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All Music Guide:
Billy Cotton, whose theme song was "Somebody Stole My Gal," was one of the most famous British dance band leaders. As both a drummer and vocalist, he had the talents to either stand in front of a band or back it up. Cotton's group was known not only for its dance numbers but for its well-mounted comedy skits as well. He began his career as a drummer in the Royal Fusiliers at a mere 15 years old, and by 18, he'd received a commission in the Royal Flying Corps. As might be expected, military music was only a part of the picture and by night he would be behind the drums in various camp combos. After the war his syncopation was at first limited to the activities of a bus conductor and he also worked at jobs such as a butcher's roundsman and a millwright's assistant. Meanwhile a few gigs trickled in such as a spot with Gilbert Coombes & His Fifth Avenue Orchestra in Kilburn.
In the early '20s he was hardly riding high in the music business; typical pay for a trio job of that period was a bit less than 10 bucks. Eventually, Cotton set his sights on starting his own band, including his cousin Laurie Johnson, whose talents included promotion as well as the violin. By 1925, Billy Cotton & His London Savannah Band was landing extended stints at venues such as the Southport Palais, with fine players Sid Lipton and Joe Ferrie in the band on violin and trombone, respectively. During the two-year life of this job, Cotton evolved from simply presenting dance music to mounting more of a visual stage act.
As Cotton's group moved from job to job, he began a series of recordings for the Metropole, Regal Zonaphone, Piccadilly, and Decca labels. The group was mostly known for its stage shows, however. As the public's taste for vaudeville diminished, Cotton made a smooth transition to new mediums. The Billy Cotton Band Show became popular over both radio and television in the '50s and '60s, and is credited with introducing the obnoxious expression "Wakey, wakey!," a sure-fire method of creating violence if whispered in the wrong sleepyhead's ear. The bandleader's hobbies outside of music sometimes got him even more attention. He was a racer and was reported as having driven an infamous car calle the Blue Bird at more than 120 miles per hour. Cotton was also an airplane pilot.
Wikipedia:
William Edward Cotton (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969), better known as Billy Cotton, was an English band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the British dance band era. Today, he is mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television personality, although his musical talent emerged as early as the 1920s. In his younger years Billy Cotton was also an amateur footballer for Brentford F.C.(and later, for the then Athenian league club Wimbledon, now AFC Wimbledon), an accomplished racing driver and the owner of a Gipsy Moth which he piloted himself.
Born in Smith Square, London, to Joseph and Susan Cotton, Cotton was a choirboy and started his musical career as a drummer. He enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers by falsifying his age and saw service in World War I in Malta and Egypt, before landing at Gallipoli in the middle of an artillery barrage. Later he was recommended for a commission and learned to fly Bristol Fighter aircraft. He flew solo for the first time in 1918, the same day the Royal Flying Corps became the Royal Air Force. He was then not yet 19 years old.
In the inter-war years. he had several jobs such as bus driver before setting up his own orchestra, the London Savannah Band, in 1924. At first a straight dance band, over the years the London Savannah Band more and more tended towards music hall/vaudeville entertainment, introducing all sorts of visual and verbal humour in between songs. Famous musicians that played in Billy Cotton's band during the 1920s and 1930s included Arthur Rosebery, Syd Lipton and Nat Gonella. The band was also noted for their African American trombonist and tap dancer, Ellis Jackson. Their signature tune was "Somebody Stole My Gal", and they made numerous commercial recordings for Decca.
During the Second World War Cotton and his band toured France with the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). After the war, he started his successful Sunday lunchtime radio show on BBC, the Billy Cotton Band Show, which ran from 1949 to 1968. In the 1950s composer Lionel Bart contributed comedy songs to the show. It regularly opened with the band's signature tune and Cotton's call of "Wakey Wakey". From 1957, it was also broadcast on BBC television.
As a racing driver his finest moment came in 1949 when he finished fourth in the 1949 British Grand Prix, sharing an ERA with David Hampshire.
Personal life
Cotton married Mabel E. Gregory in 1921 and they had two sons, Ted and Bill Cotton, who later became the BBC's head of variety.
In 1962 Billy Cotton suffered a stroke. He died in 1969 while watching a boxing match at Wembley. TV presenter Fearne Cotton is related to him, as he was an uncle of her grandfather.
