Bill Savill was born in London on 15th March 1910. In the thirties he played drums for Teddy Brown, fulfilling many engagements at night-clubs such as The Mitre, Golden Square, and 50-50. When war came he joined the RAF and, having attained the rank of Sergeant, was instrumental in forming the dance orchestra of RAF Fighter Command, which he directed until 1944. He also provided the resident band at the Officers' Club, Grosvenor House, between 1942 and 1946. It was with this band, a sextet, that he made his first broadcast in 1943. In fact, he made over 100 'Services Calling' broadcasts, as well as appearances at the Allied Club, Piccadilly, and at St. James's Palace. If this wasn’t enough, he was also Musical Director for a show called 'This is the Gen' at the Phoenix Theatre, West London.

After demobilisation, he formed a civilian orchestra which gave its first broadcast on the Light Programme in 1946. He soon established his own highly distinctive style with this 14-piece dance orchestra, consisting of strings, saxes, piano and rhythm. Familiar names such as Eric Rogers, Neville Hughes, Reg Leopold and Neil Richardson played in the orchestra over the years, the latter being responsible for many of the arrangements.

Bill Savill continued to fulfill engagements at the Dorchester, Claridge's and Hyde Park Hotels and at the Royal Albert Hall. He became very much associated with London's high society, playing for private functions, hunt balls, and charity balls such as the Royal Caledonian Ball, Queen Charlotte's Debutantes’ Ball, and the Westminster Appeal for the Blind Ball to name but a few.

There were also numerous engagements for RAF associations and Masonic and Rotary functions. In 1951, Bill Savill was awarded the Jack Hylton Cup for Musical Directors.

On radio, Bill Savill and his Orchestra were particularly associated with 'Music While You Work' and between July 1946 and September 1967 appeared on no less than 308 programmes, sometimes doing as many as 20 editions in a year. They were the last ballroom orchestra to appear in the series — just nine days before its demise in September 1967. No doubt much of their appeal was due to their individuality of style and the fact that they were one of the few post-war dance orchestras to use a string section instead of brass.

From 1957 onwards, they produced a series of superb LPs for Decca, which were not only perfect for dancing but also ideal for listening. The orchestra was augmented from 14 to 19 musicians for these records — a few extra strings were added, as was a trumpet, but this was used most discreetly and the overall sound was very similar to the broadcasts.

After MWYW finished, Bill Savill's broadcasts became infrequent, with occasional appearances in 'Breakfast Special' until the late sixties. For some time, Bill had provided orchestras in his own name for private functions and he continued to do this for many years after broadcasts ceased.

He died on 3rd March 1995.

Listen to Bill Savill and his Orchestra
playing 'Rosalie'
(45 second clip)

Music While You Work at 3.31 p.m. on 18th March 1963
Played by Bill Savill and his Orchestra

Dutton Vocalion have recently re-released two of Bill Savill's LPs from 1959 on a CD

WE COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT
The original LP SKL 4019 (1959) STEREO

In A Dancing Mood
The original LP SKL 4065 (1959) STEREO

Click on the picture to order