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| Melody Maker Readers Poll (1954)... |
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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 1954 poll published on March 5th, 1955. |
But Britain's swing king retains his long held crown by only the narrowest margin, just 132 votes, from runner-up Johnny Dankworth, who also wins the Alto Sax and Arranger awards. There are several newcomers to No.1 honours in this 'fight to a finish' Poll. They include Eric Delaney, who captures the Musician of the Year spot from Dankworth and the Drums award from Jack Parnell - both last year's winners. Tommy Whittle has toppled Ronnie Scott - another 'invincible' in the Tenor Sax section and Bert Weedon, Show Band star, has eclipsed Poll-top "old-timer' Ivor Mairants in the guitar section. |
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 Eric Delaney Musician of the year 1 Eric Delaney 2 Johnny Dankworth 3 Basil Kirchin 4 Ronnie Scott 5 Ted Heath 6 Don Rendell 7 Kenny Baker 8 Tommy Whittle 9 Ken Moule 10 Jack Parnell 11 Humphrey Lyttelton 12 Tony Kinsey 13 Vic Feldman 14 Eddie Calvert 15 Bill McGuffie 16 Don Lusher 17 Chris Barber 18 Frank Weir 19 Vic Ash 20 Cyril Stapleton 21 Ronnie Verrell 22 Dill Jones 23 Ken Mackintosh 24 Tony Crombie 25 Jimmy Deuchar 26 Harry Klein 27 Wally Stott 28 Vic Lewis 29 Joe Harriott 30 Bruce Turner 31 Ken Colyer 32= Keith Christie 32= Winifred Atwell 34 Dave Davani 35= Ronnie Camberlain 35= Sid Phillips 37 Bill Le Sage 38 Ralph Dollimore 39 Mantovani 40= Allan Ganley 40= Jimmy Skidmore 42 Steve Race 43 Eric Jupp 44 Ivor Kirchin 45 Albert Hall 46= Joe Muddel 46= Eddie Thompson... Soprano Sax 1 Frank Weir 2 Ronnie Chamberlain 3 Bruce Turner 4 Roy Willox 5 Jimmy Walker 6 Harry Gold 7 Harry Hayes 8 Wally Fawkes 9 Carl Barriteau 10= Les Gilbert 10=Bill Unsworth... Bass 1 Johnny Hawksworth 2 Joe Muddel 3 Sammy Stokes 4 Ronnie Seabrook 5 Lennie Bush 6 Arthur Watts 7 Joe Quinlan 8= Mickey Ashman 8= Eric Dawson 10 Jack Fallon 11 Charlie Short 12 Bill Sutcliffe... Arranger 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Reg Owen 3 Ken Moule 4 Wally Stott 5 Jimmy Deuchar 6 Leslie Vinall 7 Ralph Dollimore 8 Bob Sharples 9 Basil Kirchin 10 Johnny Keating 11 Jimmy Watson 12 Kenny Baker 13 Dave Davani 14= David Ede 14= Eric Jupp 16 Stanley Black 17 Tony Crombie 18 Mantovani 19= Alan Roper 19= Vic Feldman 19= Don Lusher 22= Cyril Stapleton 22= Ray Martin 24= Ronnie Scott 24= Eric Delaney... |
Piano 1 Bill McGuffie 2 Dill Jones 3 Frank Horrox 4 Ralph Dollimore 5 Mike McKenzie 6 Johnny Patrick 7 Winifred Atwell 8 Eddie Thompson 9 Ken Moule 10 Syd Lucas 11 Derek Smith 12 Bill Le Sage 13 Steve Race 14 Dick Katz 15 Ronnie Aldrich 16 Alan Clare 17= Harry South 17= Charlie Kunz 19 Stanley Black 20 Joe Saye 21 Norman Stenfalt... Trombone 1 Don Lusher 2 Keith Christie 3 Lad Busby 4 Ken Wray 5 Chris Barber 6 George Chisholm 7 Mac Minshull 8 Harry Roche 9 Maurice Pratt 10 Eddie Harvey 11 Dan Clark 12 Johnny Picard 13 Johnny Edwards 14 Norman Cave 15 Jock Bain... Clarinet 1 Vic Ash 2 Sid Phillips 3 Henry Mackenzie 4= Wally Fawkes 4= Frank Weir 6 Keith Bird 7 Carl Barriteau 8 Monty Sunshine 9 Alan Beever 10 David Ede 11 Nat Temple 12 Dave Shepherd 13 Ian Christie... Alto Sax 1 Johnny Dankworth 2 Joe Harriott 3 Bruce Turner 4 Brian Hayden 5 Derek Humble 6 Les Gilbert 7 Frank Gillespie 8 Dougie Robinson 9 Ken Mackintosh 10 Frank Weir 11 Geoff Taylor 12 Ronnie Chamberlain 13 Harry Hayes 14 Roy Willox 15 Johnny Roadhouse... Drums 1 Eric Delaney 2 Ronnie Verrell 3 Jack Parnell 4 Tony Kinsey 5 Basil Kirchin 6 Allan Ganley 7 Phil Seamen 8 Tony Crombie 9 Roy Cooper 10 Joe Daniels 11 Bobby Kevin 12 Eddie Taylor 13= Lennie Breslaw 13= George Fierstone... Organ 1 Harold Smart 2 Jerry Allen 3 Robin Richmond 4 Reginald Dixon 5 Sandy McPherson... Guitar 1 Bert Weedon 2 Ivor Mairants 3 Roy Plummer 4 Dave Goldberg 5 Ken Sykora 6 Don Fraser 7 Malcolm Mitchell 8 Lonnie Donnegan 9= Fitzroy Coleman 9= Vic Lewis 11= Elton Hayes 11= Ike Isaacs 13 Freddy Legon 14= Jimmy Currie 14= Ray Dempsey... |
Small Group (Traditional) 1 Humphrey Lyttelton 2 Freddy Randall 3 Chris Barber 4 Ken Colyer 5 Joe Daniels 6 Sid Phillips 7 Alex Welsh 8 Saints 9 Cy Laurie 10 Harry Gold 11 Mick Mulligan... Tenor Sax 1 Tommy Whittle 2 Ronnie Scott 3 Don Rendell 4 Jimmy Skidmore 5 Norman Hunt 6 Tubby Hayes 7 Bill Unsworth 8 Alan Beever 9= Kenny Graham 9= Red Price 11 Betty Smith 12 Roy Sidwell 13 Keith Barr 14 Rex Morris... Baritone Sax 1 Harry Klein 2 George Robinson 3 Benny Green 4 Bill Brown 5 George Hunter 6 Harry Gold 7 Ronnie Ross 8 Don Cooper 9 Alex Leslie 10 Oscar Rabin 11 Art Ellefson 12 Roy Bull 13 Don Honeywell... Band of the Year 1 Ted Heath 2 Johnny Dankworth 3 Eric Delaney 4 Kirchins 5 Vic Lewis 6 Jack Parnell 7 Joe Loss 8 Ronnie Scott 9 BBC Show Band 10 Ken Mackintosh 11 Geraldo 12 Kenny Baker's Dozen 13 Squadronaires 14 Humphrey Lyttelton 15 Ken Moule 16 Oscar Rabin 17 Tony Crombie 18 Sid Phillips 19 Chris Barber 20 Billy Cotton 21 Teddy Foster 22 Norman Burns 23 Eric Winstone 24 Don Rendell 25 Victor Silvester 26 Tony kinsey 27 Carl Barriteau 28 BBC Northern Variety Orch. 29= Ken Colyer 29= Edmundo Ros 29= Wally Stott 32 Mantovani 33 Billy Ternent 34 Gracie Cole 35 George Evans 36 Ray Martin 37 Frank Weir 38= Freddy Randall 38= Alex Welsh 38= Stanley Black 41= Eric Jupp 41= Dizzy Reece 43 Lou Preager 44 Norrie Paramor... Male Singer 1 Dickie Valentine 2 Howard Jones 3 Dennis Lotis 4 Frank Holder 5 David Whitfield 6 Ray Burns 7 Frankie Vaughan 8 Kenny Bardell 9 Ronnie Harris 10 Bobbie Britton 11 Johnny Grant 12 George Melly 13 Dennis Hale 14 Ray Ellington 15 David Hughes 16 Cliff Lawrence 17= Ronnie Hilton 17= Tony Mansell 19 Jimmy Young 20 Derek Francis 21 Benny Lee 22 Tony Brent 23 Ivor Kirchin 24= Johnny Brandon 24= Lee Lawrence... |
Small Group (Modern) 1 Ronnie Scott 2 Tony Kinsey 3 Ken Moule 4 Tommy Whittle 5 Ray Ellington 6 Don Rendell 7 Vic Ash 8 Jerry Allen 9 Kenny Baker 10 Dave Davani 11 Hedley Ward Trio 12= Norman Burns 12= Johnny Dankworth Seven 14 Ted Taylor 15 Keith Christie... Trumpet 1 Kenny Baker 2 Jimmy Deuchar 3 Frankie Donlan 4 Humphrey Lyttelton 5 Eddie Calvert 6 Jimmy Watson 7 Freddy Clayton 8 Bobby Pratt 9 Freddy Randall 10 Eddie Blair 11 Albert Hall 12 Dave Usden 13 Jo Hunter 14 Reg Arnold 15 Bert Courtley 16 Dizzy Reece 17 Terry Brown 18= Murray Campbell 18= Joe Ward 18= Stan Reynolds... Vibes 1 Vic Feldman 2 Bill Le Sage 3 Martin Slavin 4 Roy Marsh 5 Alan Graham... Girl Singer 1 Lita Roza 2 Cleo Laine 3 Alma Cogan 4 Ruby Murray 5 Kathy Lloyd 6 Rose Brennan 7 Joan Regan 8 Marion Williams 9 Annie Ross 10 Patti Lewis 11 Ottillie Patterson 12 Jill Day 13 Betty Miller 14 Marion Davis 15 Pearl Carr 16 Eve Boswell 17 Vera Lynn 18= Billie Anthony 18= Neva Raphaello 20 Marion Ryan 21 Ann Shelton 22 Petula Clark 23 Stephanie Wise 24 Lorrae Desmond 25 Georgia Lee 26= Jo Searle 26= Patti Forbes 28 Alma Warren 29 Beryl Wayne... Violin 1 Freddy Ballerini 2 Max Jaffa 3 Cyril Stapleton 4 Mantovani 5 Danny Levan 6 Ray Martin 7 Leslie Baker 8 Joe Loss... Accordion 1 Tito Burns 2 Charles Camilleri 3 Dave Davani 4 Primo Scala 5= Francisco Cavez 5= Jimmy Shand 7 Martin Lukins 8 Stan Tracey 9 Will Starr... Vocal Group 1 Stargazers 2 Coronets 3= Sapphires 3= Keynotes 5 Beverley Sisters 6 Tanner Sisters 7 Johnston Brothers 8 Hedley Ward Trio 9 Kordites 10 Mackpies... |