Clarinetist Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk was born on this day in 1929. Wikipedia says he was "known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistcoat." "Stranger On The Shore" was originally titled "Jenny" after Bilk’s daughter. It spent almost a year at #1 on the British charts and was the first #1 hit by a British artist on the Hot 100 in 1962.
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Hi John – I didn’t know much of the back story – but it was a record I always enjoyed hearing – it was an iconic song – I’d no idea bout the name, or the tv programme … live and learn, I guess! Cheers Hilary
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You can tell the minute it starts what the song is, even if you don’t know its name or who did it.
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Terrific, John
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Absolute heaven! Our 13-year-old granddaughter has been taking clarinet lessons for a couple of years. When we played this for her, I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. “That’s a clarinet?” she asked, clearly impressed, then added “How’d he make it sound like that?”
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A lot of us have wondered the same thing. It is a very mellow sound…
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As a clarinet player I love his style and sound. Amazing. I used to listen to a tape of his music to fall to sleep to when I was a kid.
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Any idea how he got that tone?
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A really good quality wooden clarinet and amazing embouchure… plus a whole tonne of practice, lol.
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I always loved this tune it was used as the theme to a TV series called Stranger on the shore, which I used to watch, about a french au pare who moved to Brighton England for work. The title Jenny was changed to the name of the show.
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I had read that, but had no idea what the plot was. Thanks!
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I must of enjoyed it as after all these years I remember it ☺️
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