Fred Hartley was born in Dundee in 1905, and made his first broadcast in 1925 as a solo pianist. It was not until 1931 that he formed his famous Novelty Quintet. Fred was also a composer and orchestrator, with many successes to his credit. A talented arranger his skills could frequently be heard on BBC radio either side of the last war. He originally joined the BBC as an accompanist and became Head of Light Music at the Corporation in 1946. |
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