DANSAN RECORDS

Before, long before, “Strictly”, there was “Come Dancing”, the BBC TV show that showcased Sequence and Old Tyme Dances and included a competition between regional teams of dancers, competing for a national award. The show ran for nearly fifty years from 1950 and resulted in the formation of dance clubs up and down the country. Among the most popular musicians catering for this market were Victor Sylvester and Sydney Thompson and soon the International Dance Teachers’ Association began releasing their own records to cater for demand.

In 1978 Dansan Records was set up by David Marcus,  a major supplier of fabrics and dances shoes from the 1950s through to the 1970s, who also took part in many festivals including Blackpool and Camber Sands. Marcus was joined by pianist / arranger / producer Tommy Sanderson at the Dansan label and it became home to many of the leading dance bands of the era; the bands of Ray McVay, Andy Ross, Johnny Howard, Chico Arnaz, Ray Davies and Jack Emblow and many more. One of the label’s most prolific and popular artists was organist Bryan Smith whose music continues to be popular with dancers countrywide.