BROWN'S AROUND: The Elgin Marvels

These were the early days of television and staid Auntie BBC was being challenged by the cheeky newcomer ITV. A young man by the name of Jack Good, who had produced the BBC’s very successful pop show Six-Five Special, was deemed too reckless for Auntie and given his marching orders. He didn’t stay unemployed for long; ITV gave him the task of developing a pop music show to rival the BBC’s.To do this he needed a new sound from the big band which would back the solo artistes, and Harry Robinson was hired to create that special sound. Harry shut himself in a caravan at a seaside resort and analysed the appeal of a bundle of American records. He settled eventually on a line-up of two tenor saxes, two baritone saxes, a double bass, a piano, an organ, Latin American percussion, three guitars and drums. Jack Good came up with the name of the band - Lord Rockingham’s XI - as a play on the words rocking ‘em and history was made. Oh yes, the show was called Oh Boy!

Lord Rockingham’s XI made five records for Decca and had chart success with Hoots Mon in 1958 and Wee Tom the following year. Harry Robinson went on to become musical director for several artistes. For the West End stage he arranged and conducted the Lionel Bart musicals Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’be (1960) and Maggie May (1964), and did television spectaculars for Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli and The Beatles. His film music career included work for the Children’s Film Foundation, Hammer horrors such as The Vampire Lovers (1970), Countess Dracula (1971) and Twins of Evil (1971) and - using his pseudonym Harry Robertson - Hawk the Slayer (1980) as well as television commercials. He died in London aged 63 and the death was registered under his real name of Henry MacLeod Robertson.

Bob Inglis lived in a different era. Born in Elgin on 29 June 1913, he was leading his own band by the age of 15 and reputedly earning £10 a week in the process. In 1935, while resident at the Oakwood on the Inverness Road, they won the Melody Maker Dance Band competition for the North East of Scotland and pianist Bob took the prize for best musician.
Studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he met Edmundo Ros, a drummer newly arrived from Trinidad. When Ros (whose father was a Scotsman named Ross) set up his own band he recruited Bob Inglis on piano. Ros suggested that Bob should adopt a Spanish sounding name, so overnight Bob Inglis became Roberto Inglez.

Setting up his own band, Roberto broadcast regularly on radio and in 1946 secured a residency at the Savoy Hotel. He began recording in 1945 and his Parlophone recordings were released in Spain and South America. Overseas sales figures were sensational and one release is said to have sold 10,000 copies in one day.

After repeated approaches from a Brazilian impresario, Roberto agreed to visit the country in 1952, receiving a net fee of £1,000 per week. The trip was a resounding success and two years later, having met and married Patricia Palma, a Chilean working at the American Embassy in London, he emigrated to Chile where he styled himself as Roberto Inglez y sua Orchestra Romanza. He died in Santiago on 4 September 1978.

Roberto believed that the Scots had a natural affinity with Latin American rhythms and you can hear his music and judge for yourself on two CDs released on the Vocalion label Come Closer To Me (CDEA 6062) and The Melody Maker (CDEA 6095).