Binge, Ronald: Ronald was British light music maestro

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In the first of a two-part feature, Ann Hodgkin looks at the life and work of one of Derby’s greatest-ever musical maestros – Ronald Binge.

DURING the middle part of the 20th century,  British light music, with its pleasant melodies and evocative arrangements, was extremely popular.

Many talented musicians were employed in dance halls and variety theatres across the land entertaining young and old alike.

Such was the popularity of music and dancing that by the 1950s the BBC had eight light orchestras of its own, each featuring in several radio programmes throughout the week.

Well known composers of the era such as Eric Coates, Robert Farnon and Ernest Tomlinson wrote dozens of musical scores in response to this huge public demand.

One of the most talented and prolific composers of the day was Derby’s own Ronald Binge who started his musical career in the town.

He was born in Darby Street, Normanton, on July 15, 1910, the eldest child of Lawrence and Florence Binge. His musical talent was no doubt inherited from his father, an enthusiastic amateur pianist.

Ronald joined the choir of St Andrew’s Church, London Road, at the age of seven.

His first piano lessons were at the Derby Conservatoire of Music, on Osmaston Road, whose principal was William James Baker, the choirmaster and organist at St Andrew’s.

Sadly, Ronald’s father, an iron moulder, died in 1920 as a result of injuries suffered during the First World War, leaving his mother to bring up her three children alone.

The family’s lack of money put a full-time musical education out of the reach of young Ronnie (as he was known).

So, in 1926, he got a job in the gentlemen’s outfitting department at Barlow and Taylor’s in Derby’s Market Place.

To supplement the family income, as well as to pay for extra musical tuition, he took on a second job in the evenings, playing in the small orchestra at the Cosmo cinema in Boundary Road, accompanying silent movies.

The orchestra found themselves playing everything from foxtrots to symphonies and the whole experience at the tender age of 17 was invaluable to Ronnie. It enabled him to develop sight reading, to explore the complexities of composing and gave him his first insights into orchestration.

It was during this time that he realised that successful musicians were expected to play more than one instrument, so he bought a piano accordion on hire purchase, and taught himself to play it.

When talkies were introduced, he stayed on at the Cosmo as the cinema organist. He also played in other small dance bands in the town. One was the Leon Six which played at Saturday night dances at the Albert Hall in the Wardwick.

He played at the St James’ Restaurant too, with his own Allegro Orchestra, and appeared regularly at the King’s Cafe in St Peter’s Street, which was a popular venue for tea dances during this period.

By this time, the Binge family had moved to live in Wiltshire Road, in Chaddesden.

In the summer of 1932, Ronnie left Derby to try to make his way in the wider world of entertainment. His first piano accordion had been destroyed in Derby’s floods of May 1932, when the King’s Cafe had been badly damaged, but somehow he managed to acquire another one, and he joined the John Russell Orchestra in Great Yarmouth for the summer season.

They were the resident orchestra at the Floral Hall on the Britannia Pier.

It was here that Ronnie suffered a severe set-back when his second accordion was destroyed by a fire on the pier only months after losing the first one.

These catastrophes left him very short of money but, by the end of the season, he had replaced the instrument again, and he decided to try his luck in London.

He found big city life tough at first, but managed to obtain work with a number of small orchestras like those run by Cecil Mitchell, Don Sesta and Emilio Colombo.

He also obtained work with various dance bands, including one at the Cafe de Paris, and then joined an act known as the Six Rhythm Boys.

Then one day he met an Italian-born violinist who was looking for a new accordionist for his orchestra.

Venetian Annunzio Paolo Mantovani and his Tipica Orchestra had a number of recording contracts, as well as residencies at various London venues.

The accordion was only just beginning to be recognised as a serious addition to popular orchestras.

It had long been considered a novelty instrument for solo performers, but its versatility in taking the place of other instruments was making it invaluable.

Ronnie was engaged by Mantovani, not only as an accordionist but also as staff arranger.

His first two scores for the orchestra – The Moon was Yellow and Hands Across the Table – were recorded in January 1935.

He stayed with Mantovani until the outbreak of war, broadcasting, touring and recording, but whenever possible, staying at home to concentrate on his writing.

They played at venues at holiday resorts all over the country, made many live radio broadcasts, and made their first television broadcast from the Alexandra Palace.

Soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, Ronnie joined the Royal Air Force and was posted to Blackpool, where he met Sidney Torch, then a well known organist, and later a composer and conductor of light music.

Together they formed a choir and orchestra and became lifelong friends.

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