Jack Hylton was born in Bolton on 2nd July 1892. He came from a working class background and, as a boy, would accompany his father on the piano when he sang in clubs. He also performed at an early age as the "Singing Mill-Boy" and as a relief pianist for various bands.
His early career was as a relief pianist in the 400 club and with the Stroud Haxton Band. After the first world war he went on to play with the Queen's Dance Orchestra where he wrote arrangements of popular songs and had them recorded under the label 'Directed by Jack Hylton.' He went on from here to form his own band.
The band started recording under Jack Hylton's name in 1923. Jack became a respected band leader and was in great demand, so much so that he had to provide bands simultaneously in various locations under his own name. In the 1920s (Babyin' You 1926) the band developed into an orchestra and had a busy schedule. It toured America and Europe and continued until the 1940s when the orchestra disbanded due to members being called up for war service. Jack was also director of the DECCA record label. All Of Me (Decca Recording)
At this point Jack Hylton's career was already moving towards that of an impresario discovering new stars and managing radio, film and theatre productions from Ballets to Circuses. His productions dominated the London theatres with such productions as "The Merry Widow", "Kiss Me Kate" and "Kismet".
When I'm calling you (from the musical Rose Marie).
Some of the stars he managed, appeared in his productions or discovered were Shirley Bassey, Maurice Chevalier, Ernie Wise, Eric Morecambe, Arthur Askey, the Crazy Gang, George Formby, Diana Dors, Thora Hird, Liberace, Noel Gordon, Sid James, Rosalinda Neri to name but a few.
Run Rabbit Run. (A recording by Sid Buckman and Arthur Askey)
Jack later went on to work in TV as the Advisor of Light Entertainment for the new ITV channel. He worked in this role until 1959 and was producing stage productions at the same time. Here he was able to promote his stage discoveries on the television as TV stars. He was instrumental in organising various Royal Command Performances and continued supporting theatre productions until his final stage production "Camelot" in 1965.
Tiger Rag
Jack Hylton & His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger ! Hold that tiger!
Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!
Where's that tiger? Where's that tiger?
Where oh where can he be?
Low or highbrow, they all cry now
"Please play that Tiger Rag for me"
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger ! Hold that tiger!
Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!
Where's that tiger? Where's that tiger?
Where oh where can he be?
Low or highbrow, they all cry now
"Please play that Tiger Rag for me"
The lyrics to "Tiger Rag" by Jack Hylton & His Orchestra are a call to find and hold onto the energy and excitement represented by the metaphorical tiger. The repeated questioning of "where's that tiger" creates a sense of urgency and anticipation, as if the performers and audience are eagerly awaiting the appearance of the creature. The lines "Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him" use violent language to describe a desire to fully capture and control this wild energy.
The final lines of the song suggest that the tiger is in fact an idea or symbol, rather than a literal animal. The phrase "low or highbrow, they all cry now 'please play that Tiger Rag for me'" implies that people of all social classes and backgrounds can appreciate and connect with the energy represented by the Tiger Rag. The song can be interpreted as a celebration of the power of music to unite individuals across boundaries and bring them together in a shared experience of energy and excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
We're looking for the tiger, where could it possibly be?
Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger!
We need to restrain the tiger, keep it from attacking us.
Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!
We need to use force to control the tiger, physically subduing it.
Where's that tiger? Where's that tiger?
Seriously, where is that darn tiger?
Where oh where can he be?
We want to find the tiger, we're getting impatient.
Low or highbrow, they all cry now
Regardless of social status, everyone is emotionally invested in finding the tiger.
"Please play that Tiger Rag for me"
The only thing that can satisfy our need to find the tiger is hearing the Tiger Rag being played.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Antonio Sbarro, Edwin Edwards, Henry Ragas, Larry Shields, Sidney Bechet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ptm51
Jack Hylton in hot performance!******