Reg Owen, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Reg Owen

British composer

Date of Birth: 03-Feb-1921

Place of Birth: London Borough of Hackney, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 23-May-1978

Profession: composer, conductor

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius


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About Reg Owen

  • Reg Owen (3 February 1921 – 23 May 1978) was an English conductor and arranger. Owen was born George Owen Smith in Hackney, London, and began playing the saxophone at the age of 15.
  • He played in local groups such as Teddy Joyce's Juveniles and the Royal Kiltie Juniors, before founding his own ensemble whilst still in his teens.
  • He studied with Benny Glassman and then attended the Royal College of Music.
  • During World War II he played in the Bomber Command Band of the RAF, then arranged for Ted Heath and Cyril Stapleton after 1945.
  • In 1954, he had his name legally changed to Reginald Owen.
  • He published a book, the Reg Owen Arranging Method, in 1956, and began writing film scores in 1957, including the scores to Date with Disaster (1957), Payroll (1961) and Very Important Person (1961).
  • In 1959, he even scored a Top 40 hit in the U.S.
  • with "Manhattan Spiritual", which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
  • The same track reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1959.
  • A further track, "Obsession", peaked at #43 in the UK in October 1960.In 1961 Owen moved to Brussels, working as a composer, conductor, and arranger throughout continental Europe.
  • He moved to Spain in the 1970s, and died at the Clinica Limonar in Málaga, on 23 May 1978 at the age of 57.

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