THE PASADENA ROOF ORCHESTRA
Dance band music from the 1920s-1930s
ESTABLISHED OVER 50 YEARS
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra was founded on November 3rd 1969.
John Arthy had placed an advertisement enquiring after dance band music. A lady in Manchester said she might be able to help. Later that day, a bakery van from John’s family business was travelling back down from Manchester to London replete with 2000 original arrangements from the 20’and 30’s.
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The first tune on the large pile of arrangements, was Harry Warrens ‘Home in Pasadena’
the “ roof” bit, came from the fact that in the20s and 30s many hotels had roof gardens and of course, roof orchestras.
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The orchestra turned professional in 1975, which coincided with an astronomical almost overnight success in Germany. It has subsequently appeared around the world, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, from Berlin to Hong Kong, via Helsinki Dublin Abu Dhabi, Istanbul all the way to the USA (five tours).
"Do it again on the next verse, and people think you meant it"
Chet Atkins