Alyn Ainsworth


Alyn Ainsworth was a British musician, singer and conductor of light entertainment music.

Education and early career

Born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, he was educated at Canon Slade Grammar School on a scholarship but never completed his education there because, at the age of 14, his talent as a singer was recognised by Herman Darewski, who signed him up to tour with his dance band as a boy soprano. When his voice broke he learnt to play the guitar and played in local dance bands whilst working as hat salesman then for Bolton Parks Department and later as a golf professional. He then joined Oscar Rabin's orchestra where he both played with the band and did musical arrangements, they also broadcast on the radio. He also worked with Geraldo but turned down an offer from Val Parnell to conduct the London Palladium Orchestra and chose in 1951 to join the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra, the BBC's then in-house big band, as its arranger-conductor.

Later career

Ainsworth achieved a huge degree of success with the BBC NDO, whose reputation as one of the top bands in the UK was in no small amount due to his hard work, and high standards. In 1956, he announced during Sunday Night at the London Palladium his engagement to Teddie Beverley of the Beverley Sisters. They could not marry immediately and, in 1957, he announced that the engagement was cancelled.
He resigned from the BBC in 1960 and went freelance. He was signed up by Granada TV to replace Peter Knight as presenter of Spot the Tune.
In 1965, he conducted the orchestra at the Royal Command Performance at the London Palladium for the third time. He conducted in the Eurovision Song Contest five times, 1975, 1976, 1977 for Belgium, 1978 and 1990. He was the musical director for the BBC's anniversary programme Fifty Years Of Music broadcast in 1972. In 1978 he provided the music for the LWT show Lena and Bonnie, and in 1979 Alyn Ainsworth and His Orchestra provided the music for the BBC show Lena Zavaroni and Music. Along with Alan Roper he provided the musical arrangements for the show.
Ainsworth died in London aged 66.