Billy Mayerl

Pianist Billy Mayerl was born on May 31, 1902, in London's West End. His talent for the instrument was immediate, and by the age of seven he was studying at Trinity College of Music. By his late teens he was earning decent money tinkling the ivories at dances and silent movie cinemas throughout London and its environs. As a natural showman he enjoyed the attention. However, the gigs also afforded Mayerl plenty of room to improvise, and this would come to influence his own compositional style. In 1922, Mayerl was in residency at a Southampton hotel when he was discovered by ban...