Biography
Jack Strachey, born Jack Strachey Parsons in Brighton, England, during 1894, earned lasting recognition chiefly through the pop standard "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)," yet he also built a separate reputation at home as a creator of light orchestral pieces. Early in his career he supplied material for stage shows, among them the 1927 production Lady Luck, and for assorted musical revues. An early-1930s alliance with Eric Maschwitz, who sometimes published as Holt Marvell, produced the 1936 London revue Spread It Abroad, where the three writers—Maschwitz, Strachey, and American-born Harry Link—placed "These Foolish Things," an immediate transatlantic success. Five separate American recordings entered the Top Ten that same year, Benny Goodman’s the strongest among them. French actor Jean Sablon, originally intended to unveil the song, withdrew; Dorothy Dickson took his place, while Sablon later scored a French hit with his own recording under the title "Ces Petites Choses." Throughout the 1940s Strachey turned increasingly to solo writing, generating relaxed easy-listening works for British ensembles, among them the 1940 piece "Theatreland," "Shaftesbury Avenue," "Pink Champagne," "Ascot Parade," "Mayfair Parade," and "Starlight Cruise." His 1944 composition "In Party Mood" became the theme for the BBC radio program Housewives’ Choice, which continued from 1946 until 1967. He maintained his connection with Maschwitz, co-authoring the 1949 stage musical Belinda Fair, and joined Alan Stranks to create the British hit "No Orchids for My Lady" for the Ink Spots. Strachey died in 1972.
Albums
