I know of Denis King for two things. I first came across him as a much put-upon accompanist and sometimes actor in Hello Cheeky, the Radio 2 comedy sketch show which starred John Junkin, Barry Cryer and Time Brooke-Taylor. I was also aware of him as the composer of, as he puts it himself, the world’s favourite equestrian TV theme, Black Beauty.
This delightful and hilarious memoir also reveals something which escaped my attention, which is his earlier career as a member of The King Brothers, a very early boy band that achieved notable successes in the 1950s and 60s, even appearing on the same bill as Frank Sinatra.
What I also didn’t know was that Denis King is not only a gifted musician but has a sly, self-deprecating and utterly British sense of humour about both himself and others, which shines through every sentence in the marvellous book. You hope you’re in for a good read when the endorsement on the back cover from the aforementioned Barry Cryer says, “I’ve known Denis King for many years but in spite of that I would strongly recommend this book.”
Typical of this are his rules for writing for musical theatre, of which number four is: “Writing musicals is not always the infallible Get Rich Quick Scheme it might appear.”
King details his time touring clubs and other slightly iffy venues, drops in casual anecdotes featuring the likes of Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett and Princess Margaret and rounds things off with his, to me, surprisingly prolific career in musical theatre and a note on his passion for cold water swimming. The trick, apparently, is to do it every day without missing or you’ve had it.
This joy of a book is a tour through showbiz starting at the birth of television and the demise of variety and taking us up to the present. It’s all in the company of a superb storyteller and provides humour at every turn. Even if Denis King is on the periphery of your awareness, this is a book that will enlighten and entertain anyone who is even vaguely interested in the history of popular entertainment in this country.
Review by John Charles
Rating: ★★★★
