During the Second World War he coached singer Vera Lynn, accompanying her on broadcasts and at auditions, including her successful one with Joe Loss, and introducing her to her biggest hit song, "We'll Meet Again".
The programme, written by Eric Sykes and Sid Colin, made household names of Beryl Reid, Max Bygraves and Tony Hancock, and reached over 15 million listeners.
As well as becoming a successful record producer, Ridley also continued to write songs, including "I'm in Love for the Very First Time", written with Paddy Roberts for Jeannie Carson in the film An Alligator Named Daisy.
Though it was not to his personal taste, or that of his superiors in EMI, he insisted on the company releasing Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956; it rose to number two on the UK Singles Chart.
He also signed rock and roll band Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, and later the Liverpool beat group The Swinging Blue Jeans, to the label,[1][2] but delegated production of their sessions to his assistant, Peter Sullivan.