut the His Master's Voice's first electric record, "Feelin' Kind O' Blue", at Hayes in Middlesex.
9.
The orchestra was often augmented with members of other Jack Hylton-controlled bands, especially for 12-inch "concert arrangements".
10.
Jack Hylton became a director and major shareholder of the new Decca record label, switching from His Master's Voice in late 1931.
11.
In late 1933, Jack Hylton left Decca after refusing to take a pay cut, not making records until 1935 when he rejoined His Master's Voice.
12.
Jack Hylton spent 1934 touring Europe again, and adopted "The Soldiers in the Park" as his signature tune.
13.
That same year, Jack Hylton finally was able to perform in the United States; he had repeatedly attempted this for almost a decade, but had been opposed by the musicians' unions.
14.
Whilst in Chicago, Jack Hylton made a number of records with his radio band for Victor.
15.
The Jack Hylton orchestra disbanded in 1940 as many of its members were called up for service, although Jack continued to conduct orchestras for radio in the years to come, leading the Glenn Miller Orchestra when it visited England in 1943.
16.
Jack Hylton's productions dominated the London theatres with such productions as The Merry Widow, Kiss Me, Kate, and Kismet.
17.
Jack Hylton refused to renew his ITV contract in 1959; the last shows made by the company were broadcast in 1960.
18.
Jack Hylton secondly married in Geneva in 1963, to Australian model and beauty queen Beverley Prowse.
19.
Jack Hylton was decorated by the French government on two occasions for his contribution to the entertainment industry.
20.
On 26 January 1965, complaining of chest and stomach pains, Jack Hylton was admitted to the London Clinic.
21.
Jack Hylton died there three days later, from a heart attack, aged 72.
22.
Jack Hylton is buried in the churchyard of St Catherine at Gosfield, Essex.
23.
Jack Hylton's 1930 recording of "Happy Days Are Here Again" was used during the closing credits of episode four of Ken Burns's documentary series "The Roosevelts".
24.
Jack Hylton is portrayed by Ted Robbins in the 2011 television film Eric and Ernie.