Acker Bilk ...
Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk
(28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014)
Bernard Stanley Bilk was born in Pensford in his beloved County of Somerset. Before becoming a world famous musician he had a go at working in a tobacco factory plus amateur boxing. He married his childhood sweetheart Jean. Whilst in the Royal Engineers in the Canal Zone, he borrowed a military clarinet and began copying recordings of famous jazz musicians. When demobbed, he formed his first band in Bristol, then moved to London and joined The Ken Colyer Jazz Band. But, Acker hated London so returned to Somerset and formed the Bristol Paramount Jazz Band. They got their first break playing for six weeks in Germany.
Once more Back in London the hits began – ‘Summer Set’ and ‘Creole Jazz’, then in 1961 he wrote a tune for his daughter entitled ‘Jenny’ which was taken up as the theme tune for a BBC series and the name was changed to “Stranger on the Shore” which was a worldwide hit and the rest is history.
Acker Bilk was synonymous with his goatee plus bowler hat and waistcoats which were with him until the end; as were many of his talented musicians and crews who stayed with him for many a year. Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band travelled the World and many more hits arrived, the last one being the beautiful “Aria”.
Acker was honoured many times, some of the lastest included 2001 -MBE for services to the Music Industry, 2005 -BBC Jazz Award and Honorary MA from Bristol University, 2008 -The Worshipful Company of Musicians Medal for Lifetime Achievement and 2012 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Acker Bilk was music. His famous velvety vibrato, low slightly breathy style of clarinet playing was unique and will remain so. But, he is also remembered for his wicked sense of humour which always came out in his concerts and the audiences loved it.
Acker leaves behind his lovely wife, Jean and daughter and son, Jenny and Pete.
(28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014)
Bernard Stanley Bilk was born in Pensford in his beloved County of Somerset. Before becoming a world famous musician he had a go at working in a tobacco factory plus amateur boxing. He married his childhood sweetheart Jean. Whilst in the Royal Engineers in the Canal Zone, he borrowed a military clarinet and began copying recordings of famous jazz musicians. When demobbed, he formed his first band in Bristol, then moved to London and joined The Ken Colyer Jazz Band. But, Acker hated London so returned to Somerset and formed the Bristol Paramount Jazz Band. They got their first break playing for six weeks in Germany.
Once more Back in London the hits began – ‘Summer Set’ and ‘Creole Jazz’, then in 1961 he wrote a tune for his daughter entitled ‘Jenny’ which was taken up as the theme tune for a BBC series and the name was changed to “Stranger on the Shore” which was a worldwide hit and the rest is history.
Acker Bilk was synonymous with his goatee plus bowler hat and waistcoats which were with him until the end; as were many of his talented musicians and crews who stayed with him for many a year. Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band travelled the World and many more hits arrived, the last one being the beautiful “Aria”.
Acker was honoured many times, some of the lastest included 2001 -MBE for services to the Music Industry, 2005 -BBC Jazz Award and Honorary MA from Bristol University, 2008 -The Worshipful Company of Musicians Medal for Lifetime Achievement and 2012 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Acker Bilk was music. His famous velvety vibrato, low slightly breathy style of clarinet playing was unique and will remain so. But, he is also remembered for his wicked sense of humour which always came out in his concerts and the audiences loved it.
Acker leaves behind his lovely wife, Jean and daughter and son, Jenny and Pete.
Acker Bilk -- or Mr. Acker Bilk, as he was billed -- has won immortality on rock oldies radio for his surprise 1962 hit "Stranger on the Shore," an evocative ballad featuring his heavily quavering low-register clarinet over a bank of strings. To the jazz world, though, he has a longer-running track record as one of the biggest stars of Britain's trad jazz boom, playing in a distinctive early New Orleans manner. After learning his instrument in the British Army, Bilk joined Ken Colyer's trad band in 1954 before stepping out on his own in 1956. By 1960, a record of his, "Summer Set" -- a pun on the name of his home county -- landed on the British pop charts, and Bilk was on his way, clad in the Edwardian clothing and bowler hats that his publicist told his Paramount Jazz Band to wear. Several other British hits followed, but none bigger than "Stranger," which Bilk wrote for his daughter Jenny. The single stayed 55 weeks on the British charts and crossed the sea to America, where it hit number one in an era when radio was open to oddball records of all idioms (Bilkgratefully called "Stranger" "my old-age pension"). Released on English Columbia in Britain, several Bilkalbums came out in America on the Atco label, and he continued to have hits until the British rock invasion of 1964 made trad seem quaint. With that, Bilk moved into cabaret and continued to have some success in Europe, leading jazz bands, recording with lush string ensembles, and even scoring another hit, "Aria" (number five in Britain), in 1976. Continuing to perform through the 2000s, Bilk slackened his pace so that he could pursue, like Miles Davis, a hobby of painting.
(Artist Biography by Richard S. Ginell)
ΠΑΡΑΠΟΜΠΕΣ - ΠΗΓΕΣ:
Acker Bilk
Acker Bilk - Discography
Τhe Guardian-John Fordham: Acker Bilk obituary
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlzrxYWpM5jvvjJdk6daRQ
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=acker+bilk
IpA
STVEntsandComedy
chatham43
OldiesAl
Mr Acker Bilk 'Stranger On The Shore'
The Full Original Album
Side 1
00.00 Stranger On The Shore
03.02 Brahms' Lullaby
05.43 Mean To Me
08.53 Greensleeves
11.38 Take My Lips
13.52 Sentimental Journey
Side 2
16.38 Nobody Knows
19.04 Is This The Blues?
21.53 Cielito Lindo
24.22 Deep Purple
28.00 I Can't Get Started
30.41 Carolina Moon
jorhan2007
M.Acker Bilk
1. Petite fleur
2. Moon River
3. Autumn Leaves
4. Alley Cat
5. A taste of honey
6. Stranger on the shore
7. Mu way
8. Somewhere my love
9. Maria Elena
10. A whiter shade of pale
11. Only you
12. What a wonderful world
piena konings
Hits Musicales
camtechman
woodhouse122
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
Bruce Kennewell
Bruce Kennewell
Bruce Kennewell
Bruce Kennewell
Acker Bilk - Discography
Τhe Guardian-John Fordham: Acker Bilk obituary
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtlzrxYWpM5jvvjJdk6daRQ
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=acker+bilk
IpA
STVEntsandComedy
chatham43
OldiesAl
Mr Acker Bilk 'Stranger On The Shore'
The Full Original Album
Side 1
00.00 Stranger On The Shore
03.02 Brahms' Lullaby
05.43 Mean To Me
08.53 Greensleeves
11.38 Take My Lips
13.52 Sentimental Journey
Side 2
16.38 Nobody Knows
19.04 Is This The Blues?
21.53 Cielito Lindo
24.22 Deep Purple
28.00 I Can't Get Started
30.41 Carolina Moon
jorhan2007
M.Acker Bilk
1. Petite fleur
2. Moon River
3. Autumn Leaves
4. Alley Cat
5. A taste of honey
6. Stranger on the shore
7. Mu way
8. Somewhere my love
9. Maria Elena
10. A whiter shade of pale
11. Only you
12. What a wonderful world
piena konings
Hits Musicales
camtechman
woodhouse122
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
liftboymeister
Bruce Kennewell
Bruce Kennewell
Bruce Kennewell
Bruce Kennewell