Bill McGuffie

Born on 11 December 1927 in Carmyle near Glasgow, Scotland, Bill McGuffie died on 22 March 1987 in Chertsey, Surrey, England. From the 1940s into the 1980s he worked throughout the United Kingdom as a pianist, composer and arranger of exceptional ability. Although he lost the third finger of his right hand in a childhood accident, McGuffie pressed ahead with his studies and, at eleven, received the Victoria Medal for piano proficiency from the Victoria College, Glasgow. The following year he made his debut broadcast on Children’s Hour, and at fourteen he became a regular member of the BBC Scottish Variety Orchestra.

He briefly trained as a naval architect before settling in Ayr, where he joined the Miff Hobson Orchestra. Early in 1944 he moved to London, performed with Teddy Foster at the Lyceum, spent four years with Joe Loss, and later worked for Maurice Winnick and Sidney Lipton. While leading his own group at the Mayfair Club, McGuffie gained wider notice during a three-year engagement as featured soloist with Cyril Stapleton’s BBC Showband in the early 1950s.

After that ensemble left the air, he played with Kenny Baker’s Dozen and, in the early 1960s, joined Robert Farnon’s orchestra. Farnon and composer Philip Green shaped McGuffie’s approach, especially in film scoring. He is credited with contributions to more than fifty motion pictures, among them The Boys (1961), The Leatherboys (1963), The Asphyx (1972) and The Small Miracle (1973). He also assisted Farnon on projects such as Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1955) and the final “Road” film, Road To Hong Kong, which added Frank Sinatra to the longstanding team of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

In the early 1970s McGuffie toured Europe with Benny Goodman’s British Band and American Sextet, but a stroke in 1974 interrupted his activities. After recovering, he continued working until 1983, when cancer was diagnosed; he succumbed to the illness four years later. Across his career he played both lyrical and swinging jazz, show music and film concertos. He recorded as a solo pianist and directed several groups, including the Bill McGuffie Big Band, Trio and Quintet.

He hosted his own regular broadcasts and appeared on programmes such as Breakfast (And Bedtime) With Braden, Round The Horne, King Of The Keyboard, Piano Playtime and Week Ending. His compositions included “Dear Dave,” “Up On the Hill,” “Gentle Gataa,” “It Zoot Sims” and “Sweet September,” the last of which brought him an Ivor Novello Award in 1963. In 1980 the British Academy of Composers Songwriters and Authors presented him with its Gold Badge of Merit. A founder member of the Niner Club—named for his missing finger—he helped the organisation raise substantial funds for autistic children.