Steve Conway

Born Walter James Groom on 24 October 1920 in Hackney, London, England, and passing away on 19 April 1952 in the same city, Conway performed as a ballad singer whose smooth, straightforward delivery drew occasional comparisons to the 30s heartthrob Al Bowlly. Rheumatic fever contracted in childhood left him with a weak heart and therefore ineligible for military service during World War II. After performing in neighbourhood bars and ballrooms he reached the airwaves for the first time in 1945 on Variety Bandbox, subsequently appearing alongside the leading dance orchestras of Lew Stone and Ambrose as well as undertaking a run of broadcasts with Peter Yorke And His Concert Orchestra. That same year he joined the Columbia Records (UK) roster and cut close to 100 sides before the end of 1951. Among them were sombre ballads such as ‘Bless This House’, ‘At The End Of The Day’ and ‘Good Luck, Good Health, God Bless You’, while the remainder comprised sentimental interpretations of standards including ‘My Foolish Heart’, ‘Mona Lisa’, ‘Look For The Silver Lining’, ‘The Gypsy’ and ‘Too Young’. The sessions were backed by orchestras directed by Roberto Inglez, Peter Yorke, Jack Byfield, Arthur Young, Jackie Brown and Philip Green, with occasional support from the Hastings Girls’ Choir. Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s he worked the British variety circuit, yet his condition continued to worsen; after collapsing on stage in December 1951 he died several months later at Guy’s Hospital, London.