Kenny Ball’s royal performances, jazz success and lasting links to Torbay
Discover the later years of jazz legend Kenny Ball’s remarkable career, from performing at royal celebrations and achieving further chart success to his enduring connection with Torbay and the English Riviera. Explore the story behind one of traditional jazz’s most celebrated musicians and the legacy he left behind.
The Kenny Ball Jazzmen band continued to widely tour yet while also appeared on our televisions and on radio regularly when at home. Occasionally they were also on cinema screens and Kenny finally would appear solo on trumpet which was especially pleasing to his personal fans. But now a very special invitation was received by the band to play at the wedding reception of HRH the Prince & Princess of Wales in 1981. This must surely have seemed to Kenny the ultimate accolade of his career date, as without doubt he had achieved the lifestyle he sought when a teenage - to be famous and rich. Unlike so many stars of the entertainment world of that era Kenny was living the good life with his (second) wife and family living in the Region of his birth. Owning a large mansion with its grounds and a white Rolls-Royce parked on the drive in Ilford Essex.
With his band at the peak of it’s popularity the line up of musicians now included: John Bennett (trombone) Ron Bowden (drums) Dave Jones (clarinet) Andy Cooper (clarinet), John Fenner (guitar and banjo), Hugh Ledigo (piano), Paddy Lightfoot (banjo), Vic Pitt and John Benson (bass, and bass guitar), Roy Weatherburn and lastly Johnney Parker (Trombone and occasional band leader). Kenny sadly lost many of his musician friends in past years seeking either more leisure time, a change or retirement, whatever the reason it ultimately meant more work for Kenny. He would now need to search around and then interview potential players before offering them work a situation that continued just weeks until his death.
On a happier note Kenny when returning from one America trip heard that his style of jazz had been so well received by Americans that the bands tour had actually heightened a new interest in what American’s now called the “trad boom jazz”. The news was really pleasing to Kenny as it seems he had always felt he was on a sort of personal “mission” to win over audiences to his style of jazz. Now in 2001 Kenny put together an album with his best buddies - Acker Bilk and Chris Barber which was jointly released as “The Best of Ball, Barber and Bilk” the very first time the media had used the three “Bs” in a press release. The album reached the No 1 in Album Chart listings being also the same year Kenny and his Jazzmen enjoyed fourteen singles in a year as confirmed by the Pye Record company. But now came a second jazz album this time from Decca Records who titled and released it as “British Jazz Legends Together” in late 2001. This album featured Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, John Chilton, Johnney Dankworth, the Feet-warmers, Don Lusher, Humphrey Littleton and George Mellie. The record was especially pleasing to Kenny an Eastender of London now he had been accepted as an equal to jazz peers of his era.
With his band having enjoyed one of the longest continuous spells of success of any contemporary Kenny was fast approaching his final performance with the band which now included: Keith Ball (his son) a vocalist and eventually bandleader, John Bennett (trombone - the only 1958 founding member left), Bill Coleman (double bass), Ben Cummings (trumpet), Hugh Ledigo (piano) and Julian Marc Stringle (clarinet). The band would continue touring under Keith as Kenny’s last concert came with: Acker Bilk and Chris Barber at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on February 21, 2010 just weeks before he died.
With the band having enjoyed many seasons on the London Palladium Show over the years these greatly helped when an independent Press Release listed and published Kenny’s final tally of appearances on stage in a 2002 Press Release stating “The Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen had appeared in over one hundred and fifty venues every year since its formation until now”. Kenny then finally published his autobiography in 2004 titling it simply “Blowing my own Trumpet”. He also confirmed he had fully enjoyed the “fruits of his labour” with (second wife) Michelle and stepdaughters Nicole and Sophie plus daughters from his first wife Gillian and Jane and never forgetting his first child Keith, who was now the bands vocalist until latterly being it’s bandleader.
Having then contracted pneumonia Kenneth Daniel Ball died while in the Basildon Hospital Essex on March 7th 2013. It would be another five years before his band were seen on the show “Kenny Ball’s Greatest Hit’s” produced by trombonist Ian Bateman when Keith Ball was the bandleader.