Melody Maker Readers Poll (1947)...
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Melody Maker Readers Poll (1947)...
For 74 years the "Melody Maker" was the weekly 'trade paper' for the dance band and jazz musician as well as all those interested in the modern music scene. One of it's continuing features and talking points were the annual Readers Polls where readers voted under different categories for individual musicians, singers, big bands and a host of other categories.
The annual jazz polls were a major event in the jazz world but were also an important historical record of the state of British jazz through the years and preserve some of the historical perspective on British Jazz.
This page carries the full results of the 1947 poll published on December 27th, 1947.
(There was no MM Poll in 1948)
1947
(From the MM:)Just in time for Christmas, the full results of the 1947 MELODY MAKER Dance Band Poll are published this week. The thousands of readers who voted in the poll adopted apolicy of "No Change" and there are very few surprises among the winners.

There are newcomers at the top of the tenor sax and guitar sections. Last year Tommy Whittle was placed eleventh, and Dave Goldberg, who was beaten by Ivor Mairants last year, reverses the decision this time.
There is a change in the section devoted to miscellaneous instruments. Stephane Grappelly has been ousted by swing-accordionist Tito Burns, and since Tito finished runner up in the small band section, he should be feeling very pleased.

Favourite Bandleader
1 Ted Heath
2 Geraldo
3 Vic Lewis
4 Jimmy Miller
5 Harry Parry
6 Carl Barriteau
7 Joe Loss
8 Teddy Foster
9 Harry Davis
10 Harry Leader
11 Billy Cotton
12 Harry Roy
13 Tito Burns
14 Woolf Phillips
15 Paul Fenoulhet
16 Harry Gold...



Alto sax
1 Harry Hayes
2 Ronnie Chamberlain
3 Freddy Gardner
4 Bertie King
5 Les Gilbert
6 Reg Owen
7 Doug Robinson
8 Ken Mackintosh
9 Wally Stott...



Bass
1 Charlie Short
2 Jack Fallon
3 Coleridge Goode
4 Jack Collier
5 Joe Nussbaum
6 Maurice Bass
7 Hank Hobson
8 Arthur Maden
9 Johnny Quest...



Guitar
1 Dave Goldberg
2 Ivor Mairants
3 Pete Chilver
4 Frank Deniz
5 Archie Slavin
6 Bert Weedon
7 Lauderic Caton
8 Ike Isaacs
9 Alan Metcalfe
10 Vic Lewis...



Any Other Instruments
1 Tito Burns (accordion)
2 Stephane Grappelly (violin)
3 Roy Marsh (xylophone)
4 Ron Chamberlain (sop sax)
5 Robin Richmond (organ)
6 Jack Parnell (vibraharp)
7 Jack Simpson (marimba, vibes)
8 Dave Shand (baritone sax)
10 Derek Neville (baritone sax)
11 Reg Owen (soprano sax)
12 Lorna Martin (accordion)...






Trumpet
1 Kenny Baker
2 Dave Wilkins
3 Duncan Whyte
4 Reg Arnold
5 Tommy McQuater
6 Freddy Clayton
7 Humphrey Lyttelton
8 Eddie Calvert
9 Nat Gonella
10 Denis Rose
11 Jimmy Watson
12 Grisha Farfel
13 Cyril Ellis
14 Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson
15 Chick Smith...



Tenor sax
1 Tommy Whittle
2 Jimmy Skidmore
3 Ronnie Scott
4 Johnny Gray
5 Aubrey Frank
6 Reg Dare
7 Harry Gold
8 Keith Bird
9 Fred Ballerini
10 Kathleen Stobart...



Clarinet
1 Carl Barriteau
2 Harry Parry
3 Frank Weir
4 Sid Phillips
5 Nat Temple
6 Cliff Townshend
7 Reg Owen
8 Ronnie Chamberlain
9 Doug Robinson
10 Jackie Bonser...



Trombone
1 George Chisholm
2 Woolf Phillips
3 Jock Bain
4 Ladd Busby
5 Geoff Love
6 Harry Roche
7 Jackie Armstrong
8 Don Macaffer
9 Jimmy Wilson
10 Nobby Clarke
11 Bill Hawkins...



Drums
1 Jack Parnell
2 Jock Cummings
3 George Fierstone
4 Eric Delaney
5 Norman Burns
6 Peter Coleman
7 Micky Greeve
8 Tony Crombie
9 Frankie King
10 Dave Fullerton
11 Ray Ellington
12 Maurice Burman...




Small Combinations
1 Jack Parnell Quartet
2 Tito Burns Accordn. Club Band
3 Harry Gold Pieces of Eight
4 Harry Parry and his Sextet
5 Kenny Baker Swing Group
6 Howard Lucraft and his Music
7 Harry Hayes and his Band
8 Frank Weir and his Orchestra
9 Ray Ellington Quartet
10 Sid Phillips and his Band
11 Jack Simpson and his Sextet
12 George Webb's Dixielanders
13 Cyril Stapleton Orchestra
14 The Geraldo Tip-Toppers
15 Robin Richmond and his
Organ Grinder's Swing...



Swing Bands
1 Ted Heath
2 Geraldo
3 The Squadronaires
4 Vic Lewis
5 Tommy Sampson
6 Oscar Rabin
7 Teddy Foster
8 The Skyrockets
9 Joe Loss
10 Harry Gold
11 Carl Barriteau
12 Frank Weir
13 Harry Parry
14 Harry Leader
15 Cyril Stapleton
16 Leslie Douglas
17 Sid Phillips
18 Blue Rockets
19 Tito Burns
20 Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson
21 Eric Winstone
22 Harry Roy
23 Lou Preager
24 Harry Hayes
25 Billy Cotton...



Male Vocalist
1 Benny Lee
2 Steve Conway
3 Denny Dennis
4 Paul Carpenter
5 Ray Ellington
6 Denny Vaughan
7 Dick James
8 Alan Dean
9 Jack Parnell
10 Johnny Green
11 Howard Jones
12 Bob Dale
13 Archie Lewis
14 Vic Lewis
15 Jimmy Miller...



Sweet Bands
1 Geraldo
2 Cyril Stapleton
3 Ted Heath
4 Peter Yorke
5 The Skyrockets
6 Billy Ternent
7 Joe Loss
8 Maurice Winnick
9 The Squadronaires
10 Oscar Rabin
11 Vic Lewis
12 Stanley Black
13 Victor Silvester
14 Harry Leader
15 Paul Adam
16 Frank Weir
17 George Melachrino
18 Jack White
19 Eric Winstone
20 The Stardusters
21 Tommy Sampson
22 Sidney Lipton
23 Mantovani
24 Howard Lucraft
25 Carroll Gibbons...



Piano
1 George Shearing
2 Norman Stenfalt
3 Ralph Sharon
4 Billy Munn
5 Pat Dodd
6 Ronnie Aldrich
7 Steve Race
8 Ken Thorne
9 Dick Katz
10 Malcolm Lockyer
11 Hamish Menzies
12 Bernie Fenton
13= Billy McGuffie
13= Maurice Arnold
15 Sid Bright
16 Billy Penrose
17 Denny Vaughan
18 Eddie Palmer...



Female Vocalist
1 Anne Shelton
2 Carole Carr
3 Elizabeth Batey
4 Doreen Stephens
5 Terry Devon
6 Doreen Lundy
7 Dinah Kaye
8 Paula Green
9 Bette Roberts
10 Doreen Henry
11 Dorothy Squires
12 Rita Williams
13 Vera Lynn
14 Sally Douglas
15 Helen Mack...


This page was last updated during October, 2013.
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