Edward White (composer)

Edward George White (21 August 1910 – 1994) was a British composer of light music, whose compositions including “The Runaway Rocking-Horse” (1946), “Paris Interlude” (1952), “Puffin’ Billy” (1952) and the signature tune for The Telegoons (1963), became familiar as radio and television theme tunes. Career White was born in London, England, performing also on saxophone and clarinet. White began to compose original pieces - an early success was Desert Star in 1939, recorded by the Jack Harris Orchestra for HMV Records - and set up his own publishing company, Musicus Ltd. He established himself as a composer of light orchestral music after the war, finding regular work with the BBC and with library music publishers, particularly the Chappell Recording Music Library. He composed around 200 pieces including Barbados, Ballet in Blue, Cabana, Caprice for Strings, Clockwork Clown, Effervescence, Fairy on the Fiddles, Ghost Train, Idle Jack, Paris Interlude, Puffin’ Billy, The Roundabout, The Runaway Rocking-Horse, White Wedding and Yodelling Strings. “Puffin’ Billy” “Puffin’ Billy” (1952) is perhaps his most familiar composition, especially in the original recording by Hubert Clifford and t