Black
Satin
Frank
Chacksfield (b. May 9, 1914, Battle, Sussex, England; d. June
9, 1995) is a pianist and organist who had a series of hit singles
in the '50s, most notably with "Ebb Tide." He learned
how to play piano as a child. While he was a boy, he was the deputy
organist for the local church. Though his parents discouraged
him to pursue music as a career, he persevered. In the late '30s,
when he was in his mid-20s, he was leading small musical bands
in Britain. In 1940, he enlisted in the British army. During the
war, he had his first radio broadcast, "Original Songs At
the Piano," which orignated from Glasgow. Shortly after its
broadcast, Chacksfield landed a job as the arranger for Stars
In Battledress, a World War II entertainment troupe.
After the war, Chacksfield supported Charlie Chester's comedy
group, Stand Easy. The connection with Chester led to Chacksfield's
first recording, as the accompanist for Frederick Ferrari, one
of Chester's lead singers. During this time, he was formed his
own group, the Tunesmiths, and conducted orchestras for Henry
Hall and Geraldo. He signed with Decca and made his recorded solo
debut in the early '50s. Soon, he scored a novelty hit single
with "Little Red Monkey," which climbed to number three
on the British charts in the spring of 1953. That summer, he had
a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic with the "Theme
from Limelight," which featured a lush, sweeping orchestra.
The next year, Chacksfield followed with "Ebb Tide,"
which replicated the arrangement for "Limelight" and
was equally successful. It was his first US hit single, peaking
at number two.
For the rest of the '50s, Chacksfield released a series of popular
instrumental singles, as well as accompanying albums. In the '60s,
he had a weekly program on British radio; as he got older, he
made the occasional appearance on UK radio shows.
Frank Chacksfield continued to record into the '90s; his last
album was Thanks for the Memories (Academy Award Winners 1934-55),
which was 1991.
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1)
Chill Samba
2) Isla Del Sol
3) Blue Baion
4) Pacific Blue
5) Sleepy Time Bossa Nova
6) Heidi
7) Winter Dreams
8) Fernando
9) When It's Twighlight In Capri
10) Barbiroussa
11) Mexican Doll
12) Tamoretta
13) Black satin
14) On The Tamiami Trail
15) Autumn Romance
16) Dreamy Eyes, Dreamy Girl
17) Just Like A Leaf In The Wind
18) Solitario
19) Tenerife
20) Make You Happy
21) Soho samba
Soft Lights
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