Composer, arranger and conductor, Reg Tilsley specializes in sound illustration music, also known as "library music". Born in Croydon, Surrey, on August 16, 1926, Reginald Longueville Tilsley studied composition at the London College of Music, then in Stuttgart with Jerzy Gert. After the Second World War, he joined Leslie Douglas's orchestra as pianist and arranger, before founding his own orchestra, the Tilsley Orchestral, with which he began by arranging classical themes, before creating original pieces. From 1967 onwards, he recorded for the famous London label De Wolfe, and several of his compositions were used for television and film. Arranger for various pop and rock groups and artists, Reg Tilsley composed and directed the music for the 1968 film Love in Our Time, followed by The Body Stealers, What's Good for the Goose and Horror House. One of his most famous themes, "Hold the Road", was used as the theme tune for The Eight O'Clock Movie, broadcast between 1975 and 1980, among other orchestral pieces for Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Follow Me!, The Benny Hill Show and even Breaking Bad. Themes composed in the 1960s can also be found in the credits of the films Letters to Juliet (2010) or Laggies (2014), and "Warlock" is sampled by rappers. In the meantime, Reg Tilsley, now living in Ireland, led the RTE Concert Orchestra, before passing away in Worthing, West Sussex, on October 15, 1987, at the age of 81.
