Melody Maker Readers Poll (1960)...
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Melody Maker Readers Poll (1960)...
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 1960 poll published on January 28th 1961.
1960
Dill Jones again came top in the piano section but this was to be his last year in top spot as in 1961 he emigrated to America. Following his success with the Jazz Couriers, Terry Shannon was voted into second place, his highest spot to date.
So called 'trad' musicians featured heavily this year and there was a surprise in the guitar section where traditionalist Diz Disley displaced modernist Dave Goldberg.
The overall best performance in the polls again came from Johnny Dankworth who won four sections of the poll plus one second place. Tubby Hayes had two first places and one second, an improvement on the year before.

Musician of the year
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Tubby Hayes
3 Chris Barber
4 Acker Bilk
5 Joe Harriott
6 Humphrey Lyttelton
7 Ronnie Scott
8 Ian Menzies
9 Bruce Turner
10 Terry Lightfoot...



Trombone
1 George Chisholm
2 Keith Christie
3 Chris Barber
4 Ken Wray
5 Phil Rhodes
6 Johnny Picard
7 Don Lusher
8 Avo Avison
9 Mike Hills
10 Eddie Harvey...



Vibes
1 Bill Le Sage
2 Tubby Hayes
3 Lennie Best
4 Martin Slavin
5 Stan Tracey...



Bass
1 Johnny Hawkesworth
2 Kenny Napper
3 Lennie Bush
4 Spike Heatley
5 Vic Barton
6 Micky Ashman
7 Jack Fallon
8 Dick Smith
9 Phil Bates
10 Brian Brocklehurst...



Arranger
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Harry South
3 Kenny Graham
4 Dave Lindup
5 Johnny Keating
6 Eddie Harvey
7 Ken Moule
8 Chris Barber
8 Tubby Hayes
10 Humphrey Lyttelton...



Vocal group
1 Polka Dots
(The Polka Dots won outright with more than 95% of the vote)




Johnny Dankworth
Johnny Dankworth



Big band
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Ted Heath
3 Tubby Hayes...



Clarinet
1 Vic Ash
2 Sandy Brown
3 Monty Sunshine
4Terry Lightfoot
5 Acker Bilk
6 Tony Coe
7 Alan Cresswell
8 Wally Fawkes
9 Archie Semple
10 Forrie Cairns...



Alto sax
1 Joe Harriott
2 Johnny Dankworth
3 Bruce Turner
4 Tony Coe
5 Peter King
6 Alan Branscombe
7 Harold McNair
8 Ian wheeler
9 Tubby Hayes...



Baritone sax
1 Ronnie Ross
2 Harry Klein
3 Joe Temperley
4 Tubby Hayes...



Drums
1 Phil Seamen
2 Allan Ganley
3 Tony Kinsey
4 Johnny Richardson
5 Lennie Hastings
6 Ron McKay
7 Kenny Clare
8 Bobby Orr
9 Eddie Taylor
10 Ronnie Verrell...



Small combo
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Terry Lightfoot
3 Humphrey Lyttelton
4 Joe Harriott
5 Chris Barber
6 Scott-Deuchar Quintet
7 Tony Kinsey
8 Ash-Klein Jazz Five
9 Alex Welsh
10 Bruce Turner
11 Riverside Jazzmen
12 Acker Bilk...



Tenor sax
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Ronnie Scott
3 Jimmy Skidmore
4 Don Rendell
5 Danny Moss
6 Art Ellefson
7 Tommy Whittle
8 Kathy Stobart
9 Bob Efford
10 Bobby Wellins...



Flute
1 Johnny Scott
2 Tubby Hayes
3 Phil Goody...



Other instruments
1 Max Geldray (Harmonica)
2 Hugh Rainey (Banjo)
3 Shake Keane (Flugelhorn)
4 Paddy Lightfoot (Banjo)
5 Tommy Watts (Banjo)
6 Eddie Smith (Banjo)
7 Ron Snyder (tuba) 9 Norrie Brown (Banjo)
10 Frank holder (Bongoes)...



Composer
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Kenny Graham
3 Harry South
4 Ken Moule
5 Tubby Hayes
6 Joe Harriott
7 Sandy Brown
8= Humphrey Lyttelton
8= Bill Le Sage
10 Dave Lindup...



Male singer
1 George Melly
2 Matt Monro
3 Bobby Breen
4 Cab Kaye...




Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes



Trumpet
1 Humphrey Lyttelton
2 Jimmy Deuchar
3 Kenny Baker
4 Bert Courtley
5 Pat Halcox
6 Alan Elsdon
7 Bob Wallis
8 Shake Keane
9 Bob Taylor
10 Kenny Ball...



Piano
1 Dill Jones
2 Terry Shannon
3 Eddie Thompson
4 Lennie Felix
5 Dave Lee
6 Fred Hunt
7 Stan Tracey
8 Pete Graham
9 Dudley Moore
10 Stan Greig...



Guitar
1 Diz Disley
2 Dave Goldberg
3 Ken Sykora
4 Bert Weedon
5 Bill Bramwell
6 Dennis Newey...



New Star
1 Brian Dee
2 Dick Morrissey
3 Gus Galbraith
4 Alan Branscombe
5 Tony Manne
6 Bobby Wellins
7 Pete Ridge
8 Harold McNair
9 Dudley Moore
10 Bob Wallis...



Female Singer
1 Cleo Laine
2 Ottilie Patterson
3 Beryl Bryden
4 Shirley Bassey
5 Rosemary Squires
6 Fiona Duncan...


This page was last updated during July, 2012.
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