Jimmy Dale (musician)

Life

Born James Edwin Dale in London, he moved to Canada with his family in 1947 at age 11. He studied at The Royal Conservatory of Music for two years under pianist Alma Allen and privately studied music theory and composition in Toronto with Gordon Delamont. Dale began his career in the 1950s playing in Toronto dance bands and pit orchestras. In 1957 he joined Peter Appleyard's newly formed jazz ensemble, touring and playing with them for two years.

In the early 1960s he started working for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a rehearsal pianist, later becoming music director for the programs À la carte and In Person. He relocated to Hollywood in 1969, working as music director for CBS and NBC on shows including The Smothers Brothers Show, The Andy Williams Show, and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour; for the latter he received a Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination in 1972 for outstanding achievement in musical direction of a variety, musical or dramatic program.

He returned to Toronto in 1973 while commuting to Los Angeles to continue CBS work, and went back to Hollywood briefly in 1975 to serve as music director of The Cher Show. During the 1970s and 1980s he remained active as a music director for CBC programs such as Juliette and Friends and The Bob McLean Show, and for CTV's The Bobby Vinton Show, as well as the syndicated series Bizarre and Super Dave. From 1974 to 1987 he was pianist for Boss Brass, making several recordings with the ensemble.

He performed regularly in Toronto nightclubs from the 1960s through the 1980s, accompanying artists including George Coleman, Coleman Hawkins, and Peggy Lee, and also led his own band, the Jimmy Dale Swingers. In 1968 he released the album Soft and Groovy and appeared on Juliette's Christmas World with the Jimmy Dale Swingers. His album Profiles came out in 1980 on the Intercan label, and he played piano on recordings by Appleyard and Basso.

Work as a composer and arranger

Jimmy Dale's composing credits include film and television scores for B.S. I Love You, Crunch, The Execution of Raymond Graham, and Breakfast with Les and Bess. He also created orchestrations for the stage musicals Aimee! and Durante. As an arranger, his work appears on albums by Eugene Amaro, Tommy Ambrose, Denyse Angé, Keath Barrie, Guido Basso, Mary Lou Collins, Cecile Frenette, and Bobby Vinton.