Melody Maker Readers Poll (1966)...
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Melody Maker Readers Poll (1966)...
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 1966 poll published on February 18th, 1967.
1966
Tubby Hayes with four top spots, including 'Musician of the Year', dominated the individual polls again. He also figured in three other polls. Johnny Dankworth, for the first time, did not win a section although he did have three second places and two third places.

Stan Tracey figured in six individual polls, winning two, by far his best year. A new section in the Readers Poll asked readers to choose their 'LP of the Year' and Tracey was placed second and third in the top six. He obviously appealed to a wide spectrum of fans being placed in both the 'Big band' and 'Small group' sections.


Musician of the year
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Stan Tracey
3 Johnny Dankworth
4 Joe Harriott
5 Don Rendell
6 Ronnie Scott
7 Dick Morrissey
8 Alan Haven...



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



Vibes
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Bill Le Sage
3 Lennie Best
4= Alan Branscombe
4= Ron Gleaves
4= Mike Hugg
7 Mike Carr...



Bass
1 Kenny Napper
2 Jeff Clyne
3 Ron Mathewson
4 Spike Heatley
5 Dave Green
6 Phil Bates
7= Brian Brocklehurst
7= Peter Ind
9 Johnny Hawkesworth...



Arranger
1 Harry South
2 Johnny Dankworth
3 Stan Tracey
4 Tubby Hayes
5 Neil Ardley...



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



Male singer
1 Georgie Fame
2 Matt Monro
3 Bobby Breen...



Johnny Dankworth
Johnny Dankworth



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



Clarinet
1 Sandy Brown
2 Tony Coe
3 Acker Bilk
4 Vic Ash
5 Alan Cooper
6 Bruce Turner
7 Don Rendell...



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



Organ
1 Alan Haven
2 Georgie Fame
3 Brian Auger...



Piano
1 Stan Tracey
2 Dudley Moore
3 Michael Garrick
4 Gordon Beck
5 Lennie Felix...








Small combo
1 Don Rendell / Ian Carr
2 Dick Morrissey
3 Tubby Hayes
4 Freddy Randall
5= Stan Tracey
5= Alex Welsh
7 Spontaneous Music Ensemble
8 Dudley Moore
9 Mike Westbrook...



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



Baritone sax
1 Ronnie Ross
2 Johnny Barnes
3 John Surman
4 Harry Klein...



Flute
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Johnny Scott
3 Harold McNair
4 Ray Warleigh
5 Don Rendell...



Drums
1 Phil Seamen
2 Allan Ganley
3= Lennie Hastings
3= Tony Crombie
5 Ronnie Stephenson
6= John Hiseman
6= John Stevens...



Composer
1 Stan Tracey
2 Johnny Dankworth
3 Harry South
4 Mike Garrick...



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




Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes



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



Guitar
1 Dave Goldberg
2 Terry Smith
3 Alexis Korner
4 Diz Disley
5 Jim Douglas...



Blues Artist
1 Georgie Fame
2 Alexis Korner
3 Long John Baldry
4 John Mayall
5 Eric Burdon
6 Eric Clapton
7 Stevie Winwood...



Other instruments
1 Don Rendell (Soprano sax)
2= Ian Carr (Flugelhorn)
2= David Snell (Harp)
4 John Mayer (Violin)...



LP of the year
1 Indo-Jazz Suite - (Joe Harriott & John Meyer)
2 Alice in Jazzland - (Stan Tracey)
3 Under Milk Wood - (Stan Tracey)
4 Sound Venture - (Georgie Fame / Harry South)
5 Dusk Fire - (Don Rendell / Ian Carr)
6 Storm Warning - (Dick Morrissey)...


This page was last updated during June, 2013.
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