Starting off | Freelance (1970's/80's) | 1990's | 2000's

 

In the same year, Norrie Paramor moved to Birmingham to work full time for the BBC, and Nick became freelance. Working from home, Nick began to establish himself as an arranger, continuing to work with Cliff Richard, Geoff Love, Claude Francois, and scoring three London Palladium pantomimes. Nick also joined the newly formed Mingles Music, with David Mindel and David Seys, as resident writer producing TV and radio jingles. This lead on to an association with fellow writer Andy Hill, and Nick scored all the strings and brass for Andy’s new band Bucks Fizz, including their Eurovision hit, “Making Your Mind Up”

 

Nick’s long association with the BBC started at this time and he became staff arranger and conductor with the BBC Midland Orchestra and The BBC Radio Orchestra, producing up to ten titles a week for Radio Two.

 

By now, Nick’s reputation as an arranger for pop records was growing and he had early hits with Sade, Everything But The Girl, The Fine Young Cannibals, The Pale Fountains, and Working Week.

 

During the 1980’s, Nick worked extensively for a large number of American radio stations, producing easy listening versions of hits of the day, sometimes producing as many as 300 tracks a year. He also worked extensively for The Reader’s Digest Music Division producing similar materiel.

 

In 1987, his old teacher Graham Collier invited him to join him as part of the newly formed Jazz Department at the Royal Academy of Music. Within a year, Nick had created his own department, the Commercial Music Department, which he continued to run successfully for the next ten years. At the time, it was the only department of its kind in the UK, but has now many imitators. Nick was awarded a Hon RAM in 1990.

 

Next: 1990's

©Nick Ingman 2005