Stanley Black

Born in London on 14 June 1913, British composer, conductor, orchestrator and pianist Stanley Black studied at the Matthay School of Music, worked with American jazz artists as a teenager, won a Melody Maker arranging competition when he was eighteen, and became conductor of the BBC Dance Orchestra after the war.

He produced soundtracks for almost two hundred films, including Cliff Richard's The Young Ones and Summer Holiday and Ken Russell's Valentino. He recorded for Decca, made three thousand broadcasts, was awarded the OBE and made a contribution to a wide range of musical styles.

Stanley Black died on 26 November 2002, aged eighty-nine.