Wally Stott

Biography
In the 1950s and 1960s, Wally Stott was one of the most in-demand arrangers in the London recording studios, working with the likes of Dusty Springfield and Shirley Bassey. Moreover, he composed and arranged music for various radio shows, most importantly Hancock’s Half Hour. In 1972, he underwent a sex reassignment surgery in the USA and became Angela Morley. She worked as a film composer and as such, wrote the music to ‘The little prince’ and ‘The slipper and the rose’, both of which were nominated for an Oscar. She also composed part of the score for ‘Watership down’. In the 1980s, she wrote numerous arrangements for the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Wally Stott was Ronnie Carroll’s arranger and musical director in the recording studios and, when Carroll was chosen to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962, it was Stott who accompanied him to the festival as his conductor. Carroll’s ‘Ring-a-ding girl’ came fourth. One year later, Ronnie Carroll again won the British preselection and once again, his song (this time ‘Say wonderful things’) was orchestrated by Wally Stott. That year, however, the international final was organized in London and the UK entry was conducted by the musical director of the broadcast, Eric Robinson.

In due course, a more extensive biography of Wally Stott will be published on this website

Website(s):

angelamorley.com