Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 3 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United States.

His most iconic musical numbers included songs such as "Love Is the Sweetest Thing", "Cherokee", "The Touch of Your Lips", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", Goodnight, Sweetheart, What More Can I Ask?, and The Very Thought of You.

[3] Noble studied at the Royal Academy of Music and in 1927 won a competition for the best British dance band orchestrator that was advertised in Melody Maker.

Noble took Al Bowlly and his drummer Bill Harty to the US and asked trombonist Glenn Miller to recruit American musicians to complete the band.

The American Ray Noble band had a successful run at the Rainbow Room in New York City with Bowlly as principal vocalist.

[7][8] Noble and his orchestra appeared in the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress with Fred Astaire,[9] Joan Fontaine, George Burns and Gracie Allen.

Bowlly returned to England in January 1937, but Noble continued to lead bands in America, moving into an acting career, often portraying a stereotypical upper-class English character.