This Is Your Life: Nat Gonella

Nat GONELLA (1908-1998)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Nat Gonella, trumpeter and bandleader, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre, having been led to believe he was there for a meeting with producer Bill Cotton.

Nat, who was born in London and first played the cornet while at school, began his professional career in 1924 with Archie Pitt's Busby Boy's Band. He later played with Bob Bryden and Billy Cotton and worked with musicians Roy Fox and Lew Stone before forming his own band, The Georgians, in 1935.

He joined the army during the Second World War and toured Europe and North Africa with the Stars in Battledress campaign. Following several post-war lean years, he reformed his Georgians with the revival of traditional jazz in the late 1950s. Influenced by Louis Armstrong and the New Orleans jazz style, Nat played a pivotal role in developing jazz in the UK.

"Ah, you're kidding! No, I couldn't fall for that!"

programme details...

Edition No: 124
Subject No: 124
Broadcast live: Mon 22 Feb 1960
Broadcast time: 7.30-8.00pm
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 5
Edition: 26

on the guest list...

George Latimer
Fred Wood
Lew Stone
Pat Smuts
Jack Turland
Eddie Carroll
Dorothy - wife
Humphrey Lyttelton
Helen Mack
Bobby Mickleburgh
Lennie Felix
Lennie Hastings
Teddy Layton
Alan Duddington
Louis Armstrong
Billy Kyle

production team...

Researcher: Shirley Macnab
Writer: Shirley Macnab
Director: unknown
Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

with thanks to Natalie Wilson for her contribution to this page

related pages...

All that Jazz

covering all the notes

The Big Red Book

the programme's icon

Bill Cotton

Humphrey Lyttelton

Nat Gonella This Is Your Life Big Red Book

Photographs of Nat Gonella This Is Your Life - and a photograph of Nat Gonella's big red book

Ron Brown recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, Georgia On My Mind The Nat Gonella Story...

On 22 February 1960, Nat had a request to report to a theatre to discuss a television show. When he arrived, he recognized a few familiar faces, and started chatting away. Suddenly, he was confronted by a large man with an Irish accent holding a book in his hands. "Nat Gonella, jazz pioneer and hero of a real-life stage romance, this is your life!" Eamonn Andrews. Nat couldn't believe it. "No, you must be kidding. I couldn't fall for that." But he had, the doors of the theatre opened and the audience came flooding in. As Nat was led away by the conspirators to get ready for the programme, if one listened closely it was possible to hear "You sods".

The show began in earnest, with Nat alternatively sitting down and standing up in order to greet old friends as they were introduced to the nation via the television screen. The guests included George Latimer, his boyhood pal from St. Mary's, trumpeter Fred Wood from the Busby Boys, saxophonist Pat Smuts from the original Georgians, pianist Eddie Carroll, his old boss Lew Stone, and Jack Turland, the blind trumpeter whom Nat had helped in Birmingham before the war.

As usual with This Is Your Life - the show is still running 25 years on - Eamonn Andrews had a few surprises up his sleeve. Humphrey Lyttelton, Britain's foremost authority on jazz, strolled on to add his praise to the others. Eamonn asked him: "What do you think of the new Nat Gonella?" Humphrey did a double-take at Nat and replied: "Is this the new Nat Gonella, he hasn't even had a respray!" There were also recorded messages from American jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Billy Kyle but the biggest surprise came when Eamonn introduced Helen Mack, Nat's vocalist from the New Georgians. Helen had been flown over specially from California where she lived, and still does, with her husband Murray Sibley. Of course, Nat's wife, Dorothy, was also brought on, and she revealed how she had won Nat's heart with the carton of new laid eggs. The show closed with Eamonn Andrews handing Nat the famous book, and inviting him to join Humphrey Lyttelton on the bandstand with the full Georgia Jazz Band. A wonderful occasion.

Ron Brown recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, Nat Gonella A Life in Jazz, reproduced here with kind permission of the author...

On 22 February 1960 Nat had an appointment at a London theatre to discuss a possible television show. On arriving, he recognised a few friends from the past and soon afterwards a large, very familiar Irishman, brandishing a big red book appeared. 'Nat Gonella,' said Eamonn Andrews, 'jazz pioneer and hero of a real-life stage romance, this is your life!' As the theatre doors opened and an audience swarmed in, Gonella, dumbfounded, was led away to get ready for the show. Listening carefully to the soundtrack reveals a sotto voce utterance. 'You sods!'

Guests on the This Is Your Life show included wife Dorothy (who told how she had courted Nat with new-laid eggs); George Latimer, his boyhood friend from St Mary's Guardian School; Fred Wood, from Archie Pitt's Busby Boys; Pat Smuts, Eddie Carroll and Lew Stone; plus recorded messages from Billy Kyle and Louis Armstrong. Helen Mack flew from California for the show. Humphrey Lyttelton also appeared, and when Andrews asked. 'What do you think of the new Nat Gonella? Lyttelton retorted. 'Is this the new Nat Gonella? He hasn't even had a re-spray!' As the programme closed, Andrews invited Gonella to join Lyttelton and the Georgia Jazz Band for a flag-waving closer.

Series 5 subjects