Kenny Ball

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Kenny Ball, 2006

Kenneth Daniel "Kenny" ball (* 22. May 1930 in Municipal Borough of Ilford , Essex , England , † 7. March 2013 in Basildon , Essex) was a British jazz musician , who as Bandleader and trumpeter his band Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen known has been.

Life

After playing in various Dixieland bands for a few years , he formed a band called Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen in 1958 with musicians like Dave Jones . In the summer of 1959 they released their first single Waterloo .

In the late 1950s, traditional jazz became very popular in Great Britain through performers and orchestral leaders such as Chris Barber , Mr. Acker Bilk and others. In February 1961 Kenny Ball reached with Samantha for the first time a position (13th) at the top of the British charts. But his big break was Midnight in Moscow , one of Ball newly arranged , Russian-born melody. The title became an international million seller; it reached number 2 in Great Britain and the United States and number 29 in the charts in Germany. Outside of his home country, it was Ball's only hit.

In Great Britain, his pieces March of the Siamese Children from the musical The King and I by Richard Rodgers and The Green Leaves of Summer from the John Wayne- Western Alamo became top 10 hits. Some of his singles were still successful until 1964, including an instrumental version of the Kyu Sakamoto classic Sukiyaki .

Shortly afterwards, when the peak phase of the Merseybeat broke out, Ball's style was no longer in demand with record buyers. In 1967 he had one last chart hit with a version of the Beatles song When I'm Sixty-Four . In 1968 he played with Louis Armstrong on his last European tour.

In the course of various oldie festivals, he gained fame again in later years, mainly in Great Britain, and toured his home country with his hits.

On November 10th, 2011 he performed at the farewell event The Famous 3 B’s together with his legendary jazz colleagues Chris Barber and Mr. Acker Bilk in the Berlin Tempodrom .

He died on March 7, 2013 of complications from pneumonia.

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK
1962 The Best of Ball, Barber And Bilk UK1 (24 weeks)
UK
1963 Kenny Ball's Golden Hits UK4 (26 weeks)
UK

More albums

  • 1962: Midnight in Moscow

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
DE DE UK UK US US
1961 Samantha - UK13 (15 weeks)
UK 		-
Lonnie Donegan presents Kenny Ball And His Jazzmen
I Still Love You All - UK24 (6 weeks)
UK 		-
Someday (You'll Be Sorry) - UK28 (6 weeks)
UK 		-
Midnight in Moscow DE29 (24 weeks)
DE 		UK2 (21 weeks)
UK 		US2 (14 weeks)
US
1962 March of the Siamese Children - UK4 (13 weeks)
UK 		US88 (1 week)
US
The Green Leaves of Summer - UK7 (14 weeks)
UK 		US87 (6 weeks)
US
So Thu I - UK14 (8 weeks)
UK 		-
The Pay Off - UK23 (6 weeks)
UK 		-
1963 Sukiyaki - UK10 (13 weeks)
UK 		-
Casablanca - UK21 (11 weeks)
UK 		-
rondo - UK24 (8 weeks)
UK 		-
Acapulco 1922 - UK27 (6 weeks)
UK 		-
1964 Hello Dolly - UK30 (7 weeks)
UK 		-
1967 When I'm Sixty-Four - UK43 (2 weeks)
UK 		-

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jazz trumpeter Kenny Ball dies aged 82 ( The Guardian , March 7, 2013, accessed March 8, 2013)
  2. ^ Günter Ehnert (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956–1980 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990, p. 21
  3. ↑ Kenny Ball, jazz trumpeter, dies at 82 , BBC News, March 7, 2013
  4. ↑ a b Chart sources: DE UK US
personal data
SURNAME Ball, Kenny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ball, Kenneth Daniel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British trumpeter and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH May 22, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Municipal Borough of Ilford , Essex, England, United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH March 7, 2013
Place of death Basildon , Essex, England, UK