Alf Bigden
Encyclopedia
Alfred 'Alf' William Bigden (1 March 1932 - 12 October 2007) was a British
drummer
mainly active from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Bigden had been "drummer for such stars as Tom Jones
, Cilla Black
, Shirley Bassey
, Sir Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue
, Eartha Kitt
, Lionel Richie
, Andy Williams
and Tony Bennett
", as well as for Stéphane Grappelli
on at least one of his albums.
drummer throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bigden played on albums for Alan Hawkshaw
, Don Lusher
, Geoff Love
, Pete Moore and Ray Davies, amongst others. Referring to Bigden, Hawkshaw once said in an interview that "Alf was an amazing drummer; he could more or less put his hand to anything". Don Lusher
also commented that "It was Alf Bigden, then Ronnie Verrell
. Yes - anyway of drumming you like, they’ve got it".
musical director Ronnie Hazlehurst's
'house orchestra', playing on Hazlehurst's compositions and arrangements for the BBC throughout the 1970s and 1980s, on such pieces as the beginning and end themes to Only Fools And Horses
(as well as appearing in the episode "The Jolly Boys' Outing
" in 1989 as a drummer in the Mardi Gras club), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
, Are You Being Served?
, To the Manor Born
and the main theme and incidental music for The Two Ronnies
, amongst others.
As the BBC's 'house drummer' throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s, Bigden also played in the orchestra for the Eurovision Song Contest
, when it was hosted by the BBC (and arranged by Hazlehurst) in 1974
, 1977
and 1982
. He also played in the orchestra for many of the Royal Variety Performance
s over the same period.
scores, with Henry Mancini
for the Pink Panther movies, as well as Oliver!
, The Dam Busters
and The Dirty Dozen
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
mainly active from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Bigden had been "drummer for such stars as Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, Cilla Black
Cilla Black
Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...
, Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, Sir Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
, Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
and Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
", as well as for Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
on at least one of his albums.
Biography
In demand as a sessionSession musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
drummer throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Bigden played on albums for Alan Hawkshaw
Alan Hawkshaw
Alan Hawkshaw is a British composer and performer, particularly of themes for movies and television programmes...
, Don Lusher
Don Lusher
Don Lusher OBE was a jazz and big band trombonist best known for his association with the Ted Heath Big Band...
, Geoff Love
Geoff Love
Geoff Love was a British easy-listening, and disco orchestra leader. He was born in the industrial town of Todmorden in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His father was a mixed race American-born guitarist and dancer, and his mother an actress. As a child, Love began to learn to play the violin but...
, Pete Moore and Ray Davies, amongst others. Referring to Bigden, Hawkshaw once said in an interview that "Alf was an amazing drummer; he could more or less put his hand to anything". Don Lusher
Don Lusher
Don Lusher OBE was a jazz and big band trombonist best known for his association with the Ted Heath Big Band...
also commented that "It was Alf Bigden, then Ronnie Verrell
Ronnie Verrell
Ronald 'Ronnie' Thomas Verrell was an English jazz drummer. He played in two of the United Kingdom's "most famous" big bands, The Ted Heath Orchestra and The Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Verrell also worked extensively in television, including as a drummer in Jack Parnell's ATV Orchestra and Sunday...
. Yes - anyway of drumming you like, they’ve got it".
BBC work
Alongside the session work, Bigden also played in then BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
musical director Ronnie Hazlehurst's
Ronnie Hazlehurst
Ronald "Ronnie" Hazlehurst was an English composer and conductor who, having joined the BBC in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director....
'house orchestra', playing on Hazlehurst's compositions and arrangements for the BBC throughout the 1970s and 1980s, on such pieces as the beginning and end themes to Only Fools And Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
(as well as appearing in the episode "The Jolly Boys' Outing
The Jolly Boys' Outing
"The Jolly Boys' Outing" is the eighth Christmas special episode of the BBC sit-com Only Fools and Horses, first screened on 25 December, 1989...
" in 1989 as a drummer in the Mardi Gras club), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is a series of novels which developed into a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role...
, Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
, To the Manor Born
To the Manor Born
To the Manor Born is a British sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special edition appeared in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by Peter Spence, the creator, while the 1981 finale was written by Christopher...
and the main theme and incidental music for The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
, amongst others.
As the BBC's 'house drummer' throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s, Bigden also played in the orchestra for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, when it was hosted by the BBC (and arranged by Hazlehurst) in 1974
Eurovision Song Contest 1974
The Eurovision Song Contest 1974 was the 19th Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in the seaside resort of Brighton on the south coast of the United Kingdom...
, 1977
Eurovision Song Contest 1977
The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the 22nd edition series, and was held on 7 May 1977 in London. With Angela Rippon as the presenter, the contest was won by Marie Myriam who represented France, with her song "L'oiseau et l'enfant" . This was France's fifth victory, a record, which was equalled...
and 1982
Eurovision Song Contest 1982
The Eurovision Song Contest 1982 was the 27th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 24 April 1982 in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. The presenter was Jan Leeming. The opening of the contest showed a map of Europe, with the translation "Where is Harrogate?" popping up on-screen from...
. He also played in the orchestra for many of the Royal Variety Performance
Royal Variety Performance
The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. In more recent years Queen Elizabeth II and The Prince of Wales have alternately attended the performance...
s over the same period.
Film scores
Amongst other credits, Bigden played the drums on several of the James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
scores, with Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
for the Pink Panther movies, as well as Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, The Dam Busters
The Dam Busters (film)
The Dam Busters is a 1955 British Second World War war film starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd and directed by Michael Anderson. The film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany with Wallis's...
and The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
.