Lou Preager

Louis Jacob Preager (12 January 1906 – 14 November 1978), He was the son of Louis Preager, a tailor, and his wife Rebecca (née Cohen De Murcia). While at school, the younger Louis he played the piano in dance bands, and from age 19 he was a full-time musician. He played in fashionable London clubs and restaurants; in 1931 he joined Eugene Pini and his Tango Orchestra at the Monseigneur, and later joined the Billy Reid Accordion Band. In 1933, Preager led an 11-piece band, playing at Ciro's and later at Romano's in the Strand. His first recordings were released in 1935.

Second World War and later Preager joined the Intelligence Corps in 1941. His right arm was seriously injured in a motor accident, and he received hospital treatment for eight months.

From the 1960s, Preager suffered from persistent ill health and retired from music, aged 56, in 1962. He moved to Slough and bought the Carlton Ballroom in the town; it was sold after he suffered a heart attack in 1967. He died on 14 November 1978 in Mallorca, aged 72.