John Gregory

Under a series of aliases including Chaquito and Nino Rico, composer, conductor, and arranger John Gregory ranks among Britain's leading exponents of space age pop. Born in London on October 12, 1924, Gregory was the son of bandleader Frank Gregori, whose dance combo was a mainstay at the city's popular Italian restaurant Quaglino's. After a brief stint as a violinist with his father's group, Gregory was performing on his own by the late '40s, eventually landing work as a staff arranger with Philips Records, where he toiled for the next two decades. Through collaborations with vocalists ranging from Cleo Laine to Nana Mouskouri, Gregory was finally awarded the opportunity to make his own records in 1960. Credited to the Cascading Strings, these efforts were Philips' response to easy listening albums from the 101 Strings Orchestra and the Living Strings, but were far more impressive, particularly 1963's cult classic Melodies of Japan, an imaginative reworking of the traditional folk music of the Far East. With the success of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Philips concurrently installed Gregory as Chaquito, recording a series of dynamic Latin-influenced dates. Only by the mid-'70s was he regularly recording under his own name, producing a handful of surprisingly funky outings including A Man for All Seasons and The Detectives. Gregory died on April 23, 2020 at the age of 95. ~ Jason Ankeny