- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJoseph William Mayerl
- Billy Mayerl was born on May 31, 1902 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and composer, known for Over She Goes (1937), Champagne Charlie (1944) and The Deputy Drummer (1935). He died on March 25, 1959 in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.
- A child prodigy, he performed Grieg's Piano Concerto at Queen's Hall at the age of twelve.
- Pianist, composer and band leader. From 1927, he operated a 'School of Syncopation' and a booking agency for dance bands, as well as fronting 'Billy Mayerl and His Vocalion Orchestra'. Mayerl had recording contracts with HMV, Decca and British Columbia.
- Born a stone's throw from London's West End theatreland, pianist Billy Mayerl won a scholarship to nearby Trinity College while still only a small boy.
- In 1940 he took part in a Royal Command Performance and led his own band in the popular radio programme "Music While You Work", conceived to encourage wartime factory workers but which outlasted hostilities by 20 years.
- Most people today remember Billy for his eccentric but highly-pleasurable piano pieces which for the amateur are difficult to play properly. Even the professional has trouble staying the course but a reappraisal of his music in recent years has given a new generation the chance to enjoy the music which made him such a great pre-war favourite.
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