Scrumpy & Western

The definitive guide to the West Country music

Acker Bilk

"Jazz Legend & Clarinet King"

biography | discography | gigs | gallery | links

Who Is Acker Bilk?

The chances are that if you were asked to name a clarinet player, the first name that would spring to mind is Acker Bilk. Somerset-born Acker became world famous in May 1962 when he became the first British artist to top the US pop music charts, paving the way for other acts from the UK, such as a then still unknown Beatles who were to have a fair amount of success on both sides of the pond a year or so after Acker's trailblazing hit!

Acker's US chart-topper Stranger On The Shore had topped the British chart some six months earlier, following its use as the theme tune of the eponymous BBC children's TV series. The record, which would nowadays be described as easy listening, perhaps seems an unlikely double number one on both sides of the Atlantic, but in those pre-Beatle days the charts contained a fairly eclectic mixture of ballads, rock 'n' roll and Dixieland-style "trad" jazz.

Trad jazz had been popular in the UK throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, and Acker Bilk was one of the key figures in the trad boom, along with Kenny Ball and Chris Barber. Acker had played in various jazz bands (including Ken Colyer's) before forming his own Bristol-based Paramount Jazz Band in the late 1950s. The band became famous not only for their gigs and recordings but for their distinctive waistcoats and their leader "Mister" Acker Bilk's trademark bowler hat and beard.

It was during this period that Acker employed a friend of his as the band's road manager - Adge Cutler! It was Acker who first gave Adge the chance to try out some of his Somerset songs (such as Drink Up Thy Zider) on a real audience. But that, as they say, is another story...

Where The Cider Apples Grow!

Acker's first chart hit was in early 1960, when Summer Set (an instrumental tribute to his home county) reached the Top Five. Over the next few years Acker had several more chart successes in the UK - although strangely, he was unable to follow up his US success. Acker's hits were a mixture of instrumental and vocal trad jazz numbers (including his song about Somerset That's My Home) and laid-back easy listening hits. His last hit in the 1960s was the theme of the film A Taste Of Honey in 1963. Both trad jazz and Acker's easy listening style were chart casualties when the aforementioned Liverpool lads changed the face of popular music forever. But during the late 1950s and early 1960s Acker and his band were regularly to be heard on the BBC radio and Radio Luxembourg, as well as being frequent guests on British TV music and variety shows.

Although no longer a familiar face in the charts, Acker continued to play and record both jazz and the easy listening clarinet material for which he is famous, and still performs regularly in many countries around the world to this day. His easy listening albums have remained popular and he returned to the UK top five with Aria in 1976. Now in his seventies, Acker divides his time between his birthplace Pensford in Somerset, where he still has a house, and Potter's Bar in Hertfordshire, which is closer to the jazz clubs of London where he is still a regular attraction.

Apart from giving Adge Cutler his first break as a performer, and his Somerset roots, Acker qualifies for inclusion in the Scrumpy & Western pages for his Somerset humour which he uses to great effect on stage, as anyone who has seen him will know. Long may he continue to delight the fans with it and his clarinet playing.

Acker Facts!

Born Bernard Stanley Bilk, 28 January 1929 in Pensford, Somerset, England. Nicknamed "Acker" - which means "friend" in Somerset dialect - from an early age. Learnt to play clarinet in 1948 while on military service in Egypt - the story goes that Acker was imprisoned for three months for falling asleep on guard duty and learnt while in jail, having plenty of time to practice! First job was at the WD & HO Wills' tobacco factory in Bristol. Married to Jean with a son (Peter) and daughter (Jenny). His biggest hit Stranger On The Shore was originally written for Jenny and named after her, but the title was changed when the BBC wanted to use it as the TV show's theme.

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Acker Bilk Selected Discography

Acker Bilk must be one of the most prolific recording artists of all time, having made literally hundreds of records since the 1950s, in both the jazz field and his famous easy listening clarinet style. To add to the confusion, many of Acker's records have been repackaged several times. So this initial list is intentionally incomplete to start with - I hope to add to it as time goes on. Meanwhile, if you spot any errors or know any records I've missed, please let us know.

Recordings with other artists

Acker has also made several records with other artists and has appeared on compilations with others, notably fellow trad jazz musicians Kenny Ball and Chris Barber. Details of more of these will be added in due course. Yur's one for starters:

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Mister Acker Bilk

Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band in 2006

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Acker Bilk Links

• The official Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band website
• Acker's Music Agency website - for bookings and management
• The Acker Bilk Wikipedia entry
• Interview on BBC Somerset Sound website

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• Ian Hadley - for helping with the discography

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