Acker Bilk
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, Template:Post-nominals (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was an English clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistcoat.
Bilk's 1961 instrumental tune "Stranger on the Shore" became the UK's biggest selling single of 1962, spending 55 weeks on the charts and reaching Number 1. It was the first single to top the UK and US charts simultaneously, and the second No. 1 single in the United States by a British artist.<ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Canada it was number 4 for 4 weeks before peaking at number 3.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Early lifeEdit
Bilk was born in Pensford, Somerset, in 1929.<ref name="AMG"/> He earned the nickname "Acker" from the Somerset slang for "friend" or "mate".Template:Citation needed His parents tried to teach him the piano but, as a boy, Bilk found it restricted his love of outdoor activities, including football. He lost two front teeth in a school fight and half a finger in a sledging accident, both of which he said affected his eventual clarinet style.<ref name=Bio>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
On leaving school Bilk joined the workforce of W.D. & H.O. Wills's cigarette factory in Bristol; he stayed there for three years, putting tobacco in the cooling room and then pushing tobacco through a blower.<ref name=TiB80/> He then undertook three years of National Service with the Royal Engineers in the Suez Canal Zone. He learned the clarinet there after his sapper friend, John A. Britten, gave him one bought at a bazaar and for which Britten had no use. The clarinet had no reed, so Britten fashioned a makeshift one for the instrument from scrap wood.<ref name="45rpm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bilk later borrowed a better instrument from the army and kept it after demobilisation.<ref name=Bio/> After National Service, Bilk joined his uncle's blacksmith business and qualified in the trade.<ref name=TiB80/>
CareerEdit
Bilk played with friends on the Bristol jazz circuit and in 1951 moved to London to play with Ken Colyer's band.<ref name=Bio/> Bilk disliked London, so returned west and formed his own band in Pensford called the Chew Valley Jazzmen, which was renamed the Bristol Paramount Jazz Band when they moved to London in 1951. Their agent then booked them for a six-week gig in Düsseldorf, Germany, playing in a beer bar seven hours a night, seven nights a week.<ref name=TiB80/> During this time, Bilk and the band developed their distinctive style and appearance, complete with striped waistcoats and bowler hats.<ref name=TiB80/>
After returning from Germany, Bilk became based in Plaistow, London, and his band played in London jazz clubs.<ref name=Bio/> It was from here that Bilk became part of the boom in trad jazz in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. In 1960, their single "Summer Set" (a pun on their home county), co-written by Bilk and pianist Dave Collett, reached number five on the UK Singles Chart,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and began a run of 11 chart hit singles. ("Summer Set" was also used prominently in Daniel Farson's controversial 1960 television documentary Living for Kicks, a portrait of British teenage life at the time).<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> In 1961 "Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band" appeared at the Royal Variety Performance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Bilk was not an internationally known musician until 1962, when the experimental use of a string ensemble on one of his albums and the inclusion of a composition of his own as its keynote piece won him an audience outside the UK. He had composed a melody, entitled "Jenny" after his daughter, but was asked to change the title to "Stranger on the Shore" for use in a British television series of the same name. He went on to record it as the title track of a new album in which his deep and quavering clarinet was backed by the Leon Young String Chorale.<ref>Godbolt, Jim. A History of Jazz in Britain, 1950 – 70. London: Quartet, (1989), Template:ISBN</ref>
The single was not only a big hit in the United Kingdom, where it stayed on the charts for 55 weeks, helped by Bilk being the subject of the TV show This Is Your Life, but also topped the American charts.<ref name="AMG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a result, Bilk was the second British artist to have a single in the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.<ref name="auto"/> (Vera Lynn was the first, with "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" in 1952.) "Stranger on the Shore" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">Template:Cite book</ref> At the height of his career, Bilk's public relations workers were known as the "Bilk Marketing Board", a pun on the Milk Marketing Board.
At the height of his international fame in 1962, he appeared in two theatrical motion pictures. It's Trad, Dad! (released in the United States by Columbia Pictures as Ring-a-Ding Rhythm) was a Richard Lester musical combining dixieland and rock-and-roll specialties; "Mr. Acker Bilk" and his band were the best represented, with three songs and a speaking role for Bilk. The second picture, Band of Thieves, was a comedy starring "Mr. Acker Bilk" and his group as musicians in prison. His music was also heard on the soundtracks to films such as Bitter Harvest (1963), West 11 (1963), and the musical comedy It's All Over Town (1964). He also played a cameo role in the latter film.
Bilk's success tapered off when British rock and roll made its big international impact beginning in 1964 and he shifted direction to the cabaret circuit. However, he did record a series of well-regarded albums in the mid-1960s. Three of them, including the 1965 collaboration Together, with the Danish jazz pianist and composer Bent Fabric ("Alley Cat"), were also released successfully in the United States on the Atlantic Records subsidiary Atco. In 1968 the album Blue Acker, produced by Denis Preston and with arrangements by Stan Tracey, illustrated that Bilk remained highly regarded as a musician, even by those (like Tracey) on the "modern jazz" side of things. Duncan Heining rates it as "one of the highlights of British jazz of the period".<ref>Heining, Duncan. Trad Dads, Dirty Boppers and Free Fusioneers: British Jazz, 1960–1975, (2012), p.23</ref>
Bilk finally had another chart success in 1976 with "Aria", which went to number five in the United Kingdom. In May 1977 Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band provided the interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest.<ref>O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest — The Official History. 2010 Carlton Books, UK. Template:ISBN</ref> His last chart appearance was in 1978, when the TV-promoted album released on Pye/Warwick, Evergreen, reached 17 in a 14-week album chart run. In the early 1980s, Bilk and his signature hit were newly familiar, due to "Stranger on the Shore" being used in the soundtrack to Sweet Dreams, the film biography of country music singer Patsy Cline. "Aria" featured as a central musical motif in the 2012 Polish film Template:Interlanguage link multi.
Bilk continued to tour with his Paramount Jazz Band, as well as performing concerts with his two contemporaries, Chris Barber and Kenny Ball, both of whom were born in 1930, as "The 3Bs". Bilk also provided vocals on many of his tracks, including on "I'm an Old Cowhand", "The Folks Who Live on the Hill", "White Cliffs of Dover", "Travellin On" and "That's My Home".
He was appointed MBE in 2001 and in 2005 he was awarded the BBC Jazz Awards' "Gold Award". One of his recordings was with the Chris Barber band, sharing the clarinet spot with the band's regular reedsmen, John Crocker and Ian Wheeler. Bilk made a CD with Wally Fawkes for the Lake label in 2002. He appeared on three albums by Van Morrison: Down the Road; What's Wrong With This Picture?; and Born to Sing: No Plan B. In 2012 Bilk said that, after 50 years, he was "fed up" with playing his most famous tune, "Stranger on the Shore".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Bilk died in Bath, Somerset, on 2 November 2014, at the age of 85.<ref name=independent>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He was survived by his wife and two children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bilk's last recorded interview was for Cornish community station Penwith Radio (now Coast FM) and was broadcast posthumously on Sunday 16 November 2014 at 9:00 pm.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal lifeEdit
In 1954 Bilk married his childhood sweetheart, Jean Hawkins,<ref name=independent/> whom he met in the same class at school.Template:Cn The couple had two children, Jenny and Pete. After living near London in Potters Bar for many years, the couple retired to Pensford.<ref name=TiB80/>
In 1997, Bilk was diagnosed with throat cancer, which was treated through surgery and then followed by daily radiation therapy at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre. Subsequently, he had eight keyhole operations for bladder cancer and suffered a minor stroke.<ref name=TiB80>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Other interestsEdit
Bilk was part of a consortium which took over the Oxford Cheetahs speedway team in 1972. They were rebranded as Oxford Rebels as part of the takeover.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Bamford, R & Shailes, G (2007). "The Story of Oxford Speedway". Template:ISBN</ref>
LegacyEdit
Bilk has been described as the "Great Master of the Clarinet".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Stranger on the Shore" – which he was once quoted as calling "my old-age pension" – remains a standard of jazz and popular music alike.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
DiscographyEdit
AlbumsEdit
| Released | Album | UK Charts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Seven Ages of Acker | 6 | Columbia | |
| Omnibus | 14 | Pye | ||
| 1961 | Acker | 17 | Columbia | |
| Golden Treasury of Bilk | 11 | |||
| The Best of Barber and Bilk (with Chris Barber) | 4 | Pye | ||
| The Best of Barber and Bilk Volume 2 (with Chris Barber) | 8 | |||
| 1962 | Stranger on the Shore | 6 | Columbia | |
| The Best of Ball, Barber and Bilk (with Kenny Ball and Chris Barber) | 1 | Pye | ||
| 1963 | A Taste of Honey | 17 | Columbia | |
| 1965 | Together (with Bent Fabric) | 17 | Atco | |
| 1966 | Mood For Love | – | Atco | |
| 1966 | Mr Acker Bilk in Paris (with the Leon Young String Chorale) | Atco | ||
| 1967 | London Is My Cup of Tea | Atco | ||
| 1968 | Blue Acker | – | Columbia, Lake LACD218 | |
| 1976 | The One For Me | 38 | Pye | |
| 1977 | Sheer Magic | 5 | Warwick | |
| 1978 | Evergreen | 17 |
EPsEdit
| Released | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
UK Charts<ref name=Charts>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Mr. Acker Bilk Marches On | — | Pye | ||
| 1959 | Mister Acker Bilk Sings | — | |||
| Master Acker Bilk | — | Esquire | |||
| Mister Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band Volume 1 | — | Melodisc | |||
| Mr. Acker Bilk Requests – Part 1 | — | Pye | |||
| Acker's Away | — | Columbia | |||
| Mr. Acker Bilk Requests – Part 2 | — | Pye | |||
| 1960 | Mister Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band Volume 2 | 50 | Melodisc | ||
| Mister Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band Volume 3 | — | ||||
| Mister Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band Volume 4 | — | ||||
| The Seven Ages of Acker | — | Columbia | |||
| The Seven Ages of Acker Volume 2 | — | ||||
| Clarinet Jamboree Part 1 | — | ||||
| 1961 | Acker Volume 1 | — | |||
| Acker Volume 2 | — | ||||
| 1962 | A Golden Treasury of Bilk 1 | — | |||
| Four Hits and a Mister | — | ||||
| A Golden Treasury of Bilk Volume 2 | — | ||||
| Band of Thieves | — | ||||
| Mr. Acker Bilk's Lansdowne Folio – Volume 1 | — | ||||
| 1963 | Bilk and Bossa | — | |||
| Four More Hits and a Mister | — | ||||
| Manana | — | ||||
| 1964 | Snag It | — | Arc | ||
| 1965 | Franklin Street Blues | — |
SinglesEdit
| Released | Single<ref name="45cat" /> | UK <ref name="Charts" /> |
US <ref>Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 – Template:ISBN</ref> |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | "Dippermouth Blues" | — | — | Tempo |
| 1960 | "Summer Set" | 5 | 104 | Columbia |
| "Marching Through Georgia" | — | — | Pye | |
| "White Cliffs of Dover" | 30 | — | Columbia | |
| "C.R.E. March" | — | — | Pye | |
| "Blaze Away!" | — | — | ||
| "Under the Double Eagle" | — | — | ||
| "El Abanico" | — | — | ||
| "Dardanella" | — | 105 | ||
| "Gladiolus Rag" | — | — | ||
| "Buona Sera" | 7 | — | Columbia/Atco | |
| 1961 | "Sweet Elizabeth" | — | — | |
| "That's My Home" | 7 | — | ||
| "The Stars and Stripes Forever" | 22 | — | ||
| "Stranger on the Shore" | 2 | 1 | ||
| 1962 | "Frankie and Johnny" | 42 | ||
| "Gotta See Baby Tonight" | 24 | — | ||
| "Above the Stars" | – | 59 | ||
| "Lonely" | 14 | — | ||
| "Limelight" | — | 92 | ||
| 1963 | "A Taste of Honey" | 16 | — | |
| "Only You (And You Alone)" | — | 77 | ||
| "Manana Pasado Manana" | — | — | ||
| "Moonlight Tango" | — | — | ||
| "The Harem" | — | 125 | ||
| 1964 | "Bustamento" | — | — | |
| "Dream Ska" | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "Mona Lisa" | — | — | |
| 1966 | "Petite Fleur" | — | — | |
| "La Playa" | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "The Girl with the Sun in Her Hair" | — | — | |
| 1969 | "When I'm Away" | — | — | |
| 1970 | "Thomas O'Malley Cat" | — | — | |
| 1971 | "Irish Lullaby" | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Burgundy Street" | — | — | Pye |
| 1974 | "When I See You Smile Again" | — | — | |
| 1975 | "Canios Tune" | — | — | |
| 1976 | "Homecoming" | — | — | |
| "Good Morning" | — | — | ||
| "Aria" | 5 | — | ||
| "Incontro" | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "Love Theme" | — | — | |
| "Dancing in the Dark" | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Universe" | — | — | |
| "Mister Men Theme" | — | — | ||
| "Theme from The Incredible Hulk" | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Aranjuez Mon Amour" | — | — | |
| 1980 | "Song for Guy" | — | — | Piccadilly |
| "I Like Beer" (with Max Bygraves) | — | — | ||
| "You Say Something Nice About Everybody" | — | — | ||
| "Verde" | — | — | ||
| "On Sunday" | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Find a Way" | — | — | PRT |
See alsoEdit
- West Country dialects
- Django Reinhardt, another influential jazz musician with finger-damage who was still able to become a virtuoso on his instrument
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Billboard Year-End number one singles 1960–1979 Template:Authority control