Jack Payne

John Wesley Vivian Payne (22 August 1899 – 4 December 1969) was a British bandleader who established his reputation during the British dance band era of the 1930s.

Early life and career Payne was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, He played in a ten-piece band which became the house band at London's Hotel Cecil in 1925.

1930s and 1940s In July 1930, a reviewer from The Gramophone magazine wrote that "Jack Payne's Band is public property. It is paid out of the wireless licence fees which you and I supply...As such its one duty is to please the masses. It has to be good musically, it has to entertain, it needn't worry about anything advanced in the way of style, and the last thing it need be is rhythmically hot. I think we must all agree that it does its job well, and that anything it may at times lack in modern rhythmic stylishness is amply compensated by other qualities more important from the public's viewpoint, such as musical ability and versatility".

After leaving the BBC in 1932, when he was succeeded by Henry Hall, he returned to playing hotel venues and switched labels to Imperial, followed by Rex from 1934. He also made the occasional television appearance as a panellist in Juke Box Jury, as well as other popular music programmes of the decade, including a film appearance as himself in Jamboree (1957). During his final years, Payne ran a hotel, The Middle House, in Mayfield, East Sussex, which was not a successful financial venture.

Personal life and death Payne was married twice, his first wife having died after sixteen years of marriage. He had an adopted daughter with his second wife, the pianist and composer Peggy Cochrane. Payne wrote two autobiographies, This is Jack Payne (1932) and Signature Tune (1947). He died in Tonbridge, Kent, on 4 December 1969, aged 70.