Eric Delaney had a hit in 1956 with Oranges and Lemons.
The drummer Eric Delaney, who has died aged 87 after a brain haemorrhage, earned undying fame as a percussion showman and band- leader, constantly adding to his arsenal of drums and timpani, and playing with a kind of engaging but manic ferocity.
"He was one of the true entertainers, a fund of amazing ideas. He made music stands out of drums, the drums lit up, the timps lit up and the drums revolved," recalled Ian Darrington, the artistic director of the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra. The ever-youthful Delaney had formed an especially close link with the WYJO, often appearing with them, and had donated a drum kit to the orchestra. When we met two months ago, Delaney was full of plans. Indeed, he was expected to appear at the Wigan Jazz festival on the day of his death.
Delaney was born in Acton, west London, to musical parents. He made his first public appearance playing the drums at the age of six, with the family trio, in which his mother played the piano and his father the banjo. By his early teens, Delaney was working with Harry Roy's Juveniles and touring with the Royal Kiltie Juniors, then something of an incubator for jazz talent. He also travelled with Hughie Green's talent roadshows and later led his own juvenile band. Having won an award as Britain's best young swing drummer, Delaney tasted jazz success when, at 15, he joined the Ambrose Octet, alongside the pianist George Shearing and vocalist Anne Shelton, playing the variety theatre circuit.
Called up in 1942, he spent the war years with RAF gang shows in Burma and India. After demobilisation, Delaney auditioned for Geraldo's popular dance band, his reputation made once he joined the band in 1946, staying until 1954. Broadcasting frequently and touring widely with Geraldo, he also fitted in numerous commercial sessions and recorded with the Melody Maker All Stars in 1954 and 1955.
Having already adopted linked twin bass drums, an innovation introduced by Duke Ellington's drummer Louie Bellson (with whom he recorded in 1966), Delaney happened on some timpani in a studio and soon added them to his on-stage paraphernalia. Inspired by the burgeoning popularity of pre-Beatles rock'n'roll, he formed his own big band in 1955 and recorded a series of singles on the Pye label; Oranges and Lemons, its theme carried by the tuned timps, gave him a hit in the UK and the US in 1956.
Out front, playing a raised double-kit and with his big band roaring behind him, Delaney knew he had a formula that worked, and toured non-stop for the next 10 years. Invited to appear on Royal Variety shows (there were three, the first in 1956) as well as on Top of the Pops and the Morecambe and Wise television shows, Delaney worked tirelessly to please his audiences. As musical tastes changed, he adjusted, reducing the size of his band and concentrating on the cabaret circuit, including bookings in Las Vegas and the Bahamas. He later found a safe haven in Blackpool, playing summer seasons at the Tower Ballroom throughout the 1980s, audiences still riveted by his revolving drum routines.
In 1998, Delaney moved to Benidorm in Spain, entertaining tourists and transplanted Britons at the Talk of the Town nightspot with his array of flashing drums, again building a strong local following. He returned to London for good in 2006, picking his jobs carefully and making guest concert appearances with the Squadronaires, the Glenn Miller orchestra and the youthful Wiganites. He also resumed his interest in small-group jazz, popping up in informal sessions at London's 100 Club and performing with the trumpeter Digby Fairweather at Ronnie Scott's as recently as June of this year. His playing had become simpler, but the irresistible Delaney drive was still present.
Head shaved, and tanned to a crisp, with a diamond glinting in his teeth, Delaney continued to exude energy and enthusiasm, seemingly ready for any musical challenge. He did admit to me that he could no longer sort out all his drums himself, but happily, knew a man who could. A biography by Eddie Sammons, The Magnificent Eric Delaney, appeared in 2009.
Delaney, who was married three times, is survived by his daughters, Hannah, Donna and Kindah, and a son, Tony.
• Eric Delaney, drummer and bandleader, born 22 May 1924; died 15 July 2011
"He was one of the true entertainers, a fund of amazing ideas. He made music stands out of drums, the drums lit up, the timps lit up and the drums revolved," recalled Ian Darrington, the artistic director of the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra. The ever-youthful Delaney had formed an especially close link with the WYJO, often appearing with them, and had donated a drum kit to the orchestra. When we met two months ago, Delaney was full of plans. Indeed, he was expected to appear at the Wigan Jazz festival on the day of his death.
Delaney was born in Acton, west London, to musical parents. He made his first public appearance playing the drums at the age of six, with the family trio, in which his mother played the piano and his father the banjo. By his early teens, Delaney was working with Harry Roy's Juveniles and touring with the Royal Kiltie Juniors, then something of an incubator for jazz talent. He also travelled with Hughie Green's talent roadshows and later led his own juvenile band. Having won an award as Britain's best young swing drummer, Delaney tasted jazz success when, at 15, he joined the Ambrose Octet, alongside the pianist George Shearing and vocalist Anne Shelton, playing the variety theatre circuit.
Called up in 1942, he spent the war years with RAF gang shows in Burma and India. After demobilisation, Delaney auditioned for Geraldo's popular dance band, his reputation made once he joined the band in 1946, staying until 1954. Broadcasting frequently and touring widely with Geraldo, he also fitted in numerous commercial sessions and recorded with the Melody Maker All Stars in 1954 and 1955.
Having already adopted linked twin bass drums, an innovation introduced by Duke Ellington's drummer Louie Bellson (with whom he recorded in 1966), Delaney happened on some timpani in a studio and soon added them to his on-stage paraphernalia. Inspired by the burgeoning popularity of pre-Beatles rock'n'roll, he formed his own big band in 1955 and recorded a series of singles on the Pye label; Oranges and Lemons, its theme carried by the tuned timps, gave him a hit in the UK and the US in 1956.
Out front, playing a raised double-kit and with his big band roaring behind him, Delaney knew he had a formula that worked, and toured non-stop for the next 10 years. Invited to appear on Royal Variety shows (there were three, the first in 1956) as well as on Top of the Pops and the Morecambe and Wise television shows, Delaney worked tirelessly to please his audiences. As musical tastes changed, he adjusted, reducing the size of his band and concentrating on the cabaret circuit, including bookings in Las Vegas and the Bahamas. He later found a safe haven in Blackpool, playing summer seasons at the Tower Ballroom throughout the 1980s, audiences still riveted by his revolving drum routines.
In 1998, Delaney moved to Benidorm in Spain, entertaining tourists and transplanted Britons at the Talk of the Town nightspot with his array of flashing drums, again building a strong local following. He returned to London for good in 2006, picking his jobs carefully and making guest concert appearances with the Squadronaires, the Glenn Miller orchestra and the youthful Wiganites. He also resumed his interest in small-group jazz, popping up in informal sessions at London's 100 Club and performing with the trumpeter Digby Fairweather at Ronnie Scott's as recently as June of this year. His playing had become simpler, but the irresistible Delaney drive was still present.
Head shaved, and tanned to a crisp, with a diamond glinting in his teeth, Delaney continued to exude energy and enthusiasm, seemingly ready for any musical challenge. He did admit to me that he could no longer sort out all his drums himself, but happily, knew a man who could. A biography by Eddie Sammons, The Magnificent Eric Delaney, appeared in 2009.
Delaney, who was married three times, is survived by his daughters, Hannah, Donna and Kindah, and a son, Tony.
• Eric Delaney, drummer and bandleader, born 22 May 1924; died 15 July 2011
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