On The Air

Well-loved programmes from the world of wireless.

- Edmund Whitehouse

Long before he became betterknown for his own radio show, Jimmy Young was a popular singer who had two big hits in 1955 with “Unchained Melody” and “The Man from Laramie”. By then, however, he had already recorded more than 80 songs, initially with Polygon before moving to Deccaand then another 60 songs, mostly with Columbia.

Born in 1923 at Cinderford in the Forest of Dean near the River Severn in Gloucestershire, Jimmy had connections with rugby union at Bath and with rugby league at Wigan. Turned down as too young for the wartime Army he added two months to his age and joined the RAF instead, who sent him off to India where he became a physical training instructor.

Back home in civvy street he sang and played the piano which led to a contract with the small Polygon label, which had been recently established to promote the young Petula Clark. He did reasonably well at a firm which relied on bigger record companies to actually press its songs, and when his recording of“Too Young” brought him to wider notice it was only a matter of time before he moved to a bigger label in search of more success.