Cyril Stapleton

Cyril Stapleton was born on December 31, 1914 in Mapperley, Nottingham, England as Horace Cyril Stapleton. He was married to Sheila Marie Shardlow and Beryl Orde.

In the 1930s, Stapleton toured South Africa with the Jack Payne Orchestra.

Later in the 30's Stapleton and his band relocated to London; they won their own spot performing on the BBC in 1939. World War II interrupted Stapleton's musical career, as he joined the Royal Air Force late in 1939. While enlisted, he played in the RAF Symphony Orchestra.

In 1947, he recreated his band, and quickly won back slots on the BBC; among the singers he accompanied were Dick James and Frank Sinatra.

As leader of the BBC Show Band, Stapleton became a fixture on the English musical scene, broadcast across the nation throughout the mid-1950s. Players in the ensemble who went on to fame in their own right included Bert Weedon, Bill McGuffie, Tommy Whittle, and Matt Monro.

Violinist and band leader, leader of the BBC Show Band from 1952, featured on early BBC telecasts.

The cinema also recognized the Band's appeal, and a second Show Band film in CinemaScope entitled "Just For You" was released to the Odeon Cinema circuits late in 1955. Directed by Michael Carreras, it proved why the Show Band Show was such a big draw on sound radio at that time. Stapleton was featured as violin soloist in The Story of a Starry Night, and he also accompanied Joan Regan on piano.

In the spring of 1957, for reasons that have never been clear, the BBC decided to disband the orchestra. Stapleton was cut loose from his longtime employers, but he never broke stride, organizing his own orchestra again and going out on the road, in addition to cutting more records and still appearing on radio.

Stapleton continued to tour and record into the 1970s; in 1965 he also became head of A&R for Pye Records.