West
of Sunset
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)
Cuban Boy
2) Capri Serenade
3) Jumpin' Jupiter
4) Cheeky Cha Cha
5) Inishannon Serenade
6) Singapore Girl
7) La Nina Callada
8) Miami 747
9) Bless Your Heart
10) Marylin
11) An Idle Dream
12) I'll Be There
13) After All
14) Sahara
15) How Was It For You
16) Shadow Play
17) Majorcan Holiday
18) Jog Trot
19) West of Sunset
20) Aperitif
21) Wedding In Schio
22) Ocean Sunrise
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