John Fox & The Starry Night Orchestra is the creative vision of British composer and conductor John Fox (1924–2015), a luminary in light orchestral music.
Born on April 30, 1924, in Sutton, Surrey, Fox honed his craft at the Royal College of Music, studying composition, piano, and violin. After serving in an RAF band during World War II, he formed the resident band at the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne, where he met his wife, singer Joy Devon.
Fox’s career soared as a BBC staff arranger and conductor of the BBC Radio Orchestra from the 1960s until its disbandment in 1991. The Starry Night Orchestra emerged as a vehicle for his lush, romantic arrangements, often featuring rich strings and vocal textures from The John Fox Singers.
Renowned for albums like Twilight Time and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, the orchestra delivered sophisticated renditions of popular songs, appealing to fans of easy-listening and instrumental pop. Fox’s work extended to library music for Sonoton, with compositions featured in media like SpongeBob SquarePants.
Winning a 1994 STEMRA Award for film music, Fox left a lasting legacy until his death on February 10, 2015, blending elegance and emotion in orchestral soundscapes.
40 recordings by John Fox & The Starry Night Orchestra you can hear on Instrumentals Forever:
A Certain Smile • Always On My Mind • Answer Me, My Love • Be My Love • Cherish • Dear Heart • East Of The Sun • I Cried For You • I Love My Wife • I Wanna Be Around • I’m Old Fashioned • It All Depends On You • It Could Happen To You • I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face • La vie en rose • Love Is A Many-Splendoured Thing • My Special Angel • People • Put Your Head On My Shoulder • September Morn • Serenade In Blue • Stormy Weather • The Glory Of Love • The Nearness Of You • The Rose • The Song Is You • Theme From ”Summer Of ’42” • There Are Such Things • This Is All I Ask • Twilight Time • Until It’s Time For You To Go • Up On The Roof • When Sunny Gets Blue • Why Did I Choose You • Willow Weep For Me • With A Song In My Heart • You Go To My Head • You Made Me Love You • Younger Than Springtime • You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You •
