
These are the musical memoirs of Denis King, beloved composer of over twenty hit musicals, countless TV theme tunes and hundreds of (very familiar!) advertising jingles.
Best known for his timeless 'Black Beauty' theme, Denis is also the composer of the classic musical 'Privates On Parade' as well as 'Stepping Out', 'A Saint She Ain't' and many more. He has been Alan Ayckbourn's long-time musical collaborator, and has worked as a composer/conductor/musician with most of the great names in popular entertainment of the past fifty years. These include: include Tony Bennett, Nina Simone, Stephen Sondheim, Albert Finney, Barry Humphries (Dame Edna), Maureen Lipman, Elaine Stritch, Dudley Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Sammy Davis Jnr, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Cahn, Howard Keel and Judy Garland.
But before all of that, in the 1950s, Denis was one-third of Britain's first ever 'boy band' and enjoyed huge – if now forgotten – success.
Key Changes is Denis's funny, gripping and candid memoir of that remarkable career, which began at the age of 13 and took him to the heights of theatre, film and TV. With Denis performing much of his own music, he tells stories, remembers showbusiness legends, spills the beans on numerous celebrities - great and small - and describes a life in entertainment from behind the scenes.
In Episode Three Denis talks about his experiences in the dying days of 'variety' – the post-war version of Music Hall - and a world of entertainment which featured musicians and comics alongside other more unusual acts: such as Pop White & Stagger (“Half Dancers - HalfCrackers!”), The Apex Four (“Sensational Equilibrists”), Bill Ken-Dall (“Almost A Conjuror!”) and Alex the Juggling Nazi. But this is al pretty small beer compared to a booking error which results in bizarre gig on a decidedly unfriendly US airbase in Germany (and this was long before Spinal Tap...).