Dennis Hale (vocalist)

Dennis Hale
Photo sent by Dennis to his sister
Background information
Birth name	Dennis Godfrey Hoare
Born	May 24, 1922(1922-05-24) Uckfield, England
Died	September 10, 1960(1960-09-10) (aged 38) Kitwe, Northern Rhodesia
Genres	Big Band
Years active	c.1945 - 1960
Labels	Parlophone, Decca Records
Associated acts	Oscar Rabin Band, Jack Parnell Orchestra etc.

Dennis Hale (May 24, 1922 – September 10, 1960), born Dennis Godfrey Hoare, was a vocalist with a number of bands and performers, including the Oscar Rabin Band, Jack Parnell, Johnny Douglas, Teddy Foster (1945 to 1946), and Eric Winstone (1946 to 1948).^[1][2]

Dennis left the army in 1945 where he had been a Sergeant Major. At the time, he was the youngest Sergeant Major in the Royal Artillery. In 1948 Dennis set up his own orchestra and had a resident berth at the Brighton Aquarium ballroom. In 1955 Dennis changed recording label from Parlophone to Decca Records.

Recordings

Parlophone

• Anytime/Weaver of Dreams (March 1952)^[3]
• Devil Eyes (February 1954)^[4]
• Blowing Wild (April 1954)^[5]
• The Bandit (June 1954)^[6]
• The Butterscotch Mop (1955)^[7]

Decca

• Chee Chee-Oo Chee (Sang the Little Bird) (June 1955)^[8]
• Sweet and Gentle (July 1955)^[9]
• Walk With Me Forever (July 1955)^[9]
• The Longest Walk (October 1955)^[9]
• Tina Marie (October 1955)^[9][10]
• It's Almost Tomorrow (January 1956)^[9]
• Stealin' (January 1956)^[9]

Unknown

• Can't I
• Sway
• Only Fools
• Why Don't You Believe Me?

Critical reception

Gramophone in a review of Hale singing Devil's Eyes stated that it was "gorge for those who enjoy the more extravagantly passionate singers."^[4] A different reviewer for Gramophone, in a review of Hale singing The Bandit, stated that they'd "like him much better if he didn't indulge so much in tasteless exaggeration and think that everyone listened to his records about ten miles from their gramophones."^[6] A Gramophone review of Blowing Wild stated that it was "more for those 'teen age maidens who swoon every time they hear a voice that has what to them is sex appeal. To me it's just rather tasteless extravagance."^[5] In 1952, Gramophone reviewed Hale's double-sided single that featured Hale singing Anytime and Weaver of Dreams. For Anytime, the reviewer stated that it was a "bouncy number" that was "more pleasant to the ear" than other vocalists had done. However, the reviewer stated that Weaver of Dreams had a lot of "weary notes" that sounded like he was "sing[ing] through his nose."^[3]

Personal life

Dennis was married to Santina Motta in 1946 and had two sons, Paul Dennis Hoare and Norman Robert Hoare.

References

1. ^ Info from the Slough Observer 16 SEP 1960 + 10 Sep 1961 and The Dennis Hale fan magazine issue 4
2. ^ Chilton, John (2004). Who's who of British jazz. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 57, 86, 281, 347. http://books.google.com/books?id=fuu36Cq2ZTwC&pg=PA281&dq=%22dennis+hale%22+jazz&hl=en&ei=DdlNTp6TOOW40gGdlsGSBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22dennis%20hale%22%20jazz&f=false. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Oliver King (March 1952). "Miscellaneous and Dance". Gramophone (Haymarket Group): 34–35. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%201952/35/762666/MISCELLANEOUS#header-logo. Retrieved August 22, 2011.  Note: Page 4 of website.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Jack Parnell and his Music Makers". Gramophone (Haymarket Group): 70–71. February 1954. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/February%201954/71/789241/Jack+Parnell+and+his+Music+Makers+The+Creep+(Sigman,+Burton)+(V+by+The+Sapphires)+Parlophone+CE14820)+Route+66+(Troup)+(V+by+Parnell+and+The+Sapphires)+(do.+CE14821)+(Parlophone+78+R38o25s.+Parlophone+45+MSP6o665s.+6+id.). Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Jack Parnell and his Orchestra". Gramophone (Haymarket Group): 80–81. April 1954. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/April%201954/80/736077/Jack+Parnell+and+his+Orchestra+Blowjn+Wild+%28Webster%2C+Tiomkin%29+%28V+by+Dennis+Hale%29+%28Parlcphone+CE14900%29+Knock+Out+%28Jordan%29+%28do.+CE14899%29+%28Parlophone+78+R385259.+45+MSP+60945s.+6d.%29. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Edgar Jackson (June 1954). "Jazz and Swing". Gramophone (Haymarket Group): 74–75. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/June%201954/74/775447/JAll+AND+SWING#header-logo. Retrieved August 22, 2011.  Note: Page 9 of website.
7. ^ Dennis Hale with Jack Parnell (August 22, 2011). "BUTTERSCOTCH MOP 7" (45) UK PARLOPHONE 0". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0055Y23PG. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
8. ^ "Chee Chee-OO Chee". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc): 22. June 11, 1955. ISSN 0006-2510. http://books.google.com/books?id=iRwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22&dq=%22Dennis+Hale%22+chee+chee&hl=en&ei=-cdSTsapMPHEsQLJ_OyFBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Dennis%20Hale%22%20chee%20chee&f=false. Retrieved August 22, 2011. 
9. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Dennis Hale - Discography". 45cat. 2011. http://www.45cat.com/artist/dennis-hale. Retrieved August 21, 2011. 
10. ^ Sir Compton Mackenzie and Christopher Stone (December 1955). "Miscellaneous and Dance". Gramophone (General Gramophone Publications Ltd.) 33: 97. http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/December%201955/97/822609/MISCELLANEOUS#header-logo. Retrieved August 22, 2011.  Note: Page 5 of website.