Instruments Trombone Genres Jazz Role Trombonist | Name George Chisholm Years active 1934-mid-1990s Children Carol Moore | |
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Died December 6, 1997, London, United Kingdom Albums Blue Turning Grey Over you, The Gentleman of Jazz Similar People Kenny Baker, Tommy McQuater, Vic Lewis, Clinton Ford, Don Lusher | ||
George Chisholm OBE (29 March 1915 – 6 December 1997) was a Scottish jazz trombonist and vocalist.
Born in Glasgow to a family of musicians, Chisholm's musical career began in the Glasgow Playhouse Orchestra. In the late 1930s he moved to London, where he played in dance bands led by Bert Ambrose and Teddy Joyce. He later recorded with jazz musicians such as Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller and Benny Carter during their visits to the U.K.
In 1940, during the Second World War, Chisholm signed on with the Royal Air Force and joined the RAF Dance Orchestra (known popularly as the Squadronaires), remaining in the band long after he was demobbed. He followed this with freelance work and a five-year stint with the BBC Showband (a forerunner of the BBC Radio Orchestra) and as a core member of Wally Stott's orchestra on BBC Radio's The Goon Show, for which he made several acting appearances, for example as 'Chisholm MacChisholm the Steaming Celt' in 'The Macreekie Rising of '74'.
In the early 1960s, Chisholm was part of The Black and White Minstrel Show, where his act involved a significant comedy element. He was also part of the house band for the children's programmes Play School and Play Away, and had roles in the films The Mouse on the Moon (1963), The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965) and Superman III (1983).
During the 1980s Chisholm continued to play, despite undergoing heart surgery; working with his own band the Gentlemen of Jazz and Keith Smith's Hefty Jazz among others, and playing live with touring artists. He was appointed an OBE in 1984.
In the mid-1990s, Chisholm retired from public life suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He died in December 1997, aged 82.