Reg Owen

Reg Owen (3 February 1921 – 23 May 1978 ) was an English conductor and arranger . Owen was born George Owen Smith in Hackney , London, and began playing the saxophone at the age of 15. He played in local groups such as Teddy Joyce s Juveniles and the Royal Kiltie Juniors , before founding his own ensemble whilst still in his teens. He studied with Benny Glassman and then attended the Royal College of Music . During World War II he played in the Bomber Command Band of the RAF , then arranged for Ted Heath and Cyril Stapleton after 1945. In 1954, he had his name legally changed to Reginald Owen . He published a book, the Reg Owen Arranging Method , in 1956, and began writing film scores in 1957; among his credits are Very Important Person (1961). In 1959, he even scored a Top 40 hit in the US with "Manhattan Spiritual", which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The same track reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1959. A further track, "Obsession", peaked at #43 in the UK in October 1960. In 1961 Owen moved to Brussels , working as a composer, conductor, and arranger throughout continental Europe. He moved to Spain in the 1970s, and died at the Clinica Limonar in Málaga , on 23 May 1978 at the age of 57.