John Schroeder

In the early 1960s, arranger, conductor, and producer John Schroeder supplied British vocalist Helen Shapiro with the chart-topping U.K. single "Walkin' Back to Happiness," negotiated the first British licensing agreement for Motown releases, and assembled the ensemble Sounds Orchestral. The latter ensemble scored a Top Ten single on both sides of the Atlantic in 1965 via its rendition of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." Among space age pop enthusiasts he earned recognition as a leading figure in the style the British termed "easy," consisting chiefly of instrumental tracks that fused easy listening pop orchestration with soul, rock, and psychedelic source material. Contemporary critics paid it little attention, since the recordings were conceived as unobtrusive background music for listeners who found the source versions overly demanding. During the mid-'90s, however, the same material surged in popularity inside London clubs, where its blaring horn charts and pumping Hammond organs supplied fitting accompaniment for audiences seeking the freshest retro textures. That renewed interest prompted the re-release of several of his albums long after they had been consigned to the remainder bins.