Ronald Frank Aldrich (15 February 1916 – 30 September 1993) was a British easy listening and jazz pianist, arranger, conductor and composer.
Early life He was born Ronald Frank Aldrich on 15 February 1916 in Erith, Kent, England, the only son of a store manager. He started playing the piano at three years old and was educated at the Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone and learned violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He travelled to India in the late 1930s ahead of World War Two to play jazz and first gained fame in the 1940s as the leader of a Royal Air Force band, later called The Squadronaires who had a 20-year-long career before they disbanded in 1964.
Education and career Aldrich was educated at The Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone, and taught violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Before the Second World War, he went to India to play jazz and first gained fame in the 1940s with the Squadronaires, which he led from 1951, when the band was then billed as Ronnie Aldrich and The Squadronaires, up until their disbanding in 1964.
Aldrich was noteworthy for his arrangements for stereo LPs featuring two piano parts, often mixed so that one piano part was only audible in the left channel, while the other was only audible in the right channel (the Decca Phase 4 Stereo series). Aldrich played both piano parts at separate times using overdubbing. He recorded for the Decca Record Company Ltd in the 1960s and 1970s, moving to Seaward Ltd (his own company) licensed to EMI in the 1980s. He also regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with his own orchestra as well as with the BBC Radio Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra, based at BBC Glasgow. Aldrich also recorded special tracks that were released by Reader's Digest. All the Decca recordings have been released on CD format by Vocalion. Many of his sessions for radio stations have been released by Apple iTunes in m4a format.
He was appointed musical director at Thames Television, and thus was widely known as the musical director for the television programme The Benny Hill Show. He was married twice and had a daughter from his first marriage. At the time of his death, he was married to Edith Mary Aldrich (1919–2006), his wife for more than 30 years. In later years he moved to the Isle of Man where he lived with his wife in Strathallan Castle, formerly the Clifton Hotel, in Port St. Mary, but he continued to work in London, where he remained a member of the local Branch of the Musicians Union. He died of prostate cancer at age 77 on 30 September 1993 in Clatterbridge, Cheshire."Ronnie Aldrich" (Obituary), The Times, 15 October 1993, p. 21 He found his final rest at St. Luke's Churchyard, Baldwin Braddan, Middle, Isle of Man.
Discography
Ronnie Aldrich and the Squadcats All Time Hits of Jazz, Ace of Clubs (ACL 1020) 1960 Remastered and re-released 13/10/09 as "All Time Jazz Hits", on double CD with "Top of the World".
Decca Discography "Ronnie Aldrich And His Two Pianos" Melody and Percussion for Two Pianos, Decca Phase 4 PFS34007 (SP-44007) 1961 Ronnie Aldrich and His Two Pianos, Decca Phase 4 PFS4019 (SP-44018) 1962 The Magnificent Pianos of Ronnie Aldrich, London Phase 4 SP-44029 1963 The Romantic Pianos of Ronnie Aldrich, London Phase 4 SP-44042 1964 Christmas with Ronnie Aldrich, London Phase 4 SP-44051 1964 The Magic Mood of Ronnie Aldrich, Decca Phase 4 PFS4064 (SP-44062) 1965 That Aldrich Feeling, Decca Phase 4 PFS4076 (SP-44070) 1965 All-Time Piano Hits, London Phase 4 SP-44081 1966 Where The Sun Is, Decca Phase 4 PFS4106 1966 Two Pianos in Hollywood, Decca Phase 4 PFS4108 (SP-44092) 1967 (*) Two Pianos Today!, Decca Phase 4 PFS4132 (SP-44100) 1967 For Young Lovers, Decca Phase 4 PFS4141 (SP 44108) 1968 This Way "In", Decca Phase 4 PFS4152 (SP-44116) 1968 It's Happening Now, Decca Phase 4 PFS 4159 (SP-44127) 1969 Destination Love, Decca Phase 4 PFS4179 (SP 44135) 1969 Togetherness, Decca Phase 4 DDS 2, 1970 Here Come the Hits!, London Phase 4 SP-44143 1970 (**) Close to You, London H-17156 1970 (**) Love Story, Decca Phase 4 PFS4222 (SP-44162) 1971 Great Themes To Remember, Decca Phase 4 1971 Invitation To Love, Decca Phase 4 PFS4242 (SP-44176) 1972 Come to Where the Love Is, Decca Phase 4 PFS4264 (SP 44190) 1972 The Phase 4 World of Burt Bacharach, Decca Phase 4 SPA193, 1972 Soft And Wicked, Decca Phase 4 PFS4268 (SP-44195 H-17195) 1973 Top of the World, London Phase 4 SP-44203, 1973 The Way We Were, Decca Phase 4 PFS4300 (SP 44209) 1974 In the Gentle Hours, Decca Phase 4 PFS 4329 (SP-44221), 1975 Love, Decca Phase 4 PFS4361 (SP 44253) 1975 Reflections, Decca Phase 4 PFS4377 (SP-44264) 1976 Webb Country, Decca Phase 4 PFS4397 (SP-44278) 1977 With Love & Understanding, Decca Phase 4 PFS4406 (SP-44286) 1977 (Evergreen USA) Melodies from the Classics, Decca Phase 4 PFS 4424(SP-44300) 1978 Emotions, Decca Phase 4 PFS4436 (SP-44310) 1978
(PFS is the Decca (UK) original catalogue number; SP is the London label (USA) version) / (*) Also issued as "Romantic Screen Themes" in Japan (London SLC4484) / (**) Togetherness (UK double-disc set) was issued as two separate albums in the USA
Decca (Polygram) Discography (One Piano) Tomorrow's Yesterdays, Decca PFS4436 1979 For The One You Love, Decca SKL5319 1980
Amberjack Discography (One Piano) One Fine Day, Amberjack 902, 1981 Imagine, Amberjack 1981 Beautiful Music, Amberjack 1982 Silver Bells/Winter Wonderland, Amberjack
Seaward Music recordings licensed to EMI (One Piano) Night Birds, EMI MFP 1982 Sea Dreams, EMI MFP 1984 For All Seasons, EMI MFP 6016 1987 Ronnie Aldrich, his Piano and Orchestra, EMI CC220 1988 (compilation album)
Seaward also issued a vinyl LP, The Wonderful World of Man, which contained recordings of the sounds of the Isle of Man, where Ronnie Aldrich lived from the 1960s onwards. This record was sold in the island to tourists.
Decca Discography "The New Big Band" Today - In The Old Fashioned Way, Decca Phase 4 1977
Titles recorded by album
Melody and Percussion for Two Pianos (1961) (No. 20 on the Billboard Top LPs) Unforgettable - Gordon Secret Love - Webster/Fain To Each His Own - Livingstone/Evans Ruby - Roemheld/Parish April in Portugal - Ferrao/Kennedy My One and Only Love - Mellin/Wood Autumn Leaves - Kosma/Mercer Misty - Garner/Burke Golden Earrings - Young Young at Heart - Richards/Leigh April Love - Webster/Fain The Gypsy - Reid
Ronnie Aldrich and His Two Pianos (1962) (No. 36 on the Billboard Top LPs) Liebestraum - Liszt Reverie - Debussy Story of a Starry Night - Hoffman/Curtis/Livingstone Till the End of Time - Kaye/Mossman Story of Three Loves - Paganini, arr. Rachmaninoff Full Moon and Empty Arms - Kaye/Mossman Stranger in Paradise - Wright/Forrest Clair de Lune - Debussy, arr. Aldrich Baubles, Bangles and Beads - Wright/Forrest Theme from "Goodbye Again" - Auric/Langdom Tonight We Love - Worth, Austin/Martin I'm Always Chasing Rainbows - Carroll /McCarthy
The Magnificent Pianos of Ronnie Aldrich (1963) "Ebb Tide" - Maxwell/Sigman The Very Thought of You - Noble I'll Be Seeing You - Fain Love Letters - Young Long Ago and Far Away - Jerome Kern How Deep is the Ocean - Berlin Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - Jerome Kern Stella by Starlight - Young Among My Souvenirs - Nicholls Darn That Dream - Van Heusen Evening Star - R. Aldrich Where or When - Rodgers
The Romantic Pianos of Ronnie Aldrich (1964) Deep Purple - DeRose More Than You Know - Youmans I'll never smile again - Lowe Embraceable you - Gershwin Don't blame me - McHugh/ I have dreamed - Rodgers/Hammerstein September song - Weill/Anderson I'm in the mood for love - McHugh/Fields If I loved you - Rodgers/Hammerstein Lonely lover - R. Aldrich Moonlight in Vermont - Blackburn/Suessdorf Spring will be a little late this year - Loesser
Christmas with Ronnie Aldrich (1964) White Christmas - Berlin Let it snow - Cahn/Styne Winter wonderland - Bernard/Smith Silver bells - Evans/Livingstone Sleigh ride - Leroy Anderson Have yourself a merry little Christmas - Martin/Blane Toyland - Victor Herbert I'll be home for Christmas - Gannon/Kent/Ram By the fireside - Robert Schumann Count tour blessings - Berlin Christmas waltz - Cahn/Styne The Christmas song - Torme/Wells
The Magic Mood of Ronnie Aldrich (1965) Charade - Henry Mancini Felicidade - Antonio Carlos Jobim I've grown accustomed to her face - Loewe/Lerner Ship of dreams - R. Aldrich I left my heart in San Francisco - Cross/Cory "Softly, as I Leave You" - DeVita, Calabrese/Shaper How soon - Mancini/Stillman I wish you love - Trenet/Beach "The Girl from Ipanema" - Jobim The sound of music - Rodgers/Hammerstein Gardens in Ibiza - Aldrich People - Styne/Merrill
That Aldrich Feeling (1965) My favorite things - Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II Moonglow and theme from "Picnic" - Will Hudson-Eddie DeLange Melodie d'amour - Leo Johns - Henri Salvador Mona Lisa - Jay Livingston - Ray Evans Magic moments - Burt Bacharach/Hal David When I fall in love - Victor Young/ Edward Heyman (erroneously named as "Herman") Memories are made of this - Terry Gilkyson - Richard Dehr Spanish Harlem - Jerry Leiber - Phil Spector The sweetest sounds - Richard Rodgers Come closer to me (Acércate más - Real title) - Osvaldo Farrés If the rains got to fall - David Heneker If ever I would leave you - Alan Jay Lerner - Frederick Loewe
All-Time Piano Hits (1966) Miserlou - Roubanis Bewitched - Rodgers Nola - Arndt Stardust - Hoagy Carmichael Near you - Craig Dancing in the dark - Schwartz Autumn leaves - Kosma Voodoo moon - Noro Morales As time goes by - Hupfeld Inka dinka doo - Ryan/Durante Canadian sunset - Haywood/Gimbel Exodus - Gold
Where The Sun Is (1966) La playa - van Wetter Je te rechaufferai - Aznavour Strangers when we meet - Duning/Quine Nuages - Reinhardt/Larue Merveilleuse Angelique - Magne Till - Sigman/Danvers La bohème - Plante/Aznavour "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" - Guaraldi/Werber Anema e core - D'Esposito/Manlio/Goell Sabor a mi - Carillo/Mitchell Are You Lonesome Tonight? - Turk/Handman Michelle - Lennon/McCartney
Two Pianos in Hollywood (1967) The shadow of your smile - Mandel/Webster Lara's theme - Webster/Jarre Strangers in the night - Kaempfert/Singleton Chim chim cheree - Richard & Robert Sherman Limelight - Charles Chaplin The Bible - Mayuzumi Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? - North/Webster Moulin Rouge - Auric/Larue More - Oliviero/Ortolani The apartment - Williams A patch of blue - Goldsmith/Wayne Lawrence of Arabia - Jarre
Two Pianos Today! (1967) You only live twice - Barry/Bricusse A whiter shade of pale - Reed/Brooker Georgy girl - Springfield/Dale Somethin' stupid - Parks A man and a woman - Lai/Barouh My cup runneth over - Jones/Schmidt Don't sleep in the subway - Hatch/Trent Release me - Miller/Stevenson Barefoot in the park - Hefti/Mercer Alfie - David/Bacharach Music to watch girls by - Ramin This is my song - Charles Chaplin
For Young Lovers (1968) Ode to Billie Joe - Gentry What the world needs now - Bacharach/David Love is blue - Popp/Cour Sunny - Hebb I think I'm going out of my head - Randazzo/Weinstein The impossible dream - Darion/Leigh Baby, now that I've found you - Macaulay/Macleod Valley of the dolls - A. Previn/D. Previn It must be him - Gilbert Becaud/David Up, up and away - Webb To sir with love - London/Black Born free - Barry/Black
This Way "In" (1968) This guy's in love with you - Bacharach/David MacArthur Park - Webb Blowin' in the wind - Bob Dylan Do it again - Wilson/Love Honey - Russell Time - Aldrich/Hendrix Mrs. Robinson - Simon By the time I get to Phoenix - Webb Mas que nada - Jorge Ben Theme from "The fox" - Lalo Schifrin A man without love - Panzeri/Pace Something here in my heart - Macleod Macaulay
It's Happening Now (1969) Hey Jude - Lennon/McCartney