THE Golden Age of the dance bands and big bands are returning to Thornbury and district this Thursday on local radio station GLOSS FM.

Tony Bradley will be presenting ‘The Dance Band Days’ every Thursday evening between 8 and 9 pm.

Tony is no stranger to the task, he previously presented ‘The Dance Band Days’ on Thornbury and GLOSS FM between 2007 and 2010.

The Golden Age of the dance bands and the big bands spans the 1920s to the 1950s, taking us from the Jazz age and the Charleston, to the dance bands of Ambrose, Roy Fox, Joe Loss, Geraldo, to the full sounds of Big Band swing with Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman, and to the hugely popular Ted Heath Orchestra.

The music of the era reflects the hits of the films, the Broadway and West End shows and the choices of the record buying public. The period is quite rightly regarded as a golden age of popular music.

For some, the music may bring back memories. What is surprising is just how much the music is becoming popular with increasingly younger audiences. Tony will be playing music by many of the orchestras that tour and perform on the vibrant dance band scene today.

These include American bands such as Vince Giordano and His Nighthawks, who provided music for the TV series Boardwalk Empire, The Bratislava Hot Serenaders, a hot jazz orchestra from Slovakia, to current British Orchestras such as that of Alex Mendham and His Orchestra who play at the Savoy Hotel in London, and Michael Law’s Piccadilly Dance Orchestra.

Tony began collecting the music of the dance bands and big bands over 40 years ago, so he has quite a collection and knowledge of the music to share with listeners. The main aim says Tony, is to enjoy the music, with a little bit of chat to learn more about it. Tony, a retired teacher, lives in Yate, but is a regular visitor to Thornbury.

You can hear Tony on GLOSS FM, Thursday at 8pm, and enjoy the wonderful music of ‘The Dance Band Days’.

GLOSS FM broadcasts 24 hours a day on the internet at GLOSSFM.co.uk