Melody Maker Readers Poll (1965)...
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Melody Maker Readers Poll (1965)...
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 1965 poll published on February 19th, 1966.
1965
For the fifth year in a row Tubby Hayes was voted 'Musician of the Year'. As in previous years the indivudual poll segments were dominated by Tubby Hayes and Johnny Dankworth.

Hayes achieved four "firsts" and three "third" places while Dankworth achieved two "firsts", one "second" and one "third" place.

The "R&B Group" section introduced for the first time in the previous year seems to have disappeared after just one year.

Musician of the year
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Johnny Dankworth
3 Bruce Turner
4 Ronnie Scott
5 Tony Coe
6 Stan Tracey
7 Joe Harriott
8= Dick Morrissey
8= George Chisholm...



Trombone
1 George Chisholm
2 Keith Christie
3 Johnny Mumford
4= Chris Barber
4= Roy Williams
6 Don Lusher
7 Ken Wray...



Vibes
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Bill Le Sage
3 Ron Gleaves...



Bass
1 Spike Heatley
2 Kenny Napper
3= Johnny Hawkesworth
3= Brian Brocklehurst
5= Malcolm Cecil
5= Lennie Bush
7= Vic Pitt...



Arranger
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Harry South
3 Tubby Hayes...



Vocal group
1 Morgan James Duo
2 Polka Dots...



Male singer
1 Georgie Fame
2 Matt Monro
3 Bobby Breen
4 George Melly
5 Long John Baldry...



Johnny Dankworth
Johnny Dankworth



Big band
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Harry South
3 Tubby Hayes
4 Ted Heath
5 New Jazz Orchestra...



Clarinet
1 Sandy Brown
2 Vic Ash
3 Bruce Turner
4 Acker Bilk
5= Alan Cooper
5= Tony Coe
7 Al Gay...



Alto sax
1 Bruce Turner
2 Joe Harriott
3 Johnny Dankworth
4 Tony Coe
5 Ray Warleigh...



Organ
1 Alan Haven
2 Georgie Fame
3 Brian Auger
4 Graham Bond...



Piano
1 Stan Tracey
2 Dudley Moore
3 Lennie Felix
4= Michael Garrick
4= Harry South...



Small combo
1 Freddy Randall
2 Dick Morrissey
3 Tubby Hayes
4 Group Sounds Five
5 Humphrey Lyttelton
6= Joe Harriott
6= Ronnie Scott
8= Don Rendell
8= Stan Tracey
10 Bruce Turner...



Tenor sax
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Dick Morrissey
3 Ronnie Scott
4 Tony Coe
5 Danny Moss
6 Bobby Wellins
7 Al Gay
8 Don Rendell
9 Tommy Whittle...



Baritone sax
1 Ronnie Ross
2 Joe Temperley
3 Johnny Barnes
3 Harry Klein...



Flute
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Johnny Scott
3 Ray Warleigh...



Drums
1 Phil Seamen
2= Allan Ganley
2= Ronnie Stephenson
4 Kenny Clare...



Composer
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Stan Tracey
3 Harry South
4 Tubby Hayes...



Female Singer
1 Cleo Laine
2 Annie Ross
3 Norma Winstone
4 Joy Marshall...


Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes



Trumpet
1 Freddy Randall
2 Humphrey Lyttelton
3 Jimmy Deuchar
4 Ian Carr
5 Shake Keane
6 Kenny Baker...



Guitar
1 Dave Goldberg
2 Ernest Ranglin
3 Diz Disley
4 Alexis Korner
5 Terry Smith...



Blues Artist
1 Georgie Fame
2 Long John Baldry
3= Eric Burdon
3= Alexis Korner
5 George Melly...



Other instruments
1 Shake Keane (Flugelhorn)
2 Don Rendell (Soprano sax)
3= Ian Carr (Flugelhorn)
3= Jimmy Deuchar (Mellophone)...



New Star
1 Roy Budd
2= Dudley Moore
2= Ian Carr
4= Norma Winstone
4= Ray Warleigh...






This page was last updated during April, 2013.
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