Louis Jacob Preager (12 January 1906 – 14 November 1978), ^[1] known as Lou Preager, was an English pianist, dance band leader, disc jockey and businessman. He was active from the 1930s to the 1950s; with his band he made many recordings. They also appeared on radio and television.

Louis Jacob Preager was born in Poplar, London, in 1906, and came from a Jewish background. ^{[1] [2] [3]} He was the son of Louis Preager, a tailor, and his wife Rebecca (née Cohen De Murcia). ^{[4] [5] [6]} While at school, the younger Louis he played the piano in dance bands, and from age 19 he was a full-time musician. He played in fashionable London clubs and restaurants; in 1931 he joined "Eugene Pini and his Tango Orchestra" at the Monseigneur, and later joined the Billy Reid Accordion Band. In 1933, Preager led an 11-piece band, playing at Ciro's and later at Romano's in the Strand. His first recordings were released in 1935. ^{[1] [7]}

Preager joined the Intelligence Corps in 1941. His right arm was seriously injured in a motor accident, and he received hospital treatment for eight months. ^[7]

He was invalided out of the army in 1942, and he formed a 14-piece orchestra to play at the Hammersmith Palais in London; it was the resident band there for 18 years. It made frequent radio broadcasts, including, from 1942, 96 editions of Music While You Work. The band later appeared on television. A number of vocalists sang with the band, including Paul Rich, Edna Kaye, Rita Williams and Elisabeth Welch. ^{[1] [7]}

Preager's radio broadcasts, Write a Tune for £1000, a songwriting contest broadcast in 1945, 1947 and 1950, were very popular, and produced the hit song " Cruising Down the River". During the 1950s, Preager presented Housewives' Choice on the BBC Light Programme and, at the time was a well-known disc jockey. In 1959, his orchestra moved to the Lyceum Ballroom, where he was often seen in the TV programme Come Dancing. ^[7]

During his career he made recordings for Regal Zonophone Records and the Columbia Graphophone Company. He won three Carl Alan Awards for the best Palais Band. ^[7]

Preager had several business interests. He was owner of a book publishing company, founder of a record company, and also had interests in film and television. ^{[1] [7]}

In 1958, Preager married Rose Sharp in Marylebone, where the couple lived. ^{[8] [9]}

From the 1960s, Preager suffered from persistent ill health and retired from music, aged 56, in 1962. He moved to Slough and bought the Carlton Ballroom in the town; it was sold after he suffered a heart attack in 1967. ^[7] He died on 14 November 1978 in Mallorca, aged 72. ^[1]

• Lou Preager at IMDb
• Lou Preager – 78RPM – discography at 45worlds.com
• Lou Preager and His Orchestra at BBC