Photo copyright Keith Ackrill, no reproduction without permission.
Trumpeter, Kenny Ball died yesterday aged 82 of pneumonia. He was one of the stars of the ‘trad boom’, the jazz craze that was popular in Britain in the 1950s and 60s. He had a number 2 hit with ‘Midnight in Moscow’, in both the USA and the UK in 1961.
Kenny and his Jazzmen were the resident house band on Pebble Mill’s, Saturday Night at the Mill which ran from 1976-81. It was a live entertainment show from the Pebble Mill foyer.
The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook group:
Samantha Taylor: ‘My Dad and I went to see him perform just 12 months ago on Bournemouth Peer. It was sad to see such a great end his career so pitifully. He was a true great in his day. May he rest in peace.’
Beverley Dartnall: ‘Lovely memories of Kenny Ball and his jazzmen, working on Saturday night at the Mill, serving rum punch to the audience with Sue Robinson and Gail Herbert and once the audience had gone in to view the show, having lots of laughs with him and his band and of course finishing off the rum punch.’
Lynn Cullimore: ‘I remember Kenny serving him drinks in the green room on a telethon and time over running so he did not get on. I luckily was not the one to tell him – not that I think he cared by then ha ha.’
So sad to hear the news about Kenny, I had the pleasure to play support band to him at Skindles Hotel, Maidenhead on 25th October 1966. We (Katch 22 ) had just had our first record released, and were still young and new to the business. Kenny was very supportive , and gave us lots of good advice during our time talking with him at the booking, and during the afternoon sound check.