This Is Your Life: George Shearing

George SHEARING (1919-2011)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - George Shearing, jazz pianist, was surprised by Michael Aspel while performing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London's Soho.

George, whose family were from Battersea, London, began learning the piano at the age of three, despite having been born blind. Following formal training at Linden Lodge School for the Blind, he joined an all-blind band before making his first BBC radio broadcast in the late 1930s.

He emigrated to the United States in 1947 where he formed his first George Shearing Quintet, and recorded for the Discovery, Savoy and MGM labels. Along with multiple album releases from the 1950s to the 1990s, George also composed over 300 titles, including the jazz standard Lullaby of Birdland.

The cover of his Big Red Book was written in braille lettering.

programme details...

Edition No: 828
Subject No: 818
Broadcast date: Wed 12 Feb 1992
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 17 Dec 1991
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 32
Edition: 18
Code name: Velvet

on the guest list...

Ellie - wife
Steve Race
Alan Clare
Brian Kay
Timothy Hart
Dorothy - sister
Margaret - sister
Walter - brother-in-law
Stanley van Raalte
Phyllis Frost
Kathleen Hall
Bob Wager
Paul Dyer
Gordon Littlewood
Alf Heckman
Bob Bampton
Wendy - daughter
Peggy Lee - via telephone
John Dankworth
Stéphane Grappelli
Mel Torme
Leonard Feather
Henry Mancini
The King Singers

production team...

Researcher: Ian Brown
Writer: Norman Giller
Directors: Brian Klein, Paul Kirrage
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

All that Jazz

covering all the notes

The Big Red Book

the programme's icon

The Secret Agent Who Made The Big Red Books

interview with the book binders

John Dankworth

Stéphane Grappelli

Screenshots of George Shearing This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

One of the most unusual pick-ups in the history of the Life was at Ronnie Scott's world famous Soho jazz club on 17 December 1991.

Very unusual: the 'This Is Your Life' message on the Big Red Book was in braille.

This was so that blind jazz pianist George Shearing could trace the message when Ronnie Scott invited Michael Aspel on to the club's stage.

Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Henry Mancini, the King's Singers, John Dankworth and Stéphane Grappelli paid their tributes to this Battersea coalman's son. Blind from birth, George had played his way from local pub pianist to international stardom.

Later in life, in 1952, inspired by his visits to Harlem listening to the music of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie 'Bird' Parker, he sat down to write the jazz 'standard', 'Lullaby of Birdland'.

It took him just ten minutes.

Stéphane Grappelli and John Dankworth led George to a piano to 'jam' us out with 'Birdland', Stéphane on violin, John on sax, George at the piano. As they say in the business, the audience 'broke the furniture'.

Paul Balmer recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, Stéphane Grappelli: A Life in Jazz...

Also in 1992 Stéphane enjoyed a reunion with another, even older, friend - George Shearing. Just as Eamonn Andrews had crept up on Stéphane for television's This Is Your Life in 1979, now it was the pianist's turn for the big red book treatment. The programme's new presenter, Michael Aspel, saved Stéphane's appearance until last, describing him as 'a larger-than-life personality'. George seemed genuinely pleased to welcome Stéphane and the fiddler, surprisingly light on his feet, virtually kidnapped George in his rush to escape the rigours of television talking, escorting him to the piano, where the old timers played with John Dankworth and his clarinet.

George launched straight into one of his clever 'homage to Bach' intros and his most popular composition, 'Lullaby Of Birdland'. Although clearly unrehearsed, the resulting jam session has some more wonderful Bach from George as Stéphane and John exchange knowing looks and let the man of the moment have his head. The three friends then toss around phrases with an abandon that seems easy but was, of course, the culmination of a total jazz experience of over 100 years. It's a wonderful television moment that couldn't have been planned - it's funny, entertaining and not without music. Most of all, it's good to see Stéphane and George reconciled, even if only for the cameras.

Series 32 subjects