Cyril Lagey

Born in London, Lagey worked as a cigarette boy in the 1930's at The Nest in Carnaby Street, a famous club in London that catered to film stars and royalty.After that he toured with the Guyanese bandleader Ken "Snakehips" Johnson. With Josie Woods, they demonstrated the latest dances from Harlem to British audiences. In 1940, at the Astoria Old Kent Road they featured the jitterbug jamboree, teaching the black dance craze to Londoners.Lagey played in other jazz bands as well and is featured on several recordings of the era. But he made his name in British comedy as a member of The Nitwits and Nuts & Bolts alongside Tony Traversi. As the only black person in those bands, he played timpani, percussion and trombone and was known for the bowler hat he wore onstage. It was actually only the brim as the rest of the hat was his hair. He also played a jungle king in the movie Tarzan. During the war he entertained the troops.He was very outgoing onstage and in real life driving a Cadillac car while living in Las Vegas. He was diagnosed with abdominal cancer and died May 3, 1999 at age 81. Show less «