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| Melody Maker Readers Poll (1953)... |
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For 74 years the "Melody Maker" was the weekly 'trade paper' for the dance band and jazz musician as well as all those interested in the modern music scene. One of it's continuing features and talking points were the annual Readers Polls where readers voted under different categories for individual musicians, singers, big bands and a host of other categories. The annual jazz polls were a major event in the jazz world but were also an important historical record of the state of British jazz through the years and preserve some of the historical perspective on British Jazz. This page carries the full results of the 1953 poll published on March 6th, 1954. |
(As a sign of things to come, Tubby Hayes appears in the Tenor Sax section for the first time and Stan Tracey is rated seventh of seven in the Accordion section. In the Band of the Year section Kenny Graham's marvellous Afro-Cubist's are tied in 27th place with Billy Cotton!) |
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 Johnny Dankworth Musician of the year 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Ronnie Scott 3 Jack Parnell 4 Kenny Baker 5 Ted Heath 6 Bill McGuffie 7 Ken Mackintosh 8 Eddie Calvert 9 Don Lusher 10 Johnny Hawksworth 11 Carl Barriteau 12 Jimmy Deuchar 13 Vic Ash 14= Cyril Stapleton 14= Humphrey Lyttelton 16 Don Rendell 17= Tommy Whittle 17= Ralph Dollimore 19 Ronnie Verrell 20 Vic Lewis 21 Kenny Graham 22 Sid Phillips 23 Bruce Turner 24 Basil Kirchin 25 Eric Jupp 26= Steve Race 26= Freddy Randall 28= Vic Feldman 28= Harry Klein 28= Ray Ellington 31 Bobby Pratt 32 Keith Christie 33 Derek Smith 34 Ken Colyer 35= Allan Ganley 35= Frank Chacksfield 37 Mantovani... Soprano Sax 1 Ronnie Chamberlain 2 Bruce Turner 3 Jimmy Walker 4 Roy Willox 5 Les Gilbert 6 Monty Levy 7 Carl Barriteau 8 Harry Gold... Bass 1 Johnny Hawksworth 2 Sammy Stokes 3 Lennie Bush 4 Joe Muddel 5 Mickey Ashman 6 Jack Fallon 7 Ronnie Seabrook 8 Frank Donnison 9 Jack Seymour... Organ 1 Harold Smart 2 Robin Richmond 3 Reginald Dixon 4 Jimmy Leach 5 Jerry Allen... Guitar 1 Ivor Mairants 2 Roy Plummer 3 Bert Weedon 4 Don Fraser 5 Ken Sykora 6 Laurie Deniz 7 Freddy Legon 8 Jeff Rowena 9 Ike Isaacs 10 Malcolm Mitchell 11 Ray Dempsey 12 Fitzroy Coleman... |
Piano 1 Bill McGuffie 2 Ralph Dollimore 3 Dill Jones 4 Frank Horrox 5 Steve Race 6= Harry South 6= Dick Katz 8 Derek Smith 9 Johnny Parker 10 Mike McKenzie 11 Winifred Atwell 12 Artie Hasleden 13 Eddie Thompson 14 Bill Le Sage 15 Stanley Black 16 Joe Saye 17 Norman Stenfalt 18 Ronnie Aldrich... Trombone 1 Don Lusher 2 Keith Christie 3 Ken Wray 4 Lad Busby 5 George Chisholm 6 Jackie Armstrong 7 Ed Harvey 8 Mac Minshull 9 Harry Roche 10 Chris Barber 11 Gordon Langhorn 12 Norman Cave 13 Johnny Keating 14 Geoff Sowden 15 Jock Bain... Clarinet 1 Vic Ash 2 Sid Phillips 3 Carl Barriteau 4 Wally Fawkes 5 Henry Mackenzie 6 Nat Temple 7= George Borg 7= Dougie Robinson 7= Frank Weir 7= Monty Sunshine 11 Bruce Turner 12 Ronnie Baker 13= Archie Semple 13= Keith Bird... Alto Sax 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Derek Humble 3 Ken Mackintosh 4 Les Gilbert 5 Bruce Turner 6 Carl Barriteau 7 Dougie Robinson 8 Harry Hayes 9 Ronnie Chamberlain 10 Roy Willox 11= Geoff Taylor 11= Joe Harriott 13 Bob Burns... Drums 1 Jack Parnell 2 Ronnie Verrell 3 Eric Delaney 4 Allan Ganley 5 Phil Seamen 6 Tony Kinsey 7 Basil Kirchin 8 Tony Crombie 9 Joe Daniels 10 George Hopkinson 11 Lennie Hastings 12 Les Dawson 13 Bobby Kevin 15 Ray Ellington 16 Neville Carter... Vocal Group 1 Stargazers 2 Sapphires 3 Keynotes 4 Beverley Sisters 5= Tanner Sisters 5= Hedley Ward Trio 7 Malcolm Mitchell Trio 8 Jeff Rowena Quartet 9 Kordites 10 Johnson Brothers 11 Coronets... |
Small Group (Traditional) 1 Humphrey Lyttelton 2 Freddy Randall 3 Sid Phillips 4 Joe Daniels 5 Saints Jazz Band 6 Mick Mulligan 7 Ken Colyer 8 Harry Gold 9 Sandy Brown 10 Bobby Mickleburgh... Tenor Sax 1 Ronnie Scott 2 Tommy Whittle 3 Don Rendell 4= Jimmy Skidmore 4= Art Ellefson 6 Tubby Hayes 7 Kenny Graham 8 Danny Moss 9 Rex Morris 10= Red Price 10= Keith Bird 12 Joe Temperley 13 Kathy Stobart 14 Lena Kidd... Baritone Sax 1 Harry Klein 2 Benny Green 3 George Hunter 4 Alex Leslie 5 Dave Shand 6 Harry Gold 7 Kenny Graham 8 Don Honeywell 9 Bruce Turner 10 Oscar Rabin 11 Buddy Featherstonhaugh 12 E.O.Pogson... Band of the Year 1 Ted Heath 2 Johnny Dankworth 3 Jack Parnell 4 Ronnie Scott 5 Ken Mackintosh 6 Show Band 7 Vic Lewis 8 Geraldo 9 Kenny Baker 10 Joe Loss 11 Squadronaires 12 Basil Kirchin 13 Humphrey Lyttelton 14 Oscar Rabin 15 Stanley Black 16 Ken Colyer 17 Eric Winstone 18 Edmundo Ros 19= Eric Jupp 19= Gracie Cole 21 Lou Preager 22 Freddy Randall 23 Nat Temple 24 Harry Bence 25 Mick Mulligan 26 Ambrose 27= Kenny Graham 27= Billy Cotton 29 Northern Variety Orchestra 30 Ray Ellington 31= Carl Barriteau 31= Victor Silvester 31= Mantovani 34 The Saints 35 Jeff Rowena 36 Billy Ternent... Male Singer 1 Dickie Valentine 2 Dennis Lotis 3 Frank Holder 4 Frankie Vaughan 5 Tony Brent 6= Benny Lee 6= Dennis Hale 8 David Whitfield 9 Ray Burns 10 Reggie Goff 11 Johnny Grant 12 Bob Dale 13 Ray Ellington 14 Art Baxter 15 Dick James 16= Lee Lawrence 16= Mel Gaynor 16= Howard Jones 19 Derek Francis 20= Tony Mansell 20= David Hughes... |
Small Group (Modern) 1 Ronnie Scott 2 Ray Ellington 3 Norman Burns 4 Carl Barriteau 5 Kenny Baker 6 Tony Kinsey 7 Tito Burns 8 Johnny Dankworth 9 Jeff Rowena 10 Vic Ash 11 Eric Delaney 12 Kenny Graham 13 Joe Saye 14 Reggie Goff... Trumpet 1 Kenny Baker 2 Jimmy Deuchar 3 Bobby Pratt 4 Eddie Calvert 5 Humphrey Lyttelton 6 Jo Hunter 7 Freddy Randall 8 Eddie Blair 9 Bobby Orr 10 Albert Hall 11 Bert Courtley... Vibes 1 Vic Feldman 2 Martin Slavin 3 Bill Le Sage 4 Roy Marsh 5 Tommy Pollard... Girl Singer 1 Lita Roza 2 Cleo Laine 3 Jill Day 4 Julie Dawn 5 Eve Boswell 6 Joan Reagan 7 Pearl Carr 8 Rose Brennan 9 Alma Cogan 10 Marion Williams 11 Marion Davis 12 Marion Ryan 13 Annette Klooger 14 Patti Forbes 15 Neva Raphaello 16= Vera Lynn 16= Jean Campbell... Violin 1 Stephane Grappelly 2 Louis Stevens 3 Freddy Ballerini 4 Tom Jenkins 5 Max Jaffa 6 Danny Levan 7 Les Baker 8 Syd Lipton 9 Paul Adam... Accordion 1 Tito Burns 2 Roy Herbert 3 Francisco Cavez 4 Martin Lukins 5 Dave Davani 6 Primo Scala 7 Stan Tracey... (Tito Burns received almost 90% of the votes in this section...) Arranger 1 Reg Owen 2 Johnny Dankworth 3 Kenny Baker 4 Eric Jupp 5 Ralph Dollimore 6 Tony Crombie 7 Johnny Keating 8 Jimmy Watson 9 Ken Thorne 10 Harry South 11= Jimmy Deuchar 11= Jack Parnell 13 Stanley Black 14 Wally Stott 15= Ronnie Scott 15= Ron Goodwin... |