Bowlly was born in Lourenço Marques in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. His parents were Greek and Lebanese. They met en route to Australia and moved to South Africa.
Bowlly was brought up in Johannesburg. After a series of odd jobs across South Africa in his youth, including being a barber and a jockey, he sang in a dance band led by Edgar Adeler on a tour of South Africa, Rhodesia, India and Indonesia during the mid-1920s.[citation needed] He was fired from the band in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Jimmy Liquime hired him to sing with the band in India and Singapore. In 1927 Bowlly made his first record, a cover version of "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin that was recorded with Adeler in Berlin, Germany. During the next year, he worked in London, England, with the orchestra of Fred Elizalde.
The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 resulted in Bowlly being made redundant and returning to several months of busking to survive. In the 1930s, he signed two contracts—one in May 1931 with Roy Fox, singing in his live band for the Monseigneur Restaurant in London, the other a record contract with bandleader Ray Noble in November 1930.
During the next four years, he recorded over 500 songs. By 1933 Lew Stone had ousted Fox as bandleader, and Bowlly was singing Stone's arrangements with Stone's band. After much radio exposure and a successful British tour with Stone, Bowlly was inundated with demands for appearances and gigs—including undertaking a solo British tour—but continued to make most of his recordings with Noble. There was considerable competition between Noble and Stone for Bowlly's time. For much of the year, Bowlly spent all day in the recording studio with Noble's band rehearsing and recording, then the evening with Stone's band at the Monseigneur. Many of these recordings with Noble were issued in the United States by Victor, which meant that by the time Noble and Bowlly came to America, their reputation had preceded them.
He performed in England with his band, the Radio City Rhythm Makers. But by 1937 the band broke up when vocal problems were traced to a wart in his throat, which briefly caused him to lose his voice. Separated from his wife and with his band dissolved, he borrowed money from friends and traveled to New York City for surgery.
His absence from the UK in the early 1930s damaged his popularity with British audiences, despite his association with pianist Monia Liter as his accompanist. His career began to suffer as a result of problems with his voice, which affected the frequency of his recordings. He played a few small parts in films but never professed to be an actor. The parts he did play were often cut, and scenes that were shown were brief. Noble was offered a role in Hollywood, although the offer did not include Bowlly, as a singer had already been hired. Bowlly moved back to London with his wife Marjie in January 1937.
With diminished success in Britain, he toured regional theatres and recorded as often as possible to make a living, moving from orchestra to orchestra, working with Sydney Lipton, Gerald Bright and Ken "Snakehips" Johnson. In 1940 there was a revival of interest in his career when he worked in a duo with Jimmy Messene in Radio Stars with Two Guitars on the London stage. It was his last venture before his death in April 1941. The partnership was uneasy. Messene had a drinking problem. When he showed up for work, he was occasionally unable to perform. Bowlly recorded his last song two weeks before his death. It was a duet with Messene on Irving Berlin's satirical song about Hitler, "When That Man is Dead and Gone".
In December 1931, Bowlly married Constance Freda Roberts (died 1967) in St Martin's District, London; the couple separated after a fortnight, and sought a rapid divorce. He remarried in December 1934, to Marjie Fairless; this marriage lasted until his death.
On 16 April 1941, Bowlly and Messene had just given a performance at the Rex Cinema in Oxford Street, High Wycombe, now demolished. Both were offered the opportunity of an overnight stay in the town, but Bowlly opted to take the last train home to his flat at 32 Duke Street, Duke's Court, St James, London. His decision proved to be fateful. He was killed by a Luftwaffe parachute mine that detonated outside his flat at ten past three in the morning.
His body appeared unmarked: although the massive explosion had not disfigured him, it had blown his bedroom door off its hinges and the impact against his head proved fatal. He was buried with other bombing victims in a mass grave at what is today known as Hanwell Cemetery, Uxbridge Road, Hanwell, where his name is given as Albert Alex Bowlly.
Bowlly is sometimes credited with inventing crooning or "The Modern Singing Style", releasing a book of the same name. He experimented with new methods of amplification, not least with his Melody Maker advert, showing him endorsing a portable vocal megaphone. With the advent of the microphone in 1931, he adapted his singing style, moving away from the Jazz singing style of the 20s, into the softer, more expressive crooning singing style used in popular music of the 1930s and 1940s.
A Blue Plaque commemorating Bowlly was installed, in November 2013, by English Heritage at Charing Cross Mansion, 26 Charing Cross Road, described as "his home at the pinnacle of his career".
In the late 1980's, the BBC used his song 'Sweet and Lovely' as the theme tune to 'First of the Summer Wine' - the prequel to long-running comedy 'Last of the Summer Wine'. 'First of the Summer Wine' ran for two seasons of six episodes plus a pilot and, like the main series, was written by Roy Clarke.
The song "Guilty" was used by the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2000, playing over the end credits instead of the programme's usual title music to signify the final appearance of character Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) who had persuaded her friend Dot Cotton (June Brown) to help her die.
Time on My Hands
Al Bowlly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The moon is my light of love
In the night, I am quite a romancer
I find an answer above
To being me consolation, you're my inspiration
This is my imagination.
Time on my hands, you in my arms
Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true
Moments to spare for someone you care for
Our love affair for two
With time on my hands and you in my arms
And love in my heart all for you.
The lyrics of Al Bowlly's song Time On My Hands express a state of contentment with love and the beauty of nature even during the night time. The singer states that when the day ends and twilight appears, he finds his light of love in the moon. He continues to say that during the night, he is a romancer who can find answers to life's questions by just looking above. He then attributes his imagination to being inspired by his lover who gives him the consolation he needs.
The singer goes on to say that he has time on his hands, and his lover in his arms, and all he can see is love. He proclaims that finally, his dreams of being with his lover all the time will come true. They have moments to spare, which they would like to spend together since they both care for each other. He concludes by stating that with time on his hands and his lover in his arms, his heart is full of love only for her.
The song's message is simple yet poetic. The lyrics express contentment, love, and admiration for the natural world. The singer's ability to find solace in the moon during the night-time suggests a sense of peace and tranquillity. The chorus speaks of being in love and how, with time on their hands, they can enjoy each other's company and cherish the moments they have together.
Line by Line Meaning
When the day fades away into twilight
As the day slowly turns into night,
The moon is my light of love
I find comfort in the moon's light as a beacon of love.
In the night, I am quite a romancer
I become a romantic in the stillness of night.
I find an answer above
I seek solace in something greater than myself.
To bring me consolation, you're my inspiration
You provide me with comfort and are the source of my inspiration.
This is my imagination
These are my thoughts and feelings in my mind's eye.
Time on my hands, you in my arms
I have all the time in the world with you by my side.
Nothing but love in view, then you fall
All I see is love and then I fall deeper in love with you.
Once and for all, I'll see my dreams come true
Finally, I can make all my dreams come true with you.
Moments to spare for someone you care for
Allocate your time for the people you love and cherish.
Our love affair for two
We are the only two people involved in our love story.
With time on my hands and you in my arms
I have free time to spend with you in my embrace.
And love in my heart all for you
My heart is filled with love for only you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Adamson, Mack Gordon, Vincent Youmans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
miss0strich
Time on my hands
You in my arms
Nothing but love in view
Then if you fall
Once and for all
I'll see my dreams come true
Moments to spare
For someone you care for
One love affair for two
With time on my hands
And you in my arms
And love in my heart, all for you
Time on my hands
And you in my arms
And love in my heart, all for you
cosmos
Ver der yn
Yn der ver
Yer der yn
Umda yn haf nal
Dar vyn dyl a
Cw da vade
Bn swp nystagmus xynddyd ar eppw i swn.
Avwr fa nyud wynn cyn pyndd.
Fnu du ny saajg
Vu nu er da saajg
Vunudwn arg du sasonsou.
Zarly a caŕ na synd sn
George Mackins
RIP Al Bowlly. Thanks for showing this wonderful music to a 17 year old
Ted Hayward
A truly "timeless" version of this wonderful song. It's good that Al, who tragically died far too young, lives on with us through his many vocal performances, with - as on this recording - Ray Noble providing his usual stylish backing.
miss0strich
Time on my hands
You in my arms
Nothing but love in view
Then if you fall
Once and for all
I'll see my dreams come true
Moments to spare
For someone you care for
One love affair for two
With time on my hands
And you in my arms
And love in my heart, all for you
Time on my hands
And you in my arms
And love in my heart, all for you
Zoraida García
MissOstrich-Thanks for the lyrics and I also hope that you and yours are allright, no matter the new virus. From Puerto Rico, I wish you the best, lots of strength, faith and God bless you all!
Carole Griggs
I should be making dinner, but can't stop playing this...........magical.
RubricalChain25
Did you ever make dinner? I know this music is really pleasing, but eating is also important
geoff garfield
Ms Griggs Let them.all go hungry
Keep worshipping at the shrine of Al.Bowly
Wessex Consort
This is a superb performance by a master of the style. Would that Al Bowlly were better known today.
Peter Taylor
Because of YouTube he has been rediscovered. A shame he can't see it.
Travis Lane Adams
What a an amazing voice...still listening in 2019