Edwin astley biography

Was born in Cheshire, the son of a builder.
Edwin Thomas "Ted" Astley (12 April 1922 – 19 May 1998) was a British composer.
He joined the Royal Army Service Corps band as a boy, playing clarinet and saxophone, and by the age of 18 was arranging both military and dance band music.

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behp0284-edwin-astley-cvcredits

All music composed by Edwin Astley

Part 1 Films

1953 Gilbert Harding. Speaking of Murder

1954 Star of my Night

1954 Devil Girl from Mars [credited as Edward Astley] includes ‘Devil Girl theme’ and ‘Ellen’s theme’.

1954 A Tale of Three Women

1954 The Gay Dog

1954 What Every Woman Wants

1954 The Crowded Day

1954 The Happiness of Three Women

1954 To Paris with Love. Conducted by Muir Mathieson.

1955 Contraband – Spain

1955 Final Column

1955 Three Cornered Fate

1955 You Lucky People

1955 The Diamond Expert

1955 The Hornet’s Nest

1956 Alias John Preston (with Albert Elms)

1956 The Case of the Mukkinese Battlehorn [short]

1957? Woman Eater

1957? Kill Her Gently

1957 The End of the Line

1957 Zoo Baby

1957 Danger List [Hammer Film]

1958 Toto and the Poachers

1958 Dublin Nightmare

1958 Jack the Ripper

1958 Three Crooked Men (with Albert Elms)

1958 What a Day [short]

1958 Broad Waterways [short]

1958 Scotland for Sport [short]

1958 Wishing Well Inn

1958 A Woman Possessed (with Albert Elms and Leon Young)

1958 Moment of I

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Edwin Astley

British composer

Edwin Thomas "Ted" Astley (12 April 1922 – 19 May 1998) was a British composer. His best known works are British television themes and scores, most notably the main themes for The Saint, Danger Man and The Baron. He also successfully diversified into symphonic pop and the arrangement of his theme to The Saint, as re-recorded by Orbital, reached number three in the UK singles chart.

Early life

Astley was born in Warrington, Lancashire, to Lawrence Astley and Mary Alice Pester. He served in the Second World War as a musician in the Royal Army Service Corps band playing saxophone and clarinet for the troops.^[1]

Career

In the early 1950s, Astley was arranging for Geraldo. His song "I Could Never Tell" was written by Edwin and Billy Bowen as an entry into a song writing contest when they were both serving in the army. Edwin won the prize of £250 and later used this money to pay for his wedding to Hazel Balbirnie. "I Could Never Tell" was later recorded by both Vera Lynn and Richard Tauber.^[2]

His own

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Interviewed by Vanessa Bergman, Autumn 1989
Originally printed in the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Appreciation Society Newsletter No. 3 - Spring 1990
Reproduced and revised by kind permission

Edwin Astley, a soft-spoken Lancashire man, was born in Warrington on 12th April 1922. The son of a builder, Edwin became the first and only member of a musically-minded family to actually take up music as a profession. His memorable theme and incidental scores for Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) were just one part of an impressive body of work which spanned five decades. He worked on many other television series including several ITC produced shows, as well as feature films and advertising and travelogue films. He also arranged music for some of the big bands and even played backing for the legendary British rock band, The Who. He died on 19th May 1998, aged 76. Three years later, his work was championed by fellow musician Jools Holland in the BBC documentary, Astley's Way.

When I interviewed Edwin As