Angela Morley (1924 - 2009) saxophonist, composer, arranger.

Wally Stott was born in Leeds, Yorkshire. He started in bands at age 15 as an alto-saxophonist, and with other musicians being conscripted with the start of the war, he was in demand. He also started writing arrangements. He was principal saxophonist with the Oscar Rabin Band and the Geraldo Orchestra from 1944, where he wrote swing, symphonic and choral arrangements for it.

He studied with the Hungarian composer, Matyas Seiber, who lived in London, and took a conducting course given by the German-born Walter Goehr. He was mentored by the Canadian composer, Robert Farnon, and became a light music composer best known for Rotten Row and A Canadian in Mayfair. An early LP by Wally was London Pride, 1958.

Wally also wrote the music for the seminal comedy program, Hancock’s Half Hour, and was the musical director for The Goon Show throughout the 1950s. In 1962 and 1963 he arranged and conducted the UK entries for the Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Ring-A-Ding Girl’ and ‘Say Wonderful Things’, both sung by Ronnie Carroll. He worked with Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield, and arranged the first three highly regarded LPs by Scott Walker.

++Stott, by 1970 was a widower, met a female singer and they married in May that year.  The second wife was a major support as Wally became Angela Morley with surgery from Dr Burou a few weeks after the marriage.

Wally came out as Angela in 1972. Then she moved to Los Angeles. She was nominated for an Oscar for orchestrating and arranging the music for the film The Little Prince, 1974 and The Slipper and the Rose, 1976. She scored many episodes of Dallas, Dynasty, Wonder Woman and many other series. She did most of the music for Watership Down, 1978. She earned 3 Emmy Awards for arranging.

She lived in Scottsdale, Arizona, until her death at 84.

*Not the horticulturist.

EN.WIKIPEDIA    www.angelamorley.com    AllMusic.