Ronnie Hazlehurst
| Ronnie Hazlehurst | |
|---|---|
| Born |
13 March 1928 Dukinfield, Cheshire, England |
| Died | 1 October 2007 (aged 79) St Martin, Guernsey |
| Occupation | Composer conductor musical director |
| Known for | British television theme songs |
| Spouse(s) | Jean Fitzgerald |
Ronald "Ronnie" Hazlehurst (13 March 1928 – 1 October 2007) was an English composer and conductor who, having joined the BBC in 1961, became its Light Entertainment Musical Director.
Hazlehurst composed the theme tunes for many well known British sitcoms and gameshows of the 1970s and the 1980s, including Yes Minister, Are You Being Served?, Only Fools and Horses and Last of the Summer Wine.
Ronald Hazlehurst was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire in 1928, to a railway worker and piano teacher. Having attended Hyde County Grammar School, he left at the age of 14 and became a clerk for a cotton mill. From 1947 to 1949 he did his National Service as a bandsman in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards.
During his spare time, he played in a band, and soon became a professional musician earning £4 a week. The band appeared on the BBC Light Programme, but Hazlehurst left when he was refused a pay rise. Moving to Manchester, he became a freelance musician until he was offered a place in another band at a nightclub in London. Ronnie Hazlehurst worked at Granada for about a year in 1955 and, after he left there, worked on a market stall in Watford to make ends meet.
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