George Melachrino

English conductor. Born: 1 May 1908, London, England. Died: 18 June 1965, London, England. Studied violin at age four. At eighteen was a sort of "handyman musician" at Savoy Hill, a London theater where he learned to play the saxophone, the drums, the clarinet and other instruments. He also sang in several languages at Savoy Hill. He studied at the Trinity College of Music. He began his career as a band leader in 1939 at the Cafe de Paris until the outbreak of war. He was a gifted composer and wrote a number of hit tunes, scores for movies and a two-hour London ice show.