Lew Stone

Stone was born Louis Steinberg in Bethnal Green, son of Hyman Steinberg, a cabinetmaker, and wife Kate. Stone showed promise in both music and football, playing for the Corinthian F.C. and Casuals F.C. teams in the daytime and playing as a pianist in the evening. In the 1920s, he worked with many important dance bands. == 1930s ==

Roy Fox's Band opened at the Monseigneur Restaurant in 1931 and Stone took up the position of pianist and arranger. In his own arrangements, Stone was particularly careful to match Bowlly's voice with appropriate ensemble phrasing and short instrumental solos, resulting in recordings which make much more satisfying listening than many other bands' recordings of the standard tunes. Stone was not afraid to work with modern music and was also an innovator. His recordings of the Gene Gifford/Casa Loma Orchestra titles are not mere copies but careful interpretations which make full use of the musicians in his band. The skills of Lew Davis, Joe Crossman and Nat Gonella are particularly evident on several of Stone's earlier jazz titles, some of which were issued in U.S. In June 1938, the band was the first name band to play at Butlins Holiday Camps, and in September they were back at The Cafe de Paris and broadcasting regularly from there. In October, Stone became musical director for the Jack Hulbert show Under Your Hat which continued into 1939, and featured the Rhythm Brothers (Clive Erard, Jack Trafford, Frank Trafford). His band played at the El Morocco Club, London. == 1940s and 1950s ==

In June 1940, Stone opened at the Dorchester Hotel with a seven-piece band which he led on the novachord. This band was much praised for its original style. Later, Stone also made several records with his jazz group, the Stonecrackers, which featured Britain's finest soloists. Broadcasting and recording with his large band continued, and he toured the country during the rest of the war years. After the war, his band resided at various places including The Embassy Club, The Pigalle Restaurant and Oddenino's Restaurant up to 1955. In this period, he made several recordings with the King of Jiddish Music, Leo Fuld. Stone continued to work round the ballrooms and broadcast with his fourteen-piece band until 1959, when the BBC told him that he could not expect to broadcast as frequently as he would wish unless he reduced the size of his band. Thus Lew Stone and his sextet was born. == 1960s ==

For the next eight years, Stone's sextet played frequently for Music While You Work, also appearing weekly for nearly two years in a breakfast-time programme, The Bands Played On. Stone primarily concentrated on his entertainments agency in the 1960s. == Personal life and death ==

In 1937, Stone married Ethel Joyce Newman at Marylebone Register Office. She was a pianist, whom he had met in 1933. The couple had no children, and she survived him. Stone died on 13 February 1969, aged 70. ==Selected filmography==

• Thark (1932) • A Night Like This (1932) • Say It with Music (1932) • Leap Year (1932) • Bitter Sweet (1933) • ''The King's Cup'' (1933) • ''It's a King'' (1933) • Discord (1933) • Night of the Garter (1933) • Up for the Derby (1933) • Up to the Neck (1933) • Intimate Relations (1937) • Under Your Hat (1940) ==References==