Ken Colyer

Kenneth Colyer (18 April 1928 – 8 March 1988) was a British jazz trumpeter and cornetist, devoted totally to New Orleans jazz. His band was also known for skiffle interludes.

Biography
He was born in Great Yarmouth, grew up in Soho, London and was a member of a church choir. When his older brother Bill (born William John Colyer in 1922 &mdash; died January 2009) went off to serve in World War II he left his jazz records behind, which influenced Ken Colyer. He joined the Merchant Navy at 17, travelled around the world and heard famous jazz musicians in New York and Montreal.

In Britain, Colyer played with various bands and joined, in 1949, the Crane River Jazz Band (CRJB) with Ben Marshall, Sonny Morris and Monty Sunshine. The band played at the Royal Festival Hall on 14 July 1951 in the presence of HRH Princess Elizabeth.

Parts of that group merged with other musicians including Keith Christie and Ian Christie to form the Christie Brothers' Stompers. Colyer rejoined the Merchant Navy and in New Orleans played with his idols in the George Lewis Band. He was offered the job of lead trumpeter on a tour, but was then put in prison and deported.

He was invited to take the trumpet lead for the Chris Barber Band and so formed the first Ken Colyer's Jazzmen: Chris Barber, Monty Sunshine, Ron Bowden (born Ronald Arthur Bowden, 22 February 1928, Fulham, London), Lonnie Donegan and Jim Bray (born James Michael Bray, 24 April 1927, Richmond, Surrey). They made their first recordings on Storyville in 1953. The next, brief, band in the mid 1950s featured Bernard "Acker" Bilk on clarinet.

Then followed Colyer's most notable band line-up with Mac Duncan (trombone), Ian Wheeler (clarinet), Johnny Bastable (banjo), Ron Ward (bass) and Colin Bowden (drums), later joined by Ray Foxley (piano). This band played together until the early 1960s when the new front-line featured, at various times, Sammy Rimington and Tony Pyke (clarinet), Graham Stewart and Geoff Cole (trombone), Bill Cole (bass) and Malc Murphy (drums). In January 1963, the British music magazine NME reported that the biggest trad jazz event to be staged in Britain had taken place at Alexandra Palace. The event included George Melly, Diz Disley, Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Alex Welsh, Monty Sunshine, Bob Wallis, Bruce Turner, Mick Mulligan and Colyer.

In 1971, after a bout with stomach cancer, Colyer took his doctors' advice to stop leading a band. The band continued to work under the leadership of banjoist Johnny Bastable, as his "Chosen Six", recruiting John Shillito (trumpet). Colyer continued with a solo career into the 1980s. He moved to the south of France in his last years. Lake Records was started by re-issuing Colyer albums (from the Decca catalogue) and the current catalogue contains most of his best recordings.

Colyer's biography, "Goin' Home" (published 2010), was written by Mike Pointon and Ray Smith. Ken's autobiography, "When Dreams are in the Dust", was published shortly after Ken's death by the Ken Colyer Trust and re-issued in 2009 after correction by Mike Pointon and Tony Leppard.

Singles
Ken Colyer's Jazzmen
 * Decca F10241 "Goin' Home" / "Isle of Capri" (1954)
 * Decca F10332 "La Harpe Street Blues" / "Too Busy" (1954)
 * Decca F10504 "Early Hours" / "Cataract Rag" (1955)
 * Decca F10519 "If I Ever Cease to Love You" / "The Entertainer" (1955)
 * Decca F10565 "It Looks Like a Big Time Tonight" / "Red Wing" (1955)
 * Decca FJ10755 "All the Girls Go Crazy About the Way I Walk" / "Dippermouth Blues" (1956)
 * Tempo A117 "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" / "Sheik of Araby" (1956)
 * Tempo A120 "If I Ever Cease to Love" / "Isle of Capri" (1956)
 * Tempo A126 "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" / "Wabash Blues" (1956)
 * Tempo A136 "Maryland, My Maryland" / "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise" (1956)
 * Columbia DB4676 "The Happy Wanderer" / "Maryland, My Maryland" (1961)
 * Columbia DB4783 "Postman's Lament" / "Too Busy" (1962)

Albums

 * Decca Skiffle Sessions, Lake Records, LACD 7
 * Live at York Arts Centre (1972), Upbeat, URCD 210
 * The Crane River Jazz Band
 * Club Session with Colyer