HE was the man all Glasgow loved to dance to – and the admiration was mutual.

Bandleader Joe Loss once said Glasgow was the most ‘dancingest’ city in the world.

According to his obituary in our sister title, The Herald: “His first date was at the Dennistoun Palais in l936.

“Four decades later when Radio Clyde invited him to play at the Plaza Ballroom, an anonymous admirer bought space in the Herald to say thank-you for how he kept coming back.

“It was like a public kiss in a love affair with the city which began in an empty ballroom.”

It added: “When Joe Loss learned that the dance hall above Green’s Playhouse cinema was empty at New Year he told Fred Green, the owner, ‘this is ridiculous’ and together they set about filling the floor.

“Every Ne’erday for l7 years afterwards Joe Loss packed the Playhouse. Wherever he went on world tours -- including to China and on QE2 cruises -- he trailed Glasgow with him. He recalled: ‘’Europe, the Middle East, Japan, wherever we go, people come up and claim me.

“They say how they remember nights at Green’s. One night during the war I found myself at Arnhem. I remember thinking to myself, I’ve got to get out of here -- I’m due in Glasgow at the start of the week…..”

Born in 1909, Joe was the most successful British bandleader of the big band era, giving his American counterparts a run for their money.

He had originally trained as a classical violinist but at the age of 16, started to play accompaniments to silent films. His first gig as a bandleader was at the Astoria Ballroom, London, in l930. When he moved to the Kit Kat Club, it became a haunt of the then Prince of Wales and his set. He remained a favourite of the royal family, often being booked by Buckingham Palace. He had an OBE and was a member of the Victorian Order, a personal gift of the Queen.

The Joe Loss Orchestra scored big hits with records including March of the Mods and The Stripper.

His signature tune was In the Mood, which he always started the night with at Green’s, and another favourite was The Woodchopper.

Sometimes he played the Dennistoun Palais, at one point the city’s biggest dance hall with a capacity of 1800, when resident band Lauri Blandford and his Orchestra would stand aside.

Joe died in 1990, aged 80, of kidney failure in hospital in London.

After his obituary ran in The Herald, one reader, Mr Iain Mann, got in touch to share his memories of seeing Joe at Green’s Playhouse (the venue which would eventually become the Apollo.)

“In the late 1940s and 1950s Joe Loss had an annual booking at Greens Playhouse for several weeks over Christmas and the New Year, and the place was always packed,” wrote Mr Mann.

“I don’t know if he had his famous signature tune In The Mood before Glenn Miller played it, but it was instantly recognised on the radio (or wireless as we still called it then).

READ MORE: When a bunch of Cowcaddens boys hit the headlines in gang hut drama

“He also had a regular holiday booking at the Beach Ballroom in Douglas, Isle of Man, and as a schoolgirl visiting her farmer uncle on the island my wife-to-be was thrilled to meet Joe Loss and get his autograph. Today’s young folk don’t know what they are missing…”

Our photographer caught Joe in May 1976 at the Plaza Ballroom, looking the picture of charm and elegance as he signed autographs for adoring fans.

Did you dance to the tunes of Joe Loss? Get in touch with Times Past to share your stories and photos.