Melody Maker Readers Poll (1954)...
the bandsthe musicianshome pagethe clubsthe recordstime linegallerydiscographiesodds + endslinks
Melody Maker Readers Poll (1954)...
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.
1954
(From the MM:) MELODY MAKER readers have once again voted Ted Heath and his Music the Band of the Year.
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.

Eric Delaney
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...




This page was last updated during September, 2013.
Any comments welcomed, please click on email below...