US-born composer, musician and lyricist Jeff Wayne hit the big time after writing a musical version of the HG Wells classic, The War of the Worlds. The double album of the same name has since sold 16 million copies, including three million in the UK alone.
Wayne, 80, who has lived in Britain for more than 50 years and now has joint nationality, owes his early wealth to the nearly 3,000 advertising jingles he composed, for everyone from oil giant Esso to building society Abbey National.
The father of four lives in a manor house in Hertfordshire with his English wife, Geraldine.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in the Women’s Hospital in Manhattan and was raised in Forest Hills in Queens, New York. In 1953 when I was nine, we moved to England, as my father, Jerry, took the role of Sky Masterson, the romantic gambler in the original West End production of Guys and Dolls.
Was it unsettling moving to and fro across the Atlantic in your youth?
I was filled with mixed emotions. I was excited at the thought of living in a new country and making new friends in a culture so different from the one in which I’d been raised – but torn because I had left behind a large family, my best friends and New York’s famous Katz’s delicatessen (famous for its sandwiches) which is still going strong.
What’s the first home you bought?
A house in Linhope Street, Marylebone, in 1971. It backed onto Huntsworth Mews, so at a cost of £30,000 I suddenly had two houses joined into one.
A year or so later, the adjoining house in Linhope Street became available, so I bought the freehold to that too, and spent the next few years converting the three properties into one.
The conversion turned out great but there was no garden, only a tiny courtyard, and my wife Geraldine and I felt we needed a garden for our two young daughters, so we began looking around for somewhere with more outside space. Little did we know that our two sons would soon be making an appearance, making the move essential.
Can you describe your current home?
That desire for a “garden” ended up with us finding somewhere bigger than we ever imagined – a five-bedroom Georgian house set in 30 acres in a Hertfordshire village.
A fire in the 1930s had destroyed about three-quarters of the main house, so we spent seven years restoring the property. We bought it in 1983 for a lower six-figure sum, but its value has gone up in value twentyfold over the last 40 years.
What’s your favourite part of the house?
I’ve spent a lot of time in my home recording studio over the years, and I love working there. It consists of a suite of rooms with space for up to 20 musicians.
Everything new that I’ve composed, or revisited musically, since moving here four decades ago, has emerged from my home studio. It’s also where I prepare for my arena tours.
And you have a tennis court?
Yes. Tennis has always been my main sport. I captained my US high school and college teams, got to play against Arthur Ashe when we played UCLA, and have also partnered GB’s all-time great Roger Taylor in the European +45 Championships, representing Great Britain.
So when we moved to Hertfordshire, one of the first things we did was install our own tennis court.
Is there a downside to owning an old property?
It requires a fair bit of upkeep, like all old properties, but that’s no complaint – I feel blessed to have lived and raised a family here.
Is it haunted?
Funny you should ask. When I was creating my musical version of Spartacus in the late 1980s, I’d often leave a couple of studio engineers working away until the early hours. I was needed on the school run at 7.30am.
They told me that on several occasions, a friendly ghost would appear at one of the studio windows. However, I’ve yet to have the pleasure of meeting the ghost.
How does buying properties in Britain and the USA compare?
We’ve only owned one home across the pond – in California – so have limited experience of buying there.
But I’ve found that looking for a house, putting in an offer and taking care of a home in America is pretty similar to the UK – the only difference being that the weather is sunnier in California.
The War Of The Worlds Immersive Experience (thewaroftheworldsimmersive. com). For info on The Spirit Of Man tour in 2025 visit thewaroftheworlds.com
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
