Acker Bilk

[Jim Nasium]

Acker Bilk was the first Brit to hit No. 1 in the US charts, pre Beatles, with Stranger on the Shore. He passed away on 2nd November 2014. Will be sadly missed. A nice guy and a great musician.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzx664u5DA

[Borderstone]

Oh my gosh,Jim I just now noticed this!

First and foremost,my apologies for not noticing sooner.

Mr. Acker Bilk (born Bernard Stanley Bilk 1/28/1929)
and his #1 hit song (2 weeks U.S.) & album "Stranger On The Shore" & I go back over 28 years.

In 1986,my mother got me a copy of Billboard Book Of #1 Hits and this is where I read about him first. Not long after,in my record collecting travels,I bought his album and even got the single later.

I think it's one of the greatest instrumentals ever. Manly for it's simplicity. His style of clarient playing is unmistakably his. It's a too bad the U.S. didn't give him more hits but a number one hit is nothing to chide about either.

Especialy since that became the #1 song of 1962 overall here in
the states,having stayed on the Hot 100 longer than any other single.

In an odd coincidence,I just bought a single by Mike Douglas (yes the talk show host). The A side is The Men In My Little Girl's Life and the B side is a vocal version of "Stranger On The Shore". Still,Bilk's is always the best.

P.S. - For those who don't know he earned the
nickname "Acker" from the Somerset slang for "friend" or "mate".

RIP Bernard or Our good musical "Acker".

[Jim Nasium]

Nice one, Borderstone, Acker or Ackers is also a slang term over here for money. As you have an album you also know that he did a bit of singing.

[Borderstone]

Thanks Jim.

Yes,he wasn't too bad a vocalist either.
Who knows,maybe a single with vocals would have given him a 2nd hit here in the states.

American radio then (and still today) can be so fickle. :roll:

[johnfowles]

I recall seing Acker live just the once at the fifth (and final) UK Beaulieu Jazz Festival , (BTW that's pronounced Bew-ley not Bow Lieu) in 1960 see
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2012...-beaulieu-riot
whose heading states
From the Observer archive, 31 July 1960: Riot at the Beaulieu jazz festival
The bucolic peace of Hampshire is shattered when fighting mars a set from Acker Bilk's band
and in the article it claims
"The piano collapsed when fans climbed on to the platform. Mr Acker Bilk's band were playing at the time."
Mty recollection is different and very clear 54 years later!!
the stage was in fact overrun by sundry rioters early on just as the Bilk band were trying to get on to it I have a strong image of the bass player using the spike support of his double bass as a battering ram to get to his position through the crowd a potentially lethal weapon!!


It was thankfully the only time I have been in a riot and it was actually quite scaring because there was a continuous barrage of bottles etc being thrown and a pair of manned lighting towers were pulled down near us

Stranger On The Shore released the following year
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

[Borderstone]

One interesting thing to let you know about.

I was at a used book & record store the other day and,coincidentally,saw an album of his called "Unreleased Acker". AAn album with a yellow cover and pretty good photo of hm as well.

Priced a bit high for me but hopefully it stays put long enough for me to claim it.