Biography
William Gordon Reid came into the world on 19 September 1902 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, and left it on 12 December 1974 in the same city. During the 1940s he ranked among Britain’s most successful songwriters and lyricists, a pianist who had taught himself and who doubled on the piano accordion in the ensemble heard on the Stars Of Luxembourg radio programme throughout the mid-1930s. He also led a tango orchestra alongside violinist Eugene Pini; in 1938 he auditioned the young vocalist Dorothy Squires, who went on to record the bulk of his output. From the middle of the 1940s until 1951 the pair constituted one of the United Kingdom’s leading variety attractions before Squires elected to pursue an independent path.
Reid’s earliest published composition appeared in the late 1930s: the Irish-tinged “When The Rose Of Tralee Met Danny Boy.” Early in the following decade he produced “Out Of The Blue,” a piece regularly featured by the Royal Air Force’s Squadronaires and by Paul Fenoulhet’s Skyrockets during the war years. His first major success arrived in 1945 with “The Gypsy.” Dorothy Squires enjoyed strong British sales, while the Ink Spots’ rendition reached number one in the United States—the first British song to accomplish that feat—and passed the million mark. The number is widely viewed as Reid’s signature work, with worldwide record sales estimated above ten million; in 1962 Frank Sinatra chose it for inclusion on Great Songs From Great Britain.
Reid’s most fertile stretch occurred in the latter half of the 1940s, yielding “I’ll Close My Eyes,” “Coming Home,” “It’s A Pity To Say Goodnight” (later recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and June Christy), “When China Boy Meets China Girl,” “Danger Ahead! (Beware),” “My First Love, My Last Love For Always,” “This Is My Mother’s Day,” “Anything I Dream Is Possible,” “Reflections On The Water,” “Too-Whit! Too-Whoo!” and “Snowy White Snow And Jingle Bells.” In 1948 Margaret Whiting, daughter of songwriter Richard Whiting, scored a United States number-one hit and another million-seller with Reid’s “A Tree In The Meadow (I Love You Till I Die).”
Although his catalogue remained highly popular at home—David Whitfield reached the British Top 10 in 1953 with “Bridge Of Sighs”—Reid’s largest commercial peaks came via American interpretations. That same year Eddie Fisher’s version of “I’m Walking Behind You” occupied the top of the United States chart for seven weeks and also sold a million copies; Frank Sinatra performed it on his inaugural single for Capitol Records. Despite substantial royalty income, Reid was declared bankrupt in 1956, and the combined pressures of financial collapse and the emerging rock ’n’ roll era prompted his withdrawal from the music business. Ironically, one of his earliest compositions, “I’ll Close My Eyes,” was performed by Joan Regan in the 1958 film Six-Five Special, a cinematic spin-off from one of the BBC’s earliest television efforts to capture shifting popular-music tastes. Shortly after Reid’s death in 1974, Dorothy Squires staged a London Palladium concert in tribute to her former collaborator.
Reid’s earliest published composition appeared in the late 1930s: the Irish-tinged “When The Rose Of Tralee Met Danny Boy.” Early in the following decade he produced “Out Of The Blue,” a piece regularly featured by the Royal Air Force’s Squadronaires and by Paul Fenoulhet’s Skyrockets during the war years. His first major success arrived in 1945 with “The Gypsy.” Dorothy Squires enjoyed strong British sales, while the Ink Spots’ rendition reached number one in the United States—the first British song to accomplish that feat—and passed the million mark. The number is widely viewed as Reid’s signature work, with worldwide record sales estimated above ten million; in 1962 Frank Sinatra chose it for inclusion on Great Songs From Great Britain.
Reid’s most fertile stretch occurred in the latter half of the 1940s, yielding “I’ll Close My Eyes,” “Coming Home,” “It’s A Pity To Say Goodnight” (later recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and June Christy), “When China Boy Meets China Girl,” “Danger Ahead! (Beware),” “My First Love, My Last Love For Always,” “This Is My Mother’s Day,” “Anything I Dream Is Possible,” “Reflections On The Water,” “Too-Whit! Too-Whoo!” and “Snowy White Snow And Jingle Bells.” In 1948 Margaret Whiting, daughter of songwriter Richard Whiting, scored a United States number-one hit and another million-seller with Reid’s “A Tree In The Meadow (I Love You Till I Die).”
Although his catalogue remained highly popular at home—David Whitfield reached the British Top 10 in 1953 with “Bridge Of Sighs”—Reid’s largest commercial peaks came via American interpretations. That same year Eddie Fisher’s version of “I’m Walking Behind You” occupied the top of the United States chart for seven weeks and also sold a million copies; Frank Sinatra performed it on his inaugural single for Capitol Records. Despite substantial royalty income, Reid was declared bankrupt in 1956, and the combined pressures of financial collapse and the emerging rock ’n’ roll era prompted his withdrawal from the music business. Ironically, one of his earliest compositions, “I’ll Close My Eyes,” was performed by Joan Regan in the 1958 film Six-Five Special, a cinematic spin-off from one of the BBC’s earliest television efforts to capture shifting popular-music tastes. Shortly after Reid’s death in 1974, Dorothy Squires staged a London Palladium concert in tribute to her former collaborator.