Kenneth 'Ken' Colyer (April 18, 1928–March 8, 1988) was a British
jazz trumpeter
and cornetist,
specializing in traditional jazz. His band was also
known for skiffle.
He grew up in Soho
in London
in his childhood, and while there was a member of a church choir. When
his older brother Bill (born William John Colyer, in 1922) went off to
serve in World War II, he left his jazz records
behind, and Ken took an interest.
Ken left school in his teens, and wanted to join the Merchant
Navy, but was not admitted to the training school until after the war
had ended. He was 17 years old. His experience on merchant ships took
him around the world, and gave him his first personal experience of
jazz musicians in New York and Montreal.
In the UK, he played with existing bands as possible, and then
formed the Crane River Jazz Band in 1949. This was formed by Ben
Marshall and included Sonny Morris and Monty Sunshine. The band played
at the Royal Festival Hall on July 14, 1951, in the presence
of HRH Princess
Elizabeth. Parts of that group merged with other musicians to form the
Christie Brothers' Stompers, but Ken soon wanted to go to New
Orleans for that jazz experience, and re-joined the Merchant Navy to
make that possible. He eventually made his way there, and spent some
time playing with and studying the great jazz musicians. Unfortunately,
he overstayed his visa, and was ordered deported. But the most
important element of his trip was that he had not only played with his
idol George Lewis and his band, but had been invited to tour with them.
Bill posted his letters from New Orleans on the door of Dobell's jazz
record shop - so Ken was assured of a hero's welcome when he returned
home. He reckoned the British Government & the Hon Gerald
Lascelles did nothing to help him get out of prison.
Returning again to England, he formed the Ken Colyer
Jazzmen, initially with Chris
Barber, Monty Sunshine, Ron Bowden (born Ronald Arthur
Bowden, 27
February 1928,
in Fulham,
South
London) Lonnie Donegan, and Jim Bray (born
James Michael Bray, 24 April 1927, in Richmond,
Surrey).
The band had a number of personnel changes over the years. They made
the first original recordings on the label of Storyville
Records in 1953. In 1971, after a bout with stomach
cancer, Ken took his doctors' advice to stop leading a band.
He continued with a thriving solo career, sometimes as a
member of a band, well into the 1980s. He moved to the south of France in his last
years.
He felt he was let down by everybody throughout his life,
except for the lady who nursed him on the south coast of France
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