b. Ronald Frederick Price, 9 August 1923, Lancashire, England, d. 25 June 1996. Price began piano studies at the age of eight, then won several talent contests. However, he entered industry as an apprentice draughtsman but also formed a small band, playing dance dates in and around Manchester. He became a full-time professional musician in 1947, playing piano with Teddy Foster and his popular dance band. A few years later Price joined the Tito Burns Sextet, in which his brother, Derek Price, played drums for a while. He then played in several leading London bands, including Sydney Lipton’s and was then prompted to extend his knowledge of music with extensive formal studies. He studied arranging at the Harrow School of Music and was soon one of the most sought-after session musicians playing in London. He worked on countless radio and television shows, played on numerous motion-picture soundtracks, and backed many famous recording artists including Sammy Davis Jnr. , Andy Williams and Bing Crosby. Price also played in West End theatre pit bands and for many years was Anne Shelton’s musical director. His immensely varied repertoire allowed him to turn readily from jazz to popular and light classical music, performing solos with the BBC Concert Orchestra on radio’s Friday Night Is Music Night and also with Don Lusher’s big band. Famously, if anonymously, his hands were featured on television’s game show, Name That Tune. A superb and conscientious craftsman, Price’s careful studies and dedication to music rightly brought him a reputation as one of the UK’s best and most reliable session musicians.