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Topic: Reggie Goff 78's & Recordings

14th Jun 2024, 10:49 PM
	danceband91 Member since Nov 2020 118 Points	I too know very little about Reggie Goff. He seems to be one of those late 40s / early 50s British singers who was probably quite popular at the time, but whose vocal style quickly became rather out of fashion. Ronnie Ronalde and Lee Lawrence come to mind as having had a similar fate. There's an informative biography of Reggie Goff in Don Wicks "The Ballad Years", which I've reproduced below: "Despite a severe disability that confined him to a wheelchair for much of his life, in the late 1940's Reggie became a popular performer on record and radio with his pleasant baritone vocals. Born on 19th September 1915 at Gosport, Hampshire he was playing clarinet and saxophone by the age of 12 and at 15 leading his own professional band in Luton, going on to build up a large following around North London. During the war years, when Billy Ternent formed his BBC orchestra, Reggie joined as lead alto and stayed on when Stanley Black took over. In 1945 he joined George Crow's Blue Mariners, leaving in June 1947 to form his own band again. First airing of the new quintet, that included Johnny Douglas as pianist-arranger and singer Dick James, was on Whit Saturday. Many of his bookings were at U.S.A.F. service camps, and it was here he began to expand his vocal work, finding the Americans liking his style, so similar to their own Vaughn Monroe. This similarity no doubt had some significance in Decca's offer of a recording contract in 1948. Over the next few years they issued over twenty of his discs in this country and there were several others that only appeared on the London label in the States. One of these, 'I love you so much it hurts', with a backing from Cyril Stapleton, reached No.13 on the U.S charts in May 1949. This was Reggie’s second appearance on the American record hit parade for a year earlier he had added a vocal to the Paul Fenoulhet Orchestra’s M.G.M recording of 'A tree in the meadow', that reached No.21. This was another record that was not issued in Britain - on the label the orchestra was shown as Paul Fennelly. Reggie’s 1949 recording of 'My bolero', out in the States on London, caused some confusion for Vaughn Monroe himself when audiences at live concerts asked why he never played it, despite already having recorded it. As he hadn’t it took a while for him to realise that American listeners had heard Reggie’s disc on radio and believed it was Monroe himself. Afterwards he began adding it to his stage show. Reggie’s broadcast work included programmes like 'Sing It Again' where his vocal talents were to the fore, plus others like the strictly instrumental 'Music While You Work'. From May 1948, Reg on alto sax led a quartet (later extended to a sextet) at London's Bray House Club, replacing the Johnny Denis Ranchers. Personnel included Ronnie Martin piano, Frankie Burton drums and Ken Morris bass. The following year a change of style saw him fronting a vocal group. The act formed for radio and variety work consisted of Reggie with four girl singers plus a rhythm section of celeste, guitar, bass and drums. The girls were Joyce Berry, Helen Mack, Linda Russell and Sylvia Lorraine (not content with sounding like Vaughn Monroe - he now had his Moonmaids too!). Known as Reggie Goff and his Glee Girls they made several broadcasts, including a regular Friday evening show with the Carroll Gibbons Orchestra. They are reported as having cut at least four records for Decca, possibly those labelled as Reggie Goff and the Velvetones. Over Christmas 1949 Reggie was appearing in cabaret at Southampton's Royal Court Hotel, supported by one of his Glee Girls, Helen Mack, on piano (plus her own solo spot). Reggie was also broadcasting with Geraldo’s Orchestra. During 1950, with a sextet, he was touring mainly on one night stands, plus a six week summer season leading a larger outfit at Torquay's 400 Ballroom. Reggie was also a solo guest at concerts with the Cyril Stapleton Orchestra and appeared regularly on Cyril's 'Let's Make Music' radio show. Other radio work at that time included his own Radio Luxembourg series 'Quiet Interlude' on which he was backed by Don Lorusso on organ. The early months of 1951 found Reggie leading the resident group at Long's Restaurant, Bishops Stortford, often using vocalist Dinah Kaye. This he followed with a two month summer season at Leamington Spa's Jephson Gardens Dance Pavilion that included concerts from a bandstand constructed on an island in the garden's lake. Musicians with him during the early fifties included Tony Osborne on piano and trumpet, Tommy Watt piano and Jimmy Skidmore tenor sax, all destined for greater things. Small hotel, cabaret bookings and touring U.S. service camps continued, all taking their toll on Reggie's poor health. In May 1952 he narrowly escaped injury when his car was hit by a lorry. In August 1952 he played his first broadcast in over 18 months (the BBC woefully neglected Reggie’s talents) on 'Up and Coming', followed two days later with another on Henry Hall’s Guest Night. By 1953 his recording contract with Decca having not been renewed, his later releases came from the small Polygon company. These tended to feature his vocal talents and on the first, 'Moon above Malaya' in January, backing was by the Roland Peachey Orchestra. Next, 'Bridge of sighs', an excellent recording, had the benefit of Jackie Brown on organ. During the mid-fifties, despite his serious heart trouble, Reggie continued to work as much as he could and enjoy life to the full. Reg was a keen follower of motor cycle speedway racing and in May 1953 had become vice-president of the West Ham Club. It was during a summer residency with his sextet at Brighton that on Sunday 16th September 1956 Reggie Goff died. He would have been 41 on the following Wednesday. A much neglected and underrated singer, Reggie was on a par with many American artists, and although none of his recordings ever made it into the big time and today are almost forgotten, they still recall an age when melody was the first requirement of a song, plus a fine vocalist like Reggie Goff, a real gentleman of song."