Background
George Melachrino was born in London, England.
George Melachrino was born in London, England.
As a young boy, he had a love of music At the age of five, he began composing and by the age of fourteen he enrolled in the Trinity College of Music. In 1927, he began his career by singing and playing at the Savoy Hill Studios in London.
Foreign the next twelve years, he played in many different bands and orchestras.
In the 1930s, Melachrino started working for bands led by Ambrose singing & playing saxophone with Carroll Gibbons at the Savoy Hotel London, and Bert Firman, and started playing on radio for the British Broadcasting Corporation. By 1939, he started his own band and secured a contract at the Café de Paris. He joined the Army a year later, and received training at the Corps of Military Police where he became a P.T. Instructor.
Melachrino also gained experience as a military musician, at the Army Broadcasting Department, as Musical Director for the recording of entertainment for overseas forces, leading the British Band of the American Expeditionary Forces and the Orchestra Khaki. After the war, in 1945, he formed the George Melachrino Orchestra, an orchestra that became synonymous with sweet and melodious music
From 1945-1947 he conducted for Richard Tauber in most of his Parlophone recordings and British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts.
In 1956, his orchestra"s track, "Autumn Concerto", reached number 18 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart, and remained in the chart for nine weeks. Melachrino frequently performed on British Broadcasting Corporation and American Armed Forces Radio. He vied with Mantovani in trying to dominate the post World World War II easy listening audiences.
The Starlight Roof Waltz, as performed by the George Melachrino Strings, was the signature tune of the radio programme Moeders wil is wet (1949–1974), the Dutch equivalent of Housewives" Choice.
Melachrino has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.