Horace Cyril Stapleton (born 31 January 1914 in Mapperley, Nottingham, England; died 25 February 1974) was an English violinist and jazz bandleader whose career spanned radio, film and popular music from the 1920s to the 1970s. He began playing violin at seven and appeared on local radio by twelve, later performing often on the BBC's Birmingham studios and accompanying silent films; he trained at Trinity College of Music in London and joined Henry Hall's dance band, recording for EMI. After leaving that ensemble, he returned to Nottingham to form his own group, toured South Africa with the Jack Payne Orchestra in the 1930s, and in 1939 secured a BBC spot for his band in London, before his career was interrupted by enlistment in the Royal Air Force later that year, where he played in the RAF Symphony Orchestra. Post-war, he worked with the London Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of London, and the Philharmonia Orchestra before reforming his band in 1947; he accompanied singers such as Dick James and Frank Sinatra and became a fixture on the BBC Show Band, which featured future stars Bert Weedon, Bill McGuffie, Tommy Whittle and Matt Monro. When the BBC disbanded the Show Band in 1957, Stapleton reassembled the Cyril Stapleton Orchestra, achieving two U.S. chart hits with the instrumentals "The Italian Theme" (number 25, 1956) and "The Children's Marching Song (Nick Nack Paddy Whack)" (number 13, 1959), the latter selling one million copies. His recordings during the 1950s and 1960s included the UK Top 20 single "Elephant Tango" (1955) and the global million-seller "Blue Star (The Medic Theme)" (1955), as well as the album Cyril Stapleton Plays Glenn Miller (1969). He became head of A&R for Pye Records, further cementing his influence on British popular music. Stapleton continued to tour and record into the 1970s; he died in 1974, leaving a legacy of chart-winning instrumental pop and a notable contribution to mid-century British broadcasting and recording culture.
