Joshua Alexander “Joe” Loss LVO OBE (22 June 1909 – 6 June 1990) was a British dance band leader and musician who founded his own eponymous orchestra.
The Joe Loss Orchestra was one of the most successful acts of the big band era in the 1940s, with hits including “In the Mood”. In 1961 they had a hit with “Wheels—Cha Cha”, a version of the String-A-Longs’ hit “Wheels”. Other hits included David Rose’s “The Stripper” in 1958, “Sucu Sucu”, “Must Be Madison”, “The Theme from Maigret” and “March of the Mods (The Finnjenka Dance)” of 1964.
In April 1951 Elizabeth Batey, vocalist with Joe Loss, fell and broke her jaw. Joe was badly in need of a replacement and remembered hearing Rose Brennan on radio during a visit to Ireland. Within days he had located her and, before a week was out, she was in Manchester rehearsing with the band. She stayed with Loss for fifteen years, before giving up show-business in the mid 1960s. She wrote many of the songs she recorded with Joe Loss under the name Marella, and co-wrote songs with John Harris. Her co-vocalists with the orchestra from 1955 were Ross MacManus (father of Elvis Costello) and Larry Gretton.
The Joe Loss Orchestra carries on under the musical direction of Todd Miller, who was a vocalist with the band for 19 years before Loss’s death. In 1989 Joe Loss became too ill to travel and in 1990 he entrusted the leadership to his longest serving band member, trombonist and player manager of many decades, Sam Watmough and to Todd. The orchestra has been in constant operation since 1930 and in 2015 it celebrated its 85th anniversary.
Specialist dance band radio stations continue to play his records. Joe Loss also features regularly on the Manx Radio programme Sweet & Swing, presented by Howard Caine.
Recordings by Joe Loss you can hear at Instrumentals Forever:
| (We’re Gonna) Rock Around The Clock |
| 12th Street Rag |
| A Banda |
| A Man Without Love |
| A String Of Pearls |
| Adios |
| Al Di La |
| American Patrol |
| April In Portugal |
| Beg Steal Or Borrow |
| Begin The Beguine |
| Belle Of The Ball |
| Birdge Over Troubled Water |
| Blue Skies |
| Brazil |
| Bugle Call Rag |
| Can’t Help Falling In Love |
| Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You |
| Carnival from ”Black Orpheus” |
| Celebration |
| Ciribiribin |
| Compadre Pedro Juan |
| Congratulations |
| Delilah |
| Do You Know The Way To San José |
| Everything’s Coming Up Roses |
| Everything’s Comng Up Roses |
| Fascination |
| For All We Know |
| Frenesi |
| Girl Talk |
| Green Eyes |
| Guantanamera |
| Guitar Tango |
| Hey Jude |
| Humoreske |
| I Left My Heart In San Francisco |
| I’d Like To Teach The |
| If You Love Me |
| In The Mood |
| Jealousy |
| Jersey Bounce |
| Joanna |
| La Cumparsita |
| Lily The Pink |
| Little Brown Jug |
| Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) |
| Love Is Blue |
| Marbella |
| March Of The Mods (Finnjenka Dance) |
| Match Of The Day |
| Moonlight Cocktail |
| Moonlight Serenade |
| Music To Watch Girls By |
| My Cherie Amour |
| My Guy’s Come Back |
| My Star |
| Nicola |
| Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da |
| Oh My Papa |
| Olé Guapa |
| On The Street Where You Live |
| Panama Poppa |
| Pennsylvania 6-5000 |
| Puppet On A String |
| Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head |
| Roses From The South |
| ‘s Wonderful |
| Shake Rattle & Roll |
| Solamente Una Vez |
| Something Tells Me |
| Sometime Somewhere |
| Spanish Gypsy Dance |
| St Louis Blues |
| Stardust |
| Stranger On The Shore |
| Sugar Blues |
| Sugar Sugar |
| Sunrise Sunset |
| Sweetie |
| Swingin’ Samba |
| Swingin’ Samba |
| Tango |
| Tango 68 |
| Tango d’Amore |
| Tea For Two |
| Tequila |
| Tequila |
| The Champ |
| The Charleston |
| The Entertainer |
| The Happy Trumpeter |
| The Last Waltz |
| The Legend Of Xanadu |
| The March Of The Matadors |
| The March Of The Toreadors |
| The Shadow Of Your Smile |
| The Song from ”Moulin Rouge” |
| The Stripper |
| The Village Band |
| Theme From ”A Summer Place” |
| This Guy’s In Love With You |
| This is Life |
| This is My Song |
| Till |
| Toreando |
| Tuxedo Junction |
| Twistin’ In The Mood |
| Wand’rin’ Star |
| Wheels |
| Y Viva España |
| Yester-Me Yester-You Yesterday |
| Zorba’s Dance |