Dennis Berry(1921-1994)
- Sound Department
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Dennis Berry was involved in music from the age of 14. He played bass,
guitar and saxophone. In 1939 he joined Francis Day and Hunter as a
copyist before going on to Boosey and Hawkes as a staff arranger, then
to Lawrence Wright and Paxton and finally Peer-Southern. He arranged
for Caroll Gibbons, the Squadronaires and Ted Heath. As Paxton's
representative, he was based in Amsterdam and became staff arranger for
the Skymasters Dance Orchestra and freelanced for the Ramblers and the
Metropole. He was a correspondent for Variety and Melody Maker. In 1949
he returned to Paxton's offices in England, where he worked in their
Music Library, producing background music for films, TV, radio and
world-wide distribution. He was also the representative of the Dutch
Songwriter's Guild.
He had started composing some years earlier, and his early works included "Apple Honey", "Boston Bounce" and "You Couldn't Be Sweeter". As well as using his own name, he composed under other names, including Frank Sterling (in collaboration with Stuart Crombie), Jack Sharp and (more commonly) Peter Dennis.
Whilst working at Paxton's library and later as manager of the SoutherN Music Library, he was responsible for including compositions by Dolf Van Den Linden, Johnny Scott and Barry Forgie on their library records, as well as his own. He produced many of the recordings, an activity which he continues on a free-lance basis after he retired. This included a number of sessions in Germany, working on films such as "The Beastmaster" (1982) and "The Never-Ending Story" and also arrangements of classics for the de Wolfe library.
He also worked on the first Monty Python film "And Now for Something Completely Different", and collaborated with artists such as Johnny Dankworth and Roger Roger.
His work was often heard on BBC test cards, and is more frequently used as incidental music in television - most recently in BBC's "Little Britain" and "Dick and Dom in da Bungalow", MTV's "The Osbournes" and the Nickelodeon cartoons "Rocko's Modern Life" and "Spongebob Squarepants".
He had started composing some years earlier, and his early works included "Apple Honey", "Boston Bounce" and "You Couldn't Be Sweeter". As well as using his own name, he composed under other names, including Frank Sterling (in collaboration with Stuart Crombie), Jack Sharp and (more commonly) Peter Dennis.
Whilst working at Paxton's library and later as manager of the SoutherN Music Library, he was responsible for including compositions by Dolf Van Den Linden, Johnny Scott and Barry Forgie on their library records, as well as his own. He produced many of the recordings, an activity which he continues on a free-lance basis after he retired. This included a number of sessions in Germany, working on films such as "The Beastmaster" (1982) and "The Never-Ending Story" and also arrangements of classics for the de Wolfe library.
He also worked on the first Monty Python film "And Now for Something Completely Different", and collaborated with artists such as Johnny Dankworth and Roger Roger.
His work was often heard on BBC test cards, and is more frequently used as incidental music in television - most recently in BBC's "Little Britain" and "Dick and Dom in da Bungalow", MTV's "The Osbournes" and the Nickelodeon cartoons "Rocko's Modern Life" and "Spongebob Squarepants".
