Frank Chacksfield

法蘭克·查克斯菲爾德管弦樂團(Frank Chacksfield and his Orchestra)(英) 中型管弦樂團，擅長演奏電影音樂、百老匯舞臺插曲、抒情的流行歌曲改編曲、爵士音樂及改編的古典樂曲。風格嚴謹流暢。 Frank Chacksfield（法蘭克·查克斯菲爾德）1914-1995，英國指揮家。Frank Chacksfield1914年5月9日出生于薩塞克斯郡的巴特爾（Battle, Sussex）。7歲開始學習鋼琴，14歲開始第一次獨奏演出。22歲時擔任過樂隊的指揮。二戰(zhàn)期間服役，后因病被指派在 BBC廣播電臺為軍隊制作娛樂節(jié)目。戰(zhàn)后制作節(jié)目，在此結識了切斯特（Charlie Chester）。戰(zhàn)后他們組織了一個由電臺和工作室樂手組成的樂隊。1953年，他創(chuàng)建了自己的樂隊“流行歌手”（The Tunesmiths）。經過努力，樂隊開始走紅，在各地巡回演出，歌曲登上排行榜前列，并經常錄制唱片，還參與電影歌曲的制作。他們在英國和美國都取得了很大的成功。同時樂隊規(guī)模不斷擴大，加入了弦樂手，成為一支管弦樂團，即弗蘭克·查克斯菲爾德樂團。通俗音樂之外，查克斯菲爾德及其樂團也演奏了不少科爾·波特（Cole Porter）、格什溫和伯林的作品。查克斯菲爾德逝世于1995年6月9日。
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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."
Chacksfield 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.
Frank Chacksfield 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.