In 1930, a talented musician at the age of 21 decided to start a dance band and hey presto, the longest serving entertainment unit in the country, if not the world, was born and has been going non-stop ever since! The Joe Loss Orchestra, now directed by Todd Miller, continues to perform around the country today.
I say “fun” because Joe always said, “even though we're in the music business, we're also entertainers. When Joe became ill in 1990, he asked Todd to take over the orchestra and not a single booking was cancelled. Todd himself joined the orchestra in 1972 and is now considered by many to be one of the best front men in the business.
It was in 1969 that, due to financial reasons, Joe decided to reduce the staff to ten musicians and three singers. He felt that when the moment was right, he would reassemble the big band. Indeed, to this day there are many musicians playing in today's big bands who appear in the Joe Loss Big Band whenever the band is busy.
On the subject of big bands and their leaders, there is an amusing story involving Joe and Billy Cotton. It seems that one morning just after the end of the war, Joe arrived home from a concert just before breakfast. After a quick cup of tea and still in his pajamas and dressing gown, who else but Billy Cotton with a brand new car should be knocking on the front door. He insisted on taking Joe for a drive, and although the weather was rather gloomy, bitterly cold and heavy with snow, they set out into the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, the car soon ran out of gas (it was still rationed, time didn't help) and Billy left Joe in the car while he went to find a garage. Joe was sitting there ice cold and teeth chattering when the local bobby arrived. Pushing the bike, he questioned why Joe was sitting in the car in freezing weather in pajamas and a bathrobe. Joe informed the police constable that he was Joe Loss and that Billy Cotton had left to try to get some gas. By the look in his eyes, the constable found it hard to believe such a story until Billy reappeared with a can of petrol and convinced the skeptics that the story was indeed true! The officer left with a smile on his face with two prized autographs in his notebook!
But I digress. It was with an eight-piece band playing in the style of Oscar Rabin's gypsy band at the Astoria Ballroom that Joe took his first steps toward becoming a household name. His growing popularity landed him a job at the Kit Kat Club, where he did many of the BBC's outdoor broadcasts. During his time there he raised the staff to 11 plus a young female singer - the croonettes as they were called. She made her first broadcast singing "Red Sails In The Sunset" a top hit of the day in 1935. She was only 18 and in the following years she became a "Power Favorite" by none other than Vera Lynn.
After a long stay in London, Joe began touring the music halls, as did many bands of the time. During the war he took the band to entertain troops around Great Britain and eventually to France and Holland. In 1946, Joe began a regular residency on the Isle of Man from May to the end of September, which lasted until 1959. Following a merger with ITV, Joe and the orchestra became the house band for the ABC, opening all television. regions across the UK between 1956 and 1960. They could be seen on television regularly, often up to four times a week. This was followed by a long stay at the Hammersmith Palais until August 1969 interrupted only by an 18 week season at the Empire Leicester Square and 12 months at the Lyceum in 1967. They then moved to the Empire until November 1970 when Joe decided to retire. He told Sam Watmough, the band's current manager, who had joined in 1956, that he was to inform the band of his decision during the meeting.
Joe began his speech by saying, “Gentlemen, in 6 weeks on November 30th we will leave the Empire and Mecca. This brought Stan Pickstock, the lead trumpeter to his feet, Stan had been with the band since 1961, who said, "Damn great, now we can get back on the road," at which point the band applauded.
However, Joe was taken aback and said, “I didn't think you'd want to go on the road again, but it's all right if you do. So the Joe Loss Orchestra was on the road again and has stayed ever since.
When Joe first became too ill to tour, To0dd led the orchestra until Joe finally retired on January 31, 1990, two weeks before his 81st birthday. Joe died on June 8th, many thought the Orchestra would not go on without him, how wrong they were! They remain one of the most popular and busiest bands in the country. To quote Sam Watmough, who was Joe's manager for 30 years, “I knew what Joe wanted and we're still proud to be known as Todd Miller and the Joe Loss Orchestra.” As Todd himself says, “We must be doing something right! "
Really found it interesting.
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