Spike Hughes

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Patrick "Spike" Cairn Hughes (1908-1987) was a British jazz musician, composer and music journalist. He was the son of Irish composer, writer and song collector Herbert Hughes. Spike was a wonderfully multi-dimensional musician, playing the double bass, composing operatic scores, arranging jazz recordings and writing books on topics ranging from gardening to Toscanini's music.

Hughes' small recording group was one of the earliest artists signed to Decca Records in England, spanning the period from 1929 to 1933, culminating in his visit to New York City where he arranged 3 historic recording sessions involving members of Benny Carter's and Luis Russell's bands with Coleman Hawkins and Henry "Red" Allen from Fletcher Henderson's band. These 14 legendary sides were mostly Hughes' own compositions. Though not released in the U.S. at the time, they have become known as classic black jazz masterworks.

[edit] Publications

Hughes, Spike (1965). Glyndebourne, A History of the Festival Opera. London: Methuen.
Hughes, Spike (1968). Famous Verdi Operas. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7091-0205-4.
Hughes, Spike (1972). Famous Mozart Operas, 2nd edition. New York: Dover Publications Inc. ISBN 0-486-22858-4.
Hughes, Spike (1972). Famous Puccini Operas, 2nd edition. New York: Dover Publications Inc. ISBN 0-486-22857-6.