Biography
Born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, in 1898, pianist Wilbur Blinco died in South Africa in 1968. Leading a compact ensemble at London’s Tricity Restaurant in 1928, he simultaneously assumed the role of musical director at Dominion Records. After that label ceased operations he moved to an equivalent position at the Crystalate Company, overseeing its budget imprints Imperial, Eclipse and Rex. Although pressed to a high standard, the discs retailed for a mere sixpence and were stocked primarily by Woolworths. Blinco proved extraordinarily productive, committing hundreds of dance titles to disc under an array of pseudonyms that included the Radio Serenaders, the Aldwych Players, the Connecticut Collegians, the Victory Dance Orchestra, the Hottentots and the Rhythm Rascals; he also supplied most of the arrangements. Parallel to his studio work he maintained a radio presence, launching the long-running BBC series Melody From The Sky in 1936 and, four years later, becoming the first bandleader permitted to broadcast dance music on the corporation’s previously inviolable Sunday schedule. During the Second World War he directed the orchestra for the popular BBC comedy programme Hi, Gang!, which featured American performers Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon; the same enterprise yielded a 1941 British feature film of identical title in which Blinco and his musicians appeared on screen. His ensembles were assembled ad hoc from London’s extensive roster of freelance players, among them Ted Heath, Joe Crossman and Freddy Gardner. He also provided accompaniment for the well-known father-and-son organ duo Charles D. Smart and Harold Smart. Blinco subsequently relocated first to Australia and later to South Africa, where he continued to front orchestras. His signature strengths lay in strict-tempo dance arrangements and a light, cocktail-oriented piano approach; throughout his career he remained indifferent to the prevailing swing idiom, preferring the idioms he had mastered.