Peter Appleyard, was a British–Canadian jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer. He spent most of his life living and performing in the city ofToronto where for many years he was a popular performer in the city's nightclubs and hotels. He also played and recorded with many of the city's orchestras and been featured on Canadian television and radio programs. In the early 1970s he drew wide acclaim for his performances with Benny Goodman's jazz sextet with which he toured internationally. In 1992, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his being an "internationally renowned vibraphonist has represented the Canadian jazz community across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia".
Early life and career in England
Born in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, Appleyard became apprenticed to a nautical instrument maker after being forced to leave school owing to economic reasons related to the Second World War. At that time the popularity of the American Big Bands was growing in England, particularly through a major influx in big band recordings from America by jazz musicians like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie. These recordings had a strong influence on Appleyard and he decided to pursue a career as a jazz musician. He began his career in the early 1940s playing in the Boys Brigade, a youth organization. He performed as a drummer in several other British dance bands during the 1940s and, while a member of the Royal Air Force in the mid-1940s, played in RAF bands.
Early career in North America
In 1949 Appleyard moved to Bermuda where he lived for two years. While there he spent his holidays in Canada and picked up his first set of vibes. He was so impressed with Canada that, when the time came to leave Bermuda the choice of a new home was easy - he headed for Toronto. At first, unable to get a union card in Toronto, Appleyard worked as a room booking clerk at the King Edward Hotel and as a salesman at Simpson's department store. He began studying music with Gordon Delamont and soon thereafter began playing the vibraphone in concerts with Billy O'Connor in the early 1950s. From 1954 to 1956 he played with a band at the Park Plaza Hotel and made numerous appearances on CBC Radio with jazz pianist Calvin Jackson. He formed his own jazz ensemble in 1957 which performed not only in Toronto but also toured throughout North America and appeared on American television during the 1960s. Among the ensemble's original members was pianist and arranger Jimmy Dale. The group notably accompanied singer Gloria DeHaven for a year. From 1961 to 1962 Appleyard co-hosted, with singer Patti Lewis, the CBC Radio program Patti and Peter. He spent most of the mid-1960s on the road touring. In the late sixties, he ceased his busy touring schedule and returned to Toronto on a more permanent basis. He began playing once more at the Park Plaza Hotel. In 1969 he co-hosted the program Mallets and Brass with Guido Basso for CBC TV. In addition he began studying timpani and percussion and extended his musical expertise substantially.
Working with Benny Goodman and later career
In the early 1970s Appleyard was a member of Benny Goodman's sextet which toured in Europe in 1972 and 1974 and in Australia in 1973. Afterwards, he played only periodically with the group for the remainder of the decade, notably playing three performances with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall in the mid to late 1970s. During these years he lived in Toronto and performed in nightclubs and hotel lounges and was music director for local jazz bands. He was a percussionist in the city's orchestra. In the 1970s he appeared at the Colorado Springs Invitation Jazz Party. From 1977 to 1980 he hosted Peter Appleyard Presents, a jazz and variety television program that was syndicated in North America. In 1976, Frank Sinatra invited Appleyard to join him in concert with the Count Basie Orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald at the Uris Theatre in New York City. Sinatra made this request based on Appleyard's work with Goodman. Appleyard and Sinatra performed together several years later during a benefit concert in Ottawa that was arranged by Rich Little. In 1982 Appleyard formed the All-Star Swing Band which performed traditional pop and jazz tunes, often in medley arrangements by Rick Wilkins. The ensemble's 1982 album Swing Fever received a gold record certification for sales of 50,000 units in Canada and was nominated for a Juno award. During the late 1990s Appleyard performed at Carnegie Hall under the direction of Skitch Henderson and The New York Pops. The Japanese government invited him to perform at the Sapporo Jazz Festival. He received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award on 18 June 2012. He spent his final years living on a farm at Rockwood, Ontario. He died at his farm on 17 July 2013.
