Humphrey Lyttelton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Humphrey Lyttelton
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ISIHAC Christmas Special, 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton |
| Born | 23 May 1921 Eton College, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 25 April 2008 (aged 86) London, England |
| Genres | Jazz, dixieland |
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| Instruments | Trumpet, clarinet |
| Years active | 1945–2008 |
| Labels | Calligraph |
| Associated acts | Tony Coe, Alan Barnes, Radiohead |
Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (born May 23, 1921 – died April 25, 2008), also known as Humph, was a famous English jazz musician and broadcaster. He came from the important Lyttelton family.
Humphrey taught himself to play the trumpet while he was at school. He became a professional musician and led his own eight-person band. They even had a hit song called "Bad Penny Blues" in 1956.
As a broadcaster, he hosted a show called The Best of Jazz on BBC Radio 2 for 40 years. He also hosted the funny game show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue on Radio 4. He became the oldest person to host a panel game in the UK.
Besides music and radio, Lyttelton was also a cartoonist. He worked on the popular Flook comic strip for the Daily Mail newspaper. He was also good at calligraphy (fancy handwriting) and was the president of The Society for Italic Handwriting.
Contents
Early Life and His Start in Music
Humphrey Lyttelton was born at Eton College in England. His father was a teacher there. Humphrey went to Sunningdale Preparatory School and then to Eton College, just like his father.
At Eton, he helped out older students and discovered his love for jazz. He was inspired by famous trumpet players like Louis Armstrong and Nat Gonella. He taught himself to play the trumpet. In 1936, he started a small band at school.
After school, Lyttelton worked for a short time at a steel factory in South Wales. This experience made him a "romantic socialist," meaning he believed in helping others and making society fairer.
Serving in World War II
During World War II, he joined the Grenadier Guards as an officer in 1941. He fought in Italy during a battle called Operation Avalanche. He famously came ashore with his pistol in one hand and his trumpet in the other!
On VE Day (May 8, 1945), which celebrated the end of the war in Europe, Lyttelton played his trumpet from a wheelbarrow during the celebrations. This was his first time being broadcast on the BBC. After the war, he studied at Camberwell Art College for two years.
In 1949, he started working as a cartoonist for the Daily Mail. He stayed there until 1956. He helped create the long-running cartoon strip Flook with Wally Fawkes.
Humphrey Lyttelton: The Jazz Musician
While at Camberwell School of Art, Humphrey met Wally Fawkes, who also loved jazz and played the clarinet. Wally later helped him get the job at the Daily Mail to write for the Flook comic strip.
Both Humphrey and Wally joined a band called the George Webb Dixielanders in 1947. This band was very important in bringing back traditional jazz in Britain after the war.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Lyttelton was a key figure in the revival of traditional New Orleans jazz in Britain. He even recorded with the famous American musician Sidney Bechet in 1949. To do this, he had to go against some rules that made it hard for British musicians to work with American jazz players.
In 1956, he had his only pop music hit with the song "Bad Penny Blues." It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks.
Over time, Lyttelton's music style slowly changed to a more common jazz sound, like that of American trumpeter Buck Clayton. By 1953, he started adding saxophone players to his band. At one concert in Birmingham Town Hall, some fans were not happy about this change. They held up a sign that said, "Go Home Dirty Bopper!"
Sometimes, he put together a big band for BBC radio shows and recordings. Famous blues singers like Jimmy Rushing and Big Joe Turner toured England with his band. Buck Clayton also toured and recorded with Lyttelton many times. Clayton even thought of Lyttelton as a brother.
In 1983, Lyttelton started his own record company called Calligraph Records. This label re-released his old music and put out new recordings by his band and other musicians.
On March 11, 2008, he announced he would stop hosting The Best of Jazz on BBC Radio 2. After he passed away, he was named BBC Radio 2 Jazz Artist of the Year in July 2008. Radio listeners voted for him.
The Humphrey Lyttelton Band
For many years after the war, his regular band included Wally Fawkes and other talented musicians. From 1958, Lyttelton liked to have an eight-person band with three saxophones.
Lyttelton's band often included well-known musicians like Joe Temperley and Kathy Stobart. It also featured new talents such as Tony Coe and Alan Barnes. Lyttelton saw his band as a family. Some members returned after being away, and others stayed for a long time.
The band was always busy, playing many sold-out shows across the country. Sometimes, they would have a guest singer or play with another band. In the 1990s, the band toured with singer Helen Shapiro in shows called Humph and Helen. They also performed in "Giants of British Jazz" tours with other famous musicians.
Lyttelton had a long working relationship with UK singer Elkie Brooks. They worked together in the early 1960s and again in the 2000s. In 2000, they played on the song "Life in a Glasshouse" for the band Radiohead's album Amnesiac. In 2003, they released their own album, Trouble in Mind.
Humphrey Lyttelton's last band included himself on trumpet and clarinet, along with trombone, saxophones, piano, bass, and drums. He supervised his last recordings, playing trumpet and clarinet on some tracks.
After his death, a performance by his 2007 band at the Brecon Jazz Festival was shown on BBC TV as a tribute. The band continues to play his music today.
Humphrey Lyttelton: Radio Star
From 1967 until April 2007, Lyttelton hosted The Best of Jazz on BBC Radio 2. This show featured his unique mix of jazz recordings from all time periods, including new music. In 2007, he decided to host fewer shows to focus on other projects.
In 1972, Lyttelton was chosen to host the comedy game show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (ISIHAC) on BBC Radio 4. The show was created to be a funny and different kind of panel game. Lyttelton continued to host the show until shortly before he died.
He was known for his calm, serious, and sometimes confused style as the host. He also used clever, witty language that could be interpreted in funny ways. The show became very popular, and Lyttelton's personality was a big part of its success. He was the calm leader surrounded by funny chaos. When he died, Lyttelton was the oldest active panel game host in the UK.
Besides his other activities, Lyttelton loved calligraphy and was the President of The Society for Italic Handwriting. He even named his record label "Calligraph" after this hobby. This label released his own albums and those of his friends. It also re-released his older recordings from the 1950s. He reportedly turned down an honor from the Queen in 1995.
His Personal Life
Humphrey Lyttelton was married twice. His first wife was Patricia Mary Braithwaite, and they married in 1948. They had one daughter, Henrietta. In 1952, he married Elizabeth Jill Richardson. They had two sons, Stephen and David, and a daughter, Georgina.
Even though he was famous, he liked to keep his private life to himself. He designed his house with blank walls on the outside and windows facing an inner courtyard. He disliked using the telephone and kept his number private. He preferred to communicate by mail, even for hiring and firing band members.
He twice refused special honors offered by the government. His son Stephen later wrote that accepting such an honor was "never an option" for his father.
Illness and Passing Away
On April 18, 2008, the producer of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue announced that the show's spring series was canceled. Humphrey Lyttelton had been hospitalized for a serious health issue. He postponed his operation to perform in most of the tour shows.
On April 22, 2008, Lyttelton was supposed to appear in a live stage version of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. Because he was ill, another comedian took his place. However, a pre-recorded message from Lyttelton was played to the audience.
Humphrey Lyttelton passed away peacefully after his surgery on April 25, 2008, with his family by his side. When the news of his death spread, people started leaving flowers at Mornington Crescent station in London. BBC Radio 4 broadcast an old episode of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue as a tribute. They also had a special "Humphrey Lyttelton Day" to celebrate his life.
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood wrote on his band's website that Lyttelton was an "inspiring person to record with." He encouraged people to listen to Lyttelton's song "Bad Penny Blues" to celebrate his life.
Lyttelton is survived by his four children. His second wife, Jill Richardson, had passed away in 2006. His funeral took place on May 6, 2008. He considered himself a Humanist, meaning he focused on human values and reason.
On April 25, 2010, two years after his death, a special concert called "Humphrey Lyttelton – A Celebration Concert" was held. It celebrated his life and music. Singer Elkie Brooks and many British jazz musicians performed. Panellists from I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue also attended. His son Stephen Lyttelton organized the event. Stephen also founded The Humph Trust, which helps young jazz musicians.
The Lyttelton Arms pub, near Mornington Crescent station, is named after him.
Books by Humphrey Lyttelton
- Last Chorus: An Autobiographical Medley. (Published after his death in 2008)
- It Just Occurred to Me...: An Autobiographical Scrapbook. (2006)
- With Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer: The Little Book of Mornington Crescent. (2000)
- With Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, Willie Rushton: I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: the Official Limerick Collection. (1998)
- The Best of Jazz. (1998)
- The Best of Jazz: Vol 2 – Enter the Giants. (1998)
- Why No Beethoven?: Diary of a Vagrant Musician. (1984)
- Jazz and Big Band Quiz. (1979)
- Best of Jazz. (1978)
- I Play As I Please: The memoirs of an Old Etonian trumpeter. (1954)
- Second Chorus. (1958)
- Take It from the Top: An Autobiographical Scrapbook. (1975)
Images for kids
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ISIHAC Christmas Special, 2007.
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Humphrey Lyttelton and producer Jon Naismith recording I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue in 2005.
See also
In Spanish: Humphrey Lyttelton para niños
