[2] After recovering from his wounds and the removal of a lung, he spent five years in prisoner-of-war camps,[2] during which time he worked on his musical skills.
[3] After the war, Fahey became a pianist with the Rudy Starita Band which, supported by ENSA, toured Egypt and Palestine.
His most famous piece, "At the Sign of the Swingin' Cymbal",[2] was first released in September 1960 under the name Brian Fahey and his Orchestra.
[8] He provided scores for films such as The Break (1963), Curse of Simba (1965), The Plank (1967) and Rhubarb (1969), and the theme to Pete Murray's popular BBC Radio 2 show Open House.
[3] Fahey was a close friend of Ella Fitzgerald (with whom he shared the same birthday) and of the American arrangers Billy May and Nelson Riddle, who both attempted to persuade him to emigrate to the US, where he was offered several lucrative contracts.
In 1972, he moved to the Ayrshire village of Skelmorlie on the west coast of Scotland, where he and his wife remained until her death in November 2006.