Don Lusher OBE | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gordon Douglas Lusher |
| Born | (1923-11-06)6 November 1923 Peterborough,Cambridgeshire, UK |
| Died | 5 July 2006(2006-07-05) (aged 82) Cheam,Sutton, Greater London, UK |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Bandleader |
| Instrument | Trombone |
| Years active | 1945–2006 |
Don LusherOBE (6 November 1923[1] – 5 July 2006) was an Englishjazz andbig bandtrombonist best known for his association with theTed Heath Big Band. In a career spanning more than 60 years, he played trombone with a number of jazz orchestras and bands and was twice President of the British Trombone Society.
Lusher was born inPeterborough,Cambridgeshire, England,[1] and started playing the trombone aged six years old in his localSalvation Army band, the third generation of his family to do so. DuringWorld War II, he served as a gunner signaller in theRoyal Artillery.[2]
After the war, he became a professional musician, playing with the bands ofJoe Daniels (his first professional job on £12-a-week),Lou Preager,Maurice Winnick,the Squadronaires,Jack Parnell and, lastly, theTed Heath Big Band.[1][3]
Lusher spent nine years as lead trombone with Ted Heath's Orchestra and toured the United States with him on five occasions.[1] Ted Heath died in 1969. After several attempts to revive the band, Don took over the leadership in 1976 at the request of Ted Heath's widow, Moira. He led the 'Ted Heath Tribute Orchestra' throughout the 1980s and 1990s until its sold-out final concert at theRoyal Festival Hall in December 2000. He also led the trombone section during many ofFrank Sinatra's European tours.[1] In 1975 he gave the first performance ofGordon Langford's Rhapsody for Trombone at London'sRoyal Albert Hall, and went on to perform it around the world. He also premiered works by Gareth Woods (Dance Sequence) and Gordon Carr's Concerto for Trombone.[4]
Lusher formed his own ensemble, the Don Lusher Big Band. He also performed with the Manhattan Sound Big Band, withAlexis Korner and various session musicians in the big band-rock fusion groupCCS, and was a founder member of the Best of British Jazz group from the 1970s onwards.[5][4]
He spent some years as a Professor of theRoyal College of Music before becoming Professor of Trombone at theRoyal Marines School of Music, Portsmouth in 1997, a post he retired from in 2004.[6]
In 2001, he recorded an album on theDecca label featuringKenny Ball,Acker Bilk,John Chilton and the Feetwarmers,John Dankworth,Humphrey Lyttelton, andGeorge Melly. It was entitledBritish Jazz Legends Together.[5]
In 1993 he was awarded the status ofFreeman of the City of London, and in 2002 Lusher received anOBE for services to the music industry. The Don Lusher Big Band played its final concert in 2007.[7]
Don Lusher was first married to Eileen Orchard, a singer withLou Preager's danceband. He married again his second wife, Diana, after Eileen's death. Lusher died inCheam in 2006 aged 82. He is survived by his two sons from his first marriage and a stepson from his second.[8]
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