Jack Dorsey, or to give him his real name, Handel Huckridge, was born in Wrexham, North Wales. Educated at Hammersmith Central School and the Song School, Westminster Abbey, where he was a chorister, he studied the trumpet with Ernest Hall at the Royal College of Music and George Eskdale at the Royal Academy of Music. He also studied composition and orchestration with the distinguished Dr Gordon Jacob and harmony and counterpoint with Dr W.S. Lloyd-Webber.

After leaving school he joined the Band of the Grenadier Guards, where he played cornet and trumpet. He also played in theatre orchestras for shows such as 'Kismet' and 'The King and I'. He even had a spell playing trumpet for Bert Ambrose, and a stint with the Crazy Gang as musician and deputy conductor.

To the general public, however, Jack is best known as a musical director. In 1961 he formed a band to play at the Rank Organisation’s Astoria Dance Salon in London. When he first arrived, he was surprised to find notices advertising 'Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra'. 'I am the new bandleader here, who's this Jack Dorsey?' he enquired. 'You are!' he was told. It would appear that the management did not feel that the name Handel Huckridge was very commercial, therefore they found a name that was synonymous with dance band music. Thus Handel Huckridge became Jack Dorsey, which he remains to this day, although he still answers to both names, and others that are unrepeatable (his words, not mine!).

In January 1962, Jack's energetic-sounding band, which he led on trumpet, made the first of its 37 appearances in 'Music While You Work'. (Jack remembers that his first encounter with MWYW was just after the war, when his father, also a musician, took him to the studio to attend broadcasts by Debroy Somers and his Band.) Early in 1963, the Rank Organisation Management gave Jack the opportunity to create a new 17-piece orchestra, possibly the largest band to hold a ballroom residency. It wasn't long before it was being heralded as the finest band in the country. Writing in the London Evening News about one of the band's television appearances, the well-known television critic James Green stated: 'This band is going to be very very big in popular music'.

As the new band was a replacement for the old, it was only a matter of time before its power-house sound was introduced to 'Music While You Work'. The big band was an immediate hit on MWYW, although Jack's fine swinging arrangements did not initially meet with the approval of the powers that be, because some of his ideas were in contravention of the guidelines for the show — namely, that melodies should be clearly defined without frills. When Jack then arranged a jazzy version of 'Calling All Workers' to close each programme, BBC officials were not pleased, to say the least, as they were very particular about the signature tune being played 'straight'. Actually, their view was somewhat hypocritical as Lou Preager had used an elaborate 'fanfare' arrangement of the tune for years. Anyway, the BBC officials backed down when Jack drew their attention to the band's high ratings.

Listen to Jack Dorsey speaking about his 'swinging' of the Music While You Work signature tune

Jack Dorsey and his orchestra nearly got their marching orders
for swinging the signature tune of 'Music While You Work'

Although Jack continued with the band for some years, it was never his intention to be a palais bandleader for the rest of his life and he eventually diversified, turning his attention to the production side of the recording industry. He became A and R Manager for EMI and Pye, but fronted his own band for a number of long-playing records. Subsequently he began a 25-year association with the well-known recording orchestra 'The 101 Strings', becoming their conductor/producer/arranger as well as composing many of the pieces which they recorded. Jack also fronted his own 'Rose of Romance Orchestra' for a series of long-playing albums of romantic music.

When 'Music While You Work' was revived for a week in 1982 as part of the BBC's 60th Anniversary celebrations, Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra were invited to contribute. The session was a veritable who's who of the dance band world!

Jack, who for many years lived in Hove, on the South coast of England, died on 30th April 2017, aged 88.

Listen to 'Music While You Work'
played by Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra
as broadcast on BBC Radio 2 at 3.30pm on 7th August 1982

MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK
played by Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra
on 7th August 1982

Listen to 'Music While You Work'
played by Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra
as broadcast on 20th April 1962 at 10.31am

MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK
played by Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra
on 20th April 1962

Listen to 'Music While You Work'
played by Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra
as broadcast on 22nd March 1965 at 3.31 p.m.

MUSIC WHILE YOU WORK
played by Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra
on 22nd March 1965