Jeff Hooper, one of Britain's best-known big-band and swing vocalists, was born in Llantrisant, South Wales, and launched his career at just fourteen years old when he won ITV's talent show New Faces outright. The win led to television appearances, a recording contract with EMI, and a chart placing with his debut single, setting him on course for a career built on the classic American songbook made famous by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Nat 'King' Cole.
Hooper went on to spend a decade as lead singer with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Britain's premier big-band outfit, performing alongside figures such as Matt Monro, Mel Torme, Stephane Grappelli and Morecambe & Wise. He represented Britain and the BBC three times at international song festivals in Denmark, Yugoslavia and Holland, reached the final of Star Search USA in Hollywood, and was named one of the top three rising stars in the world by the Frank Sinatra Music Society.
Back in Wales, Hooper became a familiar broadcasting voice, writing and presenting the twice-weekly Bandwagon show on BBC Radio Wales for almost a decade. He sang alongside Dame Shirley Bassey and Sir Tom Jones at the official opening of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, and has continued to tour internationally with his own swing band and jazz trio, cementing his reputation as one of the most enduring cabaret and big-band voices to come out of Wales.