"Cole Porter - His Life and Music". Despite his rich background and his unconventional lifestyle, Porter was one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of the inter-war years. His prodigious output of songs of lasting quality is testament to his star-status as a songwriter. His privileged upbringing and subsequent successes are explored in easy fashion. Listen and/or sing the songs that are as popular today as when they were written.

"Harry Warren - Harry Who". The Title belies the successes springing from this Tin Pan Alleyman. You will be truly amazed to learn of his compositions most of which are household favourites and known to all - "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Serenade in blue" to name but two. This talk is highly popular and contrasts with and compliments the lives of Porter and Berlin. A must for all music lovers of the pre-war era.

"A Mainly Musical Stroll through the 1940's". This talk is largely anecdotal and contains many memories of the wartime years and reference to the stars of that era dealing with not only the music but also musical clips, films, recordings, humorous moments and other memorabilia of the 1940's. A trip down memory lane mainly for the slightly mature.

"Irving Berlin -His Life and Music". As a young Russian immigrant to New York, a disadvantaged young Izzy Baline soon made his mark and was composing by the age of seven. Starting with Ragtime, hit followed hit and his innovations included starting his own Publishing Company and owning his own Theatre. With associates like Cole Porter, Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman success was assured and his legacy of musical composition includes dozens of "Standards" which are well-known to all. Join in or just relax and enjoy the music

"The Lives and Music of George & Ira Gershwin". Quite different from Berlin, Porter & Warren - more experimental, trying to write popular music with the techniques and approaches of serious music and vice versa. George sought to combine the new jazz music with the more classically-accepted compositions. His music was not immediately appreciated and only became really popular after his early untimely death. Ira, his lyricist brother, carried the torch for many years. Remember and enjoy such tunes as Swannee, Rhapsody in Blue, A Foggy Day, Summertime and many more.

"The Life and Times of George Formby" Starting with George Formby Senior - a formidable Music Hall artist himself and charting the success of young George Formby and how he found his way into the big time via Jack Hylton. PowerPoint presentation with words, photographs and ukulele accompaniment. The talk also includes monologues by Marriott Edgar, Stanley Holloway and Weston and Lee together with reference to many other stars of that era. Humorous anecdotes add to this very listenable-to appreciation of one of the leading stars of the pre-war and post-war years.

"The Music and Lyrics of Johnny Mercer" Was he the greatest popular-music lyricist of the first half of the last century? His contemporaries included Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Mort Dixon, Al Dubin and Oscar Hammerstein. Moon River, Autumn Leaves and Laura are just a sample of this great wordsmith's art. Enjoy a cameo of his life and appreciate the beauty of how the words complement the music.

"The Lives and Music of de Silva, Brown and Henderson". Three great individual talents who collaborated together successfully to compose such songs as: April Showers, Button up your overcoat, The Best Things in Life Are Free, You're The Cream in my Coffee and many more. Learn of their individual successes and how their lives were interwoven with the other great composers of the time. All graduated via Tin Pan Alley and the trio were without equal as songwriters in the Roaring Twenties.

"Festive Cheer at Christmas" This presentation brings you your favourite Christmas songs, carols and Christmas verse. It's a kaleidoscope featuring White Christmas, Silent Night, Jingle Bells and many more. This Christmas talk is both humorous and informative. You can sing along with Roy as he takes you on a nostalgic musical Christmas tour.

"Ella, Louis and all that Jazz" The Title to this talk really needs no embellishment. The artists were simply the very best of  performers during the advent of Jazz and were world-class mega-stars  when they died.  Their lives were a kaleidoscope of experiences and their work lives on  in the treasury of  recordings which remain for all to enjoy.

"The Lives and Music of Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart" Regarded as the outstanding composer of music for Broadway musicals in the first half of 20th Century, Richard Rodgers collaborated with lyricist Lorenz Hart for 23 years. Almost two opposites on their personalities and working habits, their successes continued unabated until Hart's death in 1943. Manhattan, My Funny Valentine, The Lady is a Tramp and You took advantage of me, are just some of the duos finest works.

"The Lives and Music of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein" When Lorenz Hart died in 1943 Richard Rodgers was fortunate to have a ready substitute lyricist as his next partner. Their list of musicals which include Oklahoma, Carousel, The King and I, State Fair, The Sound of Music and others were all made into films following success on Broadway and are still regularly performed worldwide on the amateur and professional stages.

"The Life and Music of Al Jolson" Often dubbed "the world's greatest entertainer" his performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his " shameless sentimental, melodramatic approach". Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong and Bob Dylan. In the 1930s he was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer.

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