The Ted Heath Band, 1945 - 2000

Don Lusher first saw the Ted Heath Band at Hammersmith Palais just after the end of the war. Home on leave from his unit in Germany, he queued for hours in order to spend his last night spellbound in front of the stand watching Jack Parnell, Kenny Baker, Les Gilbert and many more of the famous names in what was soon to become the most popular band in Britain. So engrossed was he with the band's performance that he missed the boat train and ended up being confined to barracks and docked a week's pay!

To play with a band like that was a seemingly impossible dream for a young Salvation Army trombonist with no experience. Little did Don realise that night, he was destined to become one of the most famous of Ted Heath's star players.

Ted Heath created stars by grooming his musicians in stage presence and dress and commissioning special arrangements in which to feature them. And so it was with Don. "Lush Slide", "On With The Don" and "Swinging Down The Alley" are just three of his many notable features with the Heath Band - all Don's compositions.

In 1956, Ted Heath undertook the first of several American tours and the name, Don Lusher began to attract worldwide attention. His performance with the band at Carnegie Hall on the final concert of that first tour, placed him amongst the trombone elite. Tours of Australia and New Zealand followed with the result the Ted Heath Band became the only British band to achieve any significant recognition outside the UK.

Don shares his memories of those American tours, illustrated with personal photographs in The Don Lusher Book, part biography, part tutor, publihsed in 1985.

In the spring of 1964, Ted Heath suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered and he died in 1969. A few attempts were made to revive the band with little success but in January 1976, Thames Television produced an hour long tribute to what had been Britain's most successful band and Moira Heath, Ted's widow, chose Don to front it, which he continued to do for the concerts that followed.

Later that year, at the Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Don Lusher became the official leader of the reformed Ted Heath band and stepped into the shoes of the man he had admired so much. The occasion was marked by the presentation by Mrs Moira Heath of her husband's King 2B trombone. The inscription reads "Presented to Don Lusher on the 9th November 1976 Ted Heath’s trombone with thanks for perpetuating his memory." It is one of Don’s most treasured possessions.

Over half a century has elapsed since Ted Heath and His Music first thrilled the crowds in the ballrooms and for thirty years following the death of its leader, the band has continued to attract a huge following but all good things come to an end and the year 2000 marked the final series of concerts. The above photograph of the band was taken in July 2000 and can be purchased (10" x 8" glossy) from our on line shop. The three most famous Ted Heath Band singers were Dickie Valentine, Lita Roza and Dennis Lotis.

The Heath Band have now finished their Final Tour of 30 concerts all round the UK. The final concert of this tour was atThe Royal Festival Hall on December 4th, 2000. It was a magical concert with the RFH packed to the ceiling with ardent fans. Truly the end of a musical era. A double CD of this historial performance is available from RECORDS DIRECT price £20 plus £2.50 p&p.

The Ted Heath Music Library will remain with Don Lusher until he no longer needs it. When he has finished with it, it will be returned to the Heath family. The family have specified that Don may not lend or photocopy any music without their permission.

The Heath Family have always insisted that only the original music be played at concerts and only musicians who played with the band under Ted Heath can appear. Eventually there had to be some relaxation of that rule as certain chairs became impossible to fill, namely baritone and tenor sax, piano and bass.

Since 1976, the band has recorded several albums/CDs also Decca have found some recordings of the old band previously not released. Some of the old albums have been released on CDs. For a complete list of these available recordings write to RECORDS DIRECT.

Mrs Moira Heath, who attended all the Ted Heath concerts until her death on January 24th, 2000, recently published a book of her memories as the wife of a famous bandleader. The title, I HAVEN’T SAID THANKS The story of Ted and Moira Heath. recalls the hit song penned by Ted and Moira in 1942, "I Haven't Said Thanks for That Lovely Weekend" It was banned from the airwaves because of its suggestive title, although in fact the two participants, Ted and Moira, were married with two children. How times have changed! The book, which includes photographs from Moira Heath's family album, is available from RECORDS DIRECT

Following Moira Heath's death in January 2000, the Heath family have set up "The Ted and Moira Heath Award" at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to assist a young musician. A fitting tribute in the last year of the band.

The following is a list of the personnel of band in 2000 and these players appeared at the final concert on December 4th 2000 at the Royal festival Hall. The dates following their name are the dates they were in the band under Ted’s baton.

TRUMPETS

· TONY FISHER - 1961-1965

· DEREK WATKINS - 1965-1969

· RONNIE HUGHES - 1949-1954

· DUNCAN CAMPBELL - 1950-1965

TROMBONES

· JACKIE ARMSTRONG - lead 1947-1952

· JOHNNY EDWARDS - 1959-1965

· TED BARKER - 1961-1965

· BILL GELDARD - 1951-1952 & 1961-1962

SAXES

· ROY WILLOX - lead alto - 1950-1955

· RAY SWINFIELD - alto/clarinet 1965

· TOMMY WHITTLE - tenor 1947-1953

· PETER HUGHES - tenor 1964/65 (Deputies only)

· EDDIE MORDUE - baritone

RHYTHM

· PIANO - BRIAN DEE

· BASS - LENNIE BUSH

· DRUMS/singing/jokes - JACK PARNELL 1945-51

SINGER

· DENNIS LOTIS - 1950-1955

LEADER

· DON LUSHER - 1952-1961

The Ted Heath Musical Appreciation Society (THMAS) was run by Pete Jones until his death in May 2003. The Society is now re-forming and will continue in much the same way as before just as Pete would have wished it. The fan club has members from all over the world. There is a quarterly Magazine. Enquiries regarding membership should be directed to Pete's widow Mrs Jackie Jones same address etc.

Sheila Tracy's book "Talking Swing" has interviews with musicians who were in the Ted Heath Band and many of the British bands who played before, during and after the war. Her first book "Bands, Booze and Broads" covering the American bands of the Swing Era, has a foreword by Don Lusher who recalls the American tours made by the Heath Band.

For The Ted Heath Band is exclusively represented by Derek Boulton Management.

Derek Boulton is one of Ted Heath’s original band boys and is a fount of knowledge about what happened in the "old days" and is most loyal to the Heath family and the band. After leaving the band he went on to manage such famous people as Tony Bennett and Caterina Valente.

For news of other Big Bands see and hear Sheila Tracy on Prime Time Radio on Sundays 3-5pm Swing Time Malcolm Laycock on BBC Radio 2 Sundays 10pm Big Band Buddies, Mainly About Bands and Big Bands International Crescendo & Jazz Magazine, Big Band World, Ron Simmonds and Lita Roza.