Damn. As a kid I used to love Stranger On The Shore -a tune used for the Saturday night drama on BBC 1 TV in the 1960s.
His most famous number Stranger on the Shore was the UK's biggest selling single of 1962 and made him an international star.
Born Bernard Stanley Bilk, he changed his name to Acker - Somerset slang for mate - after learning to play the clarinet in the Army.
His last concert was in August 2013.
Pamela Sutton, who was Bilk's personal manager for 45 years, said he had "been ill for some time. He was my great friend and his music was legendary."
Born in Pensford in Somerset, Bilk tried a number of different
careers before borrowing a clarinet and copying recordings of famous
jazz musicians while in the Army.
He formed his first band in Bristol after his demobilisation.
Known for his goatee, bowler hat and fancy waistcoat, Bilk was awarded an MBE in 2001 for services to the music industry.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2000 but recovered and continued to play concerts, the last of which was at the Brecon Festival last year.
US number one Bilk told the BBC in a 2012 interview that when he wrote his biggest hit Stranger on the Shore he didn't immediately realise it was special.
The instrumental made him the first artist to have a simultaneous chart-topping hit in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
"I didn't think it was much different from any of the rest of it," he said.
"It was just a thing that came out of my head, that's all. I didn't sort of work on it or do much at all with it."
Besides Stranger on the Shore, Bilk also had hits with tunes such as Summer Set and Buona Sera.
He sold millions of records and won an Ivor Novello award.
He leaves his wife Jean, daughter Jenny and son Pete.
Tempus fugit
Clarinettist Acker Bilk, who personified the trad jazz revival of the 1950s and 60s, has died after a lengthy illness, aged 85.
Born Bernard Stanley Bilk, he changed his name to Acker - Somerset slang for mate - after learning to play the clarinet in the Army.
His last concert was in August 2013.
Pamela Sutton, who was Bilk's personal manager for 45 years, said he had "been ill for some time. He was my great friend and his music was legendary."
Stranger on the Shore was the UK's biggest selling song of 1962
He formed his first band in Bristol after his demobilisation.
Known for his goatee, bowler hat and fancy waistcoat, Bilk was awarded an MBE in 2001 for services to the music industry.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2000 but recovered and continued to play concerts, the last of which was at the Brecon Festival last year.
US number one Bilk told the BBC in a 2012 interview that when he wrote his biggest hit Stranger on the Shore he didn't immediately realise it was special.
The instrumental made him the first artist to have a simultaneous chart-topping hit in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Bilk formed his first band after leaving the Army
"It was just a thing that came out of my head, that's all. I didn't sort of work on it or do much at all with it."
Besides Stranger on the Shore, Bilk also had hits with tunes such as Summer Set and Buona Sera.
He sold millions of records and won an Ivor Novello award.
He leaves his wife Jean, daughter Jenny and son Pete.
Tempus fugit
Acker Bilk. A wonderful musician. You should listen to 'In a Persian Market' - skip the first minute and listen to Acker Bilk play something that really shows his chops, also that is music you've heard in at least half a dozen 50's and 60's movies. My own two favourite pieces from Acker Bilk were The Sheperd's Song and Aria. They evoke a certain mood - conjure up a certain era. Nostalgia for a past decade. Pretty much, a past lifetime. Bugger. I still have things to do before I can sit down and be properly depressed. RIP Acker Bilk. Time does indeed fly by.
ReplyDeleteSadly, like CBO, he's dead.
ReplyDeleteA little off topic but didn't you say you had sent me a letter a couple weeks back? Nothing so far...
ReplyDeleteQuestions and answers: I'm losing a lot of time at the moment - the letter I should have sent is still with me - I'll tellyou when I send it - it'll have some interesting things in it. 'Sadly, like CBO, he's dead' ? Please clarify - what does that mean ? Checked the Anomalous Observational Phenomena site ( as I do from time to time ) As always - interesting. Well...got to go. See you in the funny pages.
ReplyDeleteMetaphorically dead. Like the AOP page and the Maakika page -even the Google+ page now I've checked- no responses. I just assume that in the old days Elliott O'Donnell would have written about "the strange spectre that some call 'CBO'..." That writ, I'm just gearing up for 22nd November and the book/comic event. Then I'll know "if it's time"....and then I sell everything via CBO ads since I have PayPal!
ReplyDeleteI just noticed "I'm losing a lot of time at the moment" -are you referring to actual real periods of chronal loss or are you being metaphorical? If your posterior is feeling rather sore after such periods it is highly probable that you have been gang probed by Zeta Reticulans. It is a problem but they think it's a legal loophole if people call them "Greys". Let me know.
ReplyDelete