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| Melody Maker Readers Poll (1957)... |
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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 1957 poll published on October 19th, 1957. In April, 1957 the Jazz Couriers made their debut at the Flamingo Club. In a short space of time they became the major British jazz attraction and after only a few months they were voted into fourth place in the small combo section of the MM Poll. |
Dill Jones was still incredibly popular with only Eddie Thompson getting close to him in the piano section. Ronnie Ross came within a handful of votes of toppling long term baritone sax player Harry Klein from top spot. Another who just failed to win his section was drummer Phil Seamen. Outstanding modern jazz guitarist Dave Goldberg although second in his section was unable to get anywhere close to Ken Sykora. Johnny Dankworth won a total of five sections including 'Musician of the Year' as well as 'Alto sax', 'Arranger', 'Composer' and 'Big band' sections. |
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 Johnny Dankworth Musician of the year 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Humphrey Lyttelton 3 Ted Heath 4 Don Rendell 5 Chris Barber 6 Kenny Baker 7 Tubby Hayes 8 Dill Jones 9 Bruce Turner 10 Johnny Keating 11 Ken Colyer 12 Lonnie Donegan 13 Dizzy Reece 14 Sandy Brown 15 Tony Coe 16 Joe Harriott 17= Tony Kinsey 17= Eric Delaney... Trombone 1 George Chisholm 2 Keith Christie 3 Don Lusher 4 Chris Barber 5 John Picard 6 Eddie Harvey 7 Laurie Monk 8 Ken Wray 9 Roy Crimmins 10 Don Lang... Bass 1 Johnny Hawkesworth 2 Lennie Bush 3 Sammy Stokes 4 Mickey Ashman 5 Eric Dawson 6 Jim Bray 7 Malcolm Cecil 8 Pete Blannin 9= Brian Brocklehurst 9= Bill Sutcliffe 11 Arthur Watts 12 Joe Muddel 13 Chris Staunton 14 Kenny Napper 15 Dick Smith... Arranger 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Johnny Keating 3 Dave Lindup 4 Ken Moule 5 Reg Owen 6= Kenny Baker 6= Wally Stott 6= Kenny Graham 9= Bill Le Sage 9= Don Rendell 11 Eddie Harvey... |
Clarinet 1 Vic Ash 2 Monty Sunshine 3 Dave Shepherd 4 Sandy Brown 5 Henry Mackenzie 6 Sid Phillips 7 Tony Coe 8 Wally Fawkes 9 Keith Bird 10 Bruce Turner 11= Ian Christie 11= Carl Barriteau ... Alto sax 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Bruce Turner 3 Joe Harriott 4 Tony Coe 5 Derek Humble 6 Les Gilbert 7= Ronnie Chamberlain 7= Ronnie Ross 9 Ken Mackintosh 10 Johnny Roadhouse 11 Bertie King... Baritone sax 1 Harry Klein 2 Ronnie Ross 3 Buddy Featherstonhaugh 4 Tubby Hayes 5 Ken Kiddier 6 Don Honeywell 7 Benny Green 8 Alex Leslie 9 Joe Temperley... Vibes 1 Bill Le Sage 2 Martin Slavin 3 Tubby Hayes 4 Roy Marsh 5 Reg Wale... Drums 1 Allan Ganley 2 Phil Seamen 3 Tony Kinsey 4 Ronnie Verrell 5 Kenny Clare 6 Eric Delaney 7 Jack Parnell 8 Eddie Taylor 9 Ron Bowden 10 Bill Eyden 11 Johnny Richardson 12 Lennie Hastings 13 Basil Kirchin 14 Stan Greig... Vocal group 1 Stargazers 2 King Brothers 3 Hedley Ward Trio 4 Keynotes 5 Coronets 6 Kentones 7 Dene Boys 8 Johnston Brothers 9 Beverley Sisters 10= Londonaires 10= Four Jones Boys 12 Four Guys 13 Four Others... |
Small combo 1 Tony Kinsey 2 Humphrey Lyttelton 3 Don Rendell 4 Jazz Couriers 5 Chris Barber 6 Dill Jones 7 Alex Welsh 8 Kenny Baker Half Dozen 9 Sandy Brown 10 Ken Colyer 11 Tommy Whittle 12 Betty Smith 13 Allan Ganley 14 Lonnie Donegan 15 Johnny Keating... Tenor sax 1 Don Rendell 2 Jimmy Skidmore 3 Tubby Hayes 4 Tommy Whittle 5 Ronnie Scott 6 Betty Smith 7 Red Price 8 Bob Efford 9= Danny Moss 9= Keith Bird 11 Duncan Lamont... Other instruments 1 Ron Chamberlain (Soprano sax) 2 Kenny Baker (Flugelhorn) 3 E O Pogson (Bass saxophone) 4 Max Geldray (Harmonica) 5 Bob Clark (Violin) 6 Ken Wray (Bass trumpet) 7 Larry Adler (Harmonica) 8 Eddie Smith (Banjo) 9 Jerry Allen (Organ) 10 Frank Weir (Soprano sax) 11= Harold Smart (Organ) 11= Frank Holder (Bongoes) 13 John Bastable (Banjo)... Composer 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Johnny Keating 3 Kenny Graham 4 Bill Le Sage 5 Humphrey Lyttelton 6 Tolchard Evans 7= Sandy Brown 7= Ron Goodwin 9 Al Fairweather 10 Ken Moule... Male singer 1 Denis Lotis 2 Dickie Valentine 3 Michael Holliday 4 George Melly 5 Frankie Vaughan 6 Frank Holder 7 Ronnie Hilton 8 Lonnie Donegan 9 Tommy Steele 10 Bobbie Britton 11= David Whitfield 11= Cab Kaye 13 Franklyn Boyd 14 Matt Monro 15 Cliff Lawrence 16 Peter Lowe... |
Big band 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Ted Heath 3 Oscar Rabin 4 Vic Lewis 5 Kenny Baker's Dozen 6 Eric Delaney 7 BBC Northern Dance Orchestra 8 Jack Parnell... Trumpet 1 Kenny Baker 2 Humphre Lyttelton 3 Dizzy Reece 4 Jimmy Deuchar 5 Bobby Pratt 6 Dickie Hawdon 7 Bert Courtley 8 Eddie Blair 9 Eddie Calvert 10 Al Fairweather 11= Ken Colyer 11= Freddie Randall 13 Alex Welsh 14 Mick Mulligan 15 Douggie Roberts... Piano 1 Dill Jones 2 Eddie Thompson 3 Frank Horrox 4 Dave Lee 5 Ken Moule 6 Alan Clare 7 Johnny Parker 8 Bill Mcguffie 9 Bill Le Sage 10 Fred Hunt 11 Stan Tracey 12= Winifred Atwell 12= Terry Shannon 14 Ian Armit 15 Dennis Wilson 16 Steve Race... Guitar 1 Ken Sykora 2 Dave Goldberg 3 Bert Weedon 4 Diz Disley 5 Ivor Mairants 6 Ike Isaacs 7 Denny Wright 8 Lonnie Donegan 9 Tommy Steele 10 Cedric West 11= Roy Plummer 11= Malcolm Mitchell... Female Singer 1 Cleo Laine 2 Ottilie Patterson 3 Lita Roza 4 Shirley Bassey 5 Patti Lewis 6 Alma Cogan 7 Marion Ryan 8 Petula Clark 9 Annie Ross 10= Betty Smith 10= Eve Boswell 12 Anne Shelton 13 Edna Savage 14 Nancy Whiskey... |