Lou preager biography

Lou Preager was born in London on 12th January 1906. Whilst still at school, he played the piano in light orchestras and dance bands. After leaving school at 16, he spent several years in a chartered accountant's office and with a solicitor in an advertising agency. I recall him once saying on radio that he regarded these years as the wasted years of his life!

At the age of 19 he became a professional — in the capacity of musician, comedian and stage manager in touring revues. He played in West End clubs, and joined the Maurice Handford Band at the Piccadilly Hotel, giving his first broadcast with the band in 1928. In 1931, the Monseigneur Restaurant wanted a tango band, so Lou joined a combination fronted by Eugene Pini. Curiously, despite the billing of 'Eugene Pini and his Tango Orchestra', Lou Preager always insisted that he was the Musical Director.

It was during this period that Lou met Billy Reid and together they formed the Billy Reid Accordion Band. As Lou Preager did not know how to play the accordion, Reid gave him an intensive three-day course! Lou then joined the Gene Louis Band at Selfridges, playing for tea-dances in the afternoons but directing a Continental-style band in the Mayfair Restaurant in the evenings.

It appears that nobody ever did anything for long in those far-off days and 1933 found Lou Preager leading an 11-piece band at Ciro's but transferring within weeks to Romano's in the Strand, issuing his first gramophone record in 1935. The band's appropriate signature tune at that time was 'Let’s All Go Down The Strand'. Lou’s Accordion Serenaders were also broadcasting around this time.

In 1937, Lou took a band on tour, taking up a residency in Bangor until the outbreak of war. Despite immediately offering himself for service, he was told to continue entertaining. He therefore formed a show band, which he took to France. Having been machine-gunned on route, however, the band was immediately sent

1946 song

"Cruising Down the River" is a 1946 popular recording song, which became the winner of a public songwriting competition held in the UK. Words and music were entered by two middle-aged women named Eily Beadell and Nell Tollerton. The words had been written by Eily in the 1920s(in 1911 Census she was listed as a 'concert singer'). The melody was composed by music hall artist Ena Dayne; as she could not read music, it was transcribed by Tollerton. It was sung in concert parties throughout the 1930s, mainly by Charles Ray. Eily Beadell was a 'pro fessional singer and Variety artist (travelling)' (1939 Census). One of the original early recordings of this song, issued in the UK in January 1946 on the Columbia record label (FB 3180), was by Lou Preager and his Orchestra, with vocals by Paul Rich. This was immensely popular on radio, with record and sheet music sales making it one of the biggest hits of 1946 in the United Kingdom.

The recording by Blue Barron was released by MGM Records as catalog number 10346. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 21, 1949, and lasted 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 1.

The recording by Russ Morgan was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24568. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 18, 1949, and lasted 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 1. The song became one of the biggest hits of his career, as well as one of his signature songs. The recording was actually a two-sided hit, as the flip side, "Sunflower," also reached No. 10 on the chart.

The recording by Jack Smith was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15372. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on February 25, 1949, and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at No. 14.

The recording by Primo Scala and the Keynotes was released by London Records as catalog number 356. It reached the Billboard

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British dance band leader

Musical artist

Louis Jacob Preager (12 January 1906 – 14 November 1978), known as Lou Preager, was an English pianist, dance band leader, disc jockey and businessman. He was active from the 1930s to the 1950s; with his band he made many recordings. They also appeared on radio and television.

Early career

Louis Jacob Preager was born in Poplar, London, in 1906, and came from a Jewish background. He was the son of Louis Preager, a tailor, and his wife Rebecca (née Cohen De Murcia). While at school, the younger Louis he played the piano in dance bands, and from age 19 he was a full-time musician. He played in fashionable London clubs and restaurants; in 1931 he joined "Eugene Pini and his Tango Orchestra" at the Monseigneur, and later joined the Billy Reid Accordion Band. In 1933, Preager led an 11-piece band, playing at Ciro's and later at Romano's in the Strand. His first recordings were released in 1935.

Second World War and later

Preager joined the Intelligence Corps in 1941. His right arm was seriously injured in a motor accident, and he received hospital treatment for eight months.

He was invalided out of the army in 1942, and he formed a 14-piece orchestra to play at the Hammersmith Palais in London; it was the resident band there for 18 years. It made frequent radio broadcasts, including, from 1942, 96 editions of Music While You Work. The band later appeared on television. A number of vocalists sang with the band, including Paul Rich, Edna Kaye, Rit