Melody Maker Readers Poll (1963)...
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Melody Maker Readers Poll (1963)...
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 1963 poll published on February 1st, 1964.
1963
For the third year in a row Tubby Hayes was voted 'Musician of the Year'. Another four first places again put him ahead of Johnny Dankworth who collected three first places.

This year was noticeable for the progress of pianist/organist Brian Auger who won the 'New Star' and 'Pianist' polls as well as coming second in the 'Small Group' and fourth in the 'Musician of the Year' sections. Success that was not repeated in the following year.

'Trad' musicians returned to figure extensively in many of the individual polls.

Musician of the year
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Johnny Dankworth
3 Ronnie Scott
4= Humphrey Lyttelton
4= Kenny Ball
4=Brian Auger
7 Joe Harriott
8 Ted Heath
9 Ken Colyer...



Trombone
1 George Chisholm
2 Keith Christie
3 Chris Barber
4 Phil Rhodes
5 Don Lusher
6 John Picard
7 Ken Wray
8 John Mumford
9 Roy Crimmins
10 John Bennett...



Vibes
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Bill Le Sage
3 Lennie Best...



Bass
1 Johnny Hawkesworth
2 Spike Heatley
3 Rick Laird
4 Mick Gilligan
5 Malcolm Cecil
6 Kenny Napper
7 Vic Pitt
8 Coleridge Goode
9= Lennie Bush
9= Brian Brocklehurst...



Arranger
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Tubby Hayes
3 Kenny Graham
4 Johnny Keating
5 Dave Lindup...



Male singer
1 Matt Monro
2 George Melly
3 Mike Emery
4 Bobby Breen
5 Long John Baldry
6 Barry Keith
7 Clive Peterson...





Johnny Dankworth
Johnny Dankworth



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



Clarinet
1 Sandy Brown
2 Vic Ash
3 Acker Bilk
4 Johnny Barnes
5 Monty Sunshine
6 Archie Semple
7 Dave Jones
8 Tony Coe
9 Henry MacKenzie...



Alto sax
1 Joe Harriott
2 Johnny Dankworth
3 Bruce Turner
4 Tony Coe
5 Tubby Hayes
6= Graham Bond
6= Johnny Barnes
8 Alan Branscombe...



Piano
1 Brian Auger
2 Stan Tracey
3= Ron Weatherburn
3= Lennie Felix
5 Arthur Wood
6= Terry Shannon
6= Dave Lee
8 Dudley Moore
9 Bill McGuffie
10 Bill Le Sage...



Vocal group
1 Polka Dots
2 Mick Emery Group
3 Velvettes


Small combo
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Brian Auger
3 Ronnie Scott
4 Humphrey Lyttelton
5 Alan Elsdon
6 Joe Harriott
7 Kenny Ball
8 Fairweather-Brown
9 Chris Barber
10 Bruce Turner...



Tenor sax
1 Tubby Hayes
2 Ronnie Scott
3 Danny Moss
4 Dick Morrissey
5 Don Rendell...



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



Other instruments
1 Shake Keane (Flugelhorn)
2 Alan Haven (Organ)
3 Jimmy Deuchar (Mellophone)
4 Graham Bond (Organ)
5 Humphrey Lyttelton (Tenor horn)
6 Cyril Davies (Harmonica)
3 Ron Snyder (Tuba)
7 Don Rendell (Soprano sax)...



Composer
1 Johnny Dankworth
2 Tubby Hayes
3= Kenny Graham
3= Sandy Brown
5 Joe Harriott
6 Bill Le Sage...



Female Singer
1 Cleo Laine
2 Annie Ross
3 Ottilie Patterson
4 Joy Marshall
5 Elaine Delmar
6 Jeannie Lambe
7= Millicent Martin
7= Rosemary Squires
9 Beryl Bryden
10 Mavis Taylor...





Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes



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



Flute
1 Johnny Scott
2 Tubby Hayes
3 Harold McNair...



Guitar
1 Dave Goldberg
2 Diz Disley
3 Alexis Korner
4 Ray Dempsey
5 Tony Pitt
6 Mick Emery
7 Ken Sykora...



New Star
1 Brian Auger
2 Shake Keane
3 Mike Felana
4 Graham Bond
5 Mick Emery...



Drums
1 Allan Ganley
2 Phil Seamen
3 Ronnie Stephenson
4 Phil Kinorra
5 Tony Kinsey
6 Keith Webb
7 Lennie Hastings
8= Ronnie Verrell
8= Ron Bowden
10 Johnny Richardson...


This page was last updated during April, 2013.
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