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History Of A Birmingham Musician

A

Adrian Jones

Brummie babby
My dad, Dennis William Jones, started to play violin and piano from a very early age when at school in Bridgnorth and even played the church organ.
He went in to the RAF but his eye sight was not good enough to allow him to fly so he went into the dental branch. He bunked alongside Alfred Marks where they became friends. Whilst in the RAF he played in the bands to entertain the servicemen. By this time he was also playing clarinet and sax.
When he left the RAF he wanted to pursue his music career and so moved to Birmingham.
I remember him saying he played with Sonny Rose at the West End Ballroom and various other dance halls. He also played with Harry Engleman, Sammy Ash and the BBC Radio Orchestra. I remember him having various size saxophones and his clarinet but in his later years he must have lost his puff as he started playing bass guitar mainly with Joe Royal and his band all over the place not just Birmingham. We used to take trips to a music shop near Dudley zoo for any of his instrument needs.
He could still play keyboards having a two manual electronic organ taking up a large part of our back room. In his spared time he'd play all sorts on that and also used to get tapes from new groups and score / transpose (not sure if that's the correct terminology) for the various instruments.
Other names I can remember are John Brotherton, Stan Pitstock and Jack McKecknie (spelling?) and Jack Nunn.
Does any one remember my dad Dennis or Joe Royal (who I used to live next door to).
Photos to be added...
 
Adrian,

Welcome to the Forum. My active musical years in Birmingham ran from May 1957 until January 1961. I then moved south to Dorset and paid rare short visits back for family events from 1970 and on short business trips from 1988 until I retired in 2001. I also paid visits to the Birmingham International Jazz Festival to renew acquaintances with old friends in the early part of this century. I'm sorry but your Dad's name is not known to me, nor any of the names in your last paragraph.

Drummer Eddie Haynes and sax player John Crump (Old Brit) were around two or three years earlier than me, and are members here along with several other members, who have an interest in music and clubs. The dates of your Dad's National Service dates might help to put things in a time frame.

Maurice
 
Hi Maurice

Dad would have been playing there from some time between 1946 or early '48 I reckon as I do not have a date he finished in the RAF. He met my mom in the West End and they married mid-1948. He played up until the mid 80's I think.
As soon as the photo hosting account is sorted I'll put some band photos up.

Adrian
 
Finally managed to get registered for photo hosting. Hopefully this will upload.

displayimage.php
 
I'll try direct from my PC, I tried using Coppermine before after several attempts to get an account.
1st & 2nd image BBC Radio Orchestra
3rd image ? BBC Radio Orchestra
4th image Sammy Ash - not sure where
My dad is in all of these, 1st top left with clarinet, 2nd with his back to the camera, 3rd front row second from left, 4th far right. Not sure of the years but guessing late 40's early 50's.

BBC - band1.jpg BBC - band2.jpg scan0016.jpg scan0017.jpg
 
Adrian,

Thanks for the great photographs, but far too early for me as I was still at school during that period, but hopefully someone on the Forum will know.

Maurice
 
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cracking photos adrian...where in birmingham did your dad live ie the street or road

lyn
 
Adrian,

In that third photograph, your Dad could almost be a double for Ken Mackintosh! :)

Maurice
 
Even before my time. Great photos he must have been quite the top in the field in those days.
 
Astoness said:
cracking photos adrian...where in birmingham did your dad live ie the street or road

lyn
Click to expand...
Hi Lyn
When my dad married my mom in '48 they lived with her father and step-mom in Oval Road, Erdington. They stopped there until about '53 when they moved to Solihull. My dad was born in Bridgnorth but came to Birmingham post-war to pursue his musical career. He met my mom at the West End where she was an usherette in the cinema. My mom and all her relatives were from Aston, she was born in '24 and lived in Inkerman Street and then George Road, Erdington, just before the war.
 
sospiri said:
Adrian,

In that third photograph, your Dad could almost be a double for Ken Mackintosh! :)

Maurice
Click to expand...
Hi Maurice
I had to go and Google Ken MacKintosh for an image. It's interesting that he was 9 months older than my dad and his orchestra was on the BBC Radio most weeks in the 50's & early 60's. That's not him in the 1st photo bottom left sitting on the stage, 2nd photo standing to the right with alto sax and pointing and then in 3rd photo conducting?
Just a thought?
Adrian
 
Adrian,

I tried to find out if Ken had ever actually worked with the BBC Radio Orchestra, but it appears not from all the biographies and jazz articles that I have checked. The only people that would know for certain are the BBC, if they still have personnel records going back that far, and they've always been fairly secretive about revealing that sort of information.

Maurice
 
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Adrian Jones said:
Hi Lyn
When my dad married my mom in '48 they lived with her father and step-mom in Oval Road, Erdington. They stopped there until about '53 when they moved to Solihull. My dad was born in Bridgnorth but came to Birmingham post-war to pursue his musical career. He met my mom at the West End where she was an usherette in the cinema. My mom and all her relatives were from Aston, she was born in '24 and lived in Inkerman Street and then George Road, Erdington, just before the war.
Click to expand...


thanks adrian..there maybe a couple of photos of inkerman st aston on the forum...as you probably know george road erdington is still there

lyn
 
sospiri said:
Adrian,

I tried to find out if Ken had ever actually worked with the BBC Radio Orchestra, but it appears not from all the biographies and jazz articles that I have checked. The only people that would know for certain are the BBC, if they still have personnel records going back that far, and they've always been fairly secretive about revealing that sort of information.

Maurice
Click to expand...
Hi Maurice
I read about the BBC on the Wiki for Ken. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Mackintosh

Adrian
 
I played with the Ken Mac Band, but do not believe that he ever worked around Birmingham/
First photograph seems to show a young Ray Price on drums, but the really old pre-war drums are throwing me a little..

Second photograph is the wonderful Tommy Webster on his Ajax drum kit.

Third photo show Stan Poole (tenor sax), in light sweater) nearest to camera. I think it is a young George Watts on alto.Have no idea who the drummer is, but again, playing Ajax drums. This could well be the Sonny Rose Band, looks amazingly like Sonny Rose, on alto, leading the band. Both Stan and Tommy worked with the Rose band for years. If so, the pianist, who is only showing the back of his head, could well be Tommy Sanderson.

Joe Royal (tenor sax) and Jackie Nunn (trumpet) I knew well. Worked with Jackie in the Ronnie Hancox Band a couple of times. Jack Mckecknie, ex. Hedley Ward Trio, and I were very good friends.

Other faces I knew, but names?...long gone.......too many years ago.

Eddie
 
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Adrian Jones said:
I'll try direct from my PC, I tried using Coppermine before after several attempts to get an account.
1st & 2nd image BBC Radio Orchestra
3rd image ? BBC Radio Orchestra
4th image Sammy Ash - not sure where
My dad is in all of these, 1st top left with clarinet, 2nd with his back to the camera, 3rd front row second from left, 4th far right. Not sure of the years but guessing late 40's early 50's.

View attachment 116665 View attachment 116666 View attachment 116667 View attachment 116668
Click to expand...
Third photo far left Is my Dad Stan
 
norfolk brummie said:
I played with the Ken Mac Band, but do not believe that he ever worked around Birmingham/
First photograph seems to show a young Ray Price on drums, but the really old pre-war drums are throwing me a little..

Second photograph is the wonderful Tommy Webster on his Ajax drum kit.

Third photo show Stan Poole (tenor sax), in light sweater) nearest to camera. I think it is a young George Watts on alto.Have no idea who the drummer is, but again, playing Ajax drums. This could well be the Sonny Rose Band, looks amazingly like Sonny Rose, on alto, leading the band. Both Stan and Tommy worked with the Rose band for years. If so, the pianist, who is only showing the back of his head, could well be Tommy Sanderson.

Joe Royal (tenor sax) and Jackie Nunn (trumpet) I knew well. Worked with Jackie in the Ronnie Hancox Band a couple of times. Jack Mckecknie, ex. Hedley Ward Trio, and I were very good friends.

Other faces I knew, but names?...long gone.......too many years ago.

Eddie
Click to expand...
Jo P said:
Third photo far left Is my Dad Stan, fab photo - way before I was born but it’s him!
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for the IDs, Jo, and whilst they are far too early for any member here to be alive and taking an interest at that time, it does help to eliminate other suggestions for players' names.

Maurice :cool:
 
The late Eddie (or TED as I knew him) Haynes on drums, was one of the best. We had some real good times in the 1950s I just located Robin Kendal our bass player in Worcester, 86 now and still fit and active. Colin Willetts and John Headford passed on sometime ago. Four Bob to get in!!! packed them in to, played all over Brum. We played all the old standards lots of fun happy times long gone. John Crump (me) on alto. 43753640_1530798000353564_5556741224850784256_n.jpg
 
Great pic, John, and good to know two of you are still here. Same with the first regular quintet I played in for four & a half years in Bournemouth, just the bass player (85 or 86) and me still about. He still sails his boat in Poole Harbour and does occasional gigs.

Maurice :cool:
 
Jo P said:
Third photo far left Is my Dad Stan
Click to expand...

Hi Jo
Really glad to read about Stan Poole.
Stan was my uncle (his younger brother John Poole was my dad), which I suppose would make us cousins.
I knew Stan played tenor sax but glad to come across this forum and see a picture. I'm a jazz fan.
David
 
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