Ronnie Hazlehurst

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ronnie Hazlehurst (born Dukinfield, Cheshire, in ?1931) is a composer and jazz musician, and after joining the BBC in 1961, was BBC Light Entertainment Musical Director. He composed or arranged the theme tunes of many of the BBC’s light entertainment programmes and was musical director of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 (in Brighton), 1977 (Wembley, London) and 1982 (Harrogate). Moreover, he conducted the British entry on seven occasions (1977, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992). In 1977, he famously conducted Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran's "Rock bottom" with a rolled-up umbrella instead of a baton. He has been described as "the John Williams of British TV themes". Ronnie currently resides in the Channel Islands.

Ronnie's music is recognizable by its distinctive instrumentation, innovative chord progressions and occasional rhythm changes.

Ronnie was the subject of a South Bank Show spoof on the Spitting Image CD Spit In Your Ear.