Bill Cole
birth 2 Feb 1920 Born blind
married Dec qtr 1955 to Mildred M Riggs.
Became Jazz pianist
Set up Bill Cole and his Clubman
Played at Hilsea Lido Cafe (Blue Lagoon)during war
Joined Johnny Lyne Band
1960s-70s Played at venues in Portsmouth and Hayling Island
death 11 Jun 2002 Died Portsmouth
One of Portsmouth's best loved jazz pianists has died suddenly from a stroke.
Entertainer Bill Cole, 82, was winning audiences with his toe tapping tunes just days before his death.
The pianist and singer who was born blind has a remarkable ear for music and from the age of five could be found tinkling tunes on the piano.
Although braille sheets were widely available he rarely used them preferring instead to play by ear.
After leaving a specialist school for the blind, he trained as a piano tuner but it was clear such a job would never ontain his musical yearnings.
As a young man he set up Bill Cole Clubmen and b3gan to make his name in musical venues accross Portsmmouth.
During the war, the band played six nights a week at the Blue Lagoon and secured many fans among American soldiers.
After the war he joined the Johnny Lyne Band which won in 1953, the British Championshipsfor semi-profasssional musicians in Manchester.
His modern forward thinking arrangements for piano, bass, drums, saxaphone, trumpet and trombone were received rapturously and many expected the group to hit the national stage.
Sadly the band dissolved and Bill, a local man at heart, spent the 1960's and 1970's touring Southsea Piers, bars and hotels as well as Hayling Island holiday camps.
His lively repetoire included Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole's smash hits as well as plenty of jokes and anecdotes.
In his late forties he met and fell in love with another blind musician, Mildred.
She said "I can hear music amnd copy it, but with Bill it was an art form. When we were young jazz was frounded upon.
Bill had jazz in him from day one. After he retired he was really able to indulge that love".
Born February 2nd 1919, died June 11th 2002.
It don’t mean a thing, ’cos
it ain't got that swing 6th October 1970
Bill Cole looked perplexed and spoke with deep feeling “Nowadays I just don’t understand what they are trying to say.”
They are modern jazz musicians. and 51-year old
Cole (pictured here). a favourite on the Portsmouth jazz
scene for more than 25 years,
was speaking as a man whose
life has been devoted to
music).
“Besides being my living.
jazz has always been my main pass time,“ he told a NEWS
REPORTER. as be looked
back on countless hours at the
piano keyboard in scores of
nightspot in the South.
OLD SCHOOL
“There doesn‘t seem to be
any set beat or swing these
days--it's considered a sin to
take one of the standard L
and play an improvized chorus
round it.
"1 suppose I am considered
a member of the old school
because I enjoyed playing
what was said to be modern
ten years ago," be added, as if
resigned to a new em of musicians dictating a pattern of progress alien to his own conception of jazz.
THE NEWS looked up Bill
at his Dorking Crescent.
Cosham. home. after a reader
drew attention to one of our
“25 years ago" items.
' That recorded that Bill Coke
and his Clubmen had won a
prize in a talent contest at the
Hammersmith Paiais de Dance
and set our readers wondering about Bill’s prowess since.
Born in Portsmouth. Bill has
spent his lfe in the city, and
he developed his musical ability early.
He went to the Royal Normal College of Music for the
Blind in 1936 and, with a
broadened outlook returned to
Portsmouth in 1943. when he
teamed up with a set of local
musicians.
Bill Cole and his Clubmen
became the resident band of
the Corporation at the Hilsea
Lido. There entered competitions and took third place in
the South Britain area dance
band contest held at the Hammersmith Palais de Dance.
They also so won -the Metropolitan Swing Swing Band and
Hampshire Dance Band Championships but then Bill left to
become a member of the
Johnny Lyne Band, which he joined in 1951.
The following year the band the Melody Maker Championships in Belle Vue, Manchester. and this feat was
repealed in 1953.
OBVIOUS STEP
It seemed that success was
to follow Bill wherever he
went, but it was a different
matter when the band started
recording. With the following
they had and the successes
they had notched up. it seemed
the obvious step to take.
But what materialize could
only described as a failure.
‘We cut two records which
were not very successful -
they didn’t sell well and I
never got any royalties said Bill.
In 1955 after the band had
folded he renewed his acquaintance with former clubman Ron Bennett and a quintet was formed.
With the addition of a guitarist in 1960
the band’s line-up was complete.
January. I964, brought the
start of their Saturday night
spot at the Queen‘s Hotel,
Southsea. From Monday to Thursday, Bill plays solo.
And as for the future? “I
would like to do radio and television work but the scope for
solo artists. especially in local
radio, is not as great as it could be.
“I should also like Radio
Solent. in common with
other local stations, produce
more or the
blind." he said.
Bill's television work has so
far been restricted to two
appearances on “Strictly for
the Birds." and one on “How
to enjoy Jazz Without Really
Trying," back in I964 and 1965.
Of the artists he admires.
Oscar Peterson, he says
without hesitation is top of
the list.
“The unanswered question
remains. Why has a man of his
undoubted talents, dominated a
locality which rates him so
highly and yet newt made
big time.
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An interview with Bill Cole 1977
I am sure many of you already know
or have heard of Bill Cole, one of the
most prominent local musicians of our
area. Listening to Bill one tends to arrive
at the conclusion that he is first and
foremost a jazz pianist. In his time he
has mixed with many great jazz players,
Georgie Good, Dill Jones, and Spence
Brown but to name a few. Needless to
say his repetoire is not entirely limited
to jazz as he seems to enjoy most aspects
of music although nowadays he does
tend to be rather more involved within
the ‘commercial scene.’
Being the busy man that he is, I
could only catch him for a brief interview prior to leaving for an engagement
at the ‘Sinah Warren’ club, thus causing
him to cut his bathtime boating short!
“I started work back in 1943 at the
Rafga club where the Portsmouth
jazz club was first found. All sorts of
people used to get down there then;
Dill Jones used to sit in on piano; this
was when he was in the navy long be fore
he became professional and made quite
a name for himself and the “Dill Jones
trio”. I believe he’s now in America.
Spence Brown on trumpets, Phil Byres
on trumpet and cornet, Georgie Good,
Cyril Brease on tenor and violin, Nelson
Peters on bass and I think Jo Angus
joined us later on.”
“Was this still on a local scale or did
you achieve anything notable in the way
of the BBC or recording contracts at all.”
“Oh no. The major events we
became involved with were the
Kodac Swing Band Competition and
The Melody Maker Dance Band Championships. I think we entered the Kodac
Swing Band competion in 1947-48 as
the “Bill Cole clubman,” I think we
came fifth one year. Then we entered
the Melody Maker Dance Band chainpionship as the ‘Johnny Lyne Band,”
we came second in 1952 and eventually
won it in 1953. This enabled us to have
a single out on general release in 1954,
the winners always did. Mind you we
have made local recordings which were
never put out on general release.”
“Within the area where did you use
To play at that time?”
“In those days we used to play in
such places as the Rafga Hall 43-44,
and gradually went on from the old
days at the White Hart at Kingston
Cross to the Railway Hotel in Fratton
in the 50’s and Rickys Club were the
local jazz scene.”
“In those days you must have backed
a lot of well known artists, can you
name any?”
“Well we used to get visits from such
people as Ronnie Ross, Don Reudie,
Kenny Baker, Betty Smith and Cathy
Stobart. The only American I’ve ever
backed was Peanuts Hucks and that was
at the “Concorde” last year. Arthur
Ward was with me at that one.”
“Can you remember anything outstanding or humerous happening in
connection with any of these well
known artists?”
“Off hand, I can’t think of anything
funny though some of the evenings were
much more enjoyable than others. Jo
Harriet was quite a character but he’s
dead now so I wouldn’t like to say anything about him. He used to play alto
although I only knew him as a soloist,
one of the contemporaries of people
like Johnny Laudlore, Kenny Baker and
all those people in their heyday.”
“What about the ‘Arthur Ward’ latest
venture, I assume you are involved.”
“Oh yes, this is nothing to do with
Jazz it’s completely different, it’s a much
more commercial venture. Chris Waters
wrote a couple of songs and we’ve just
finished recording them. The actual
recordings were reasonably good and we
are hoping that perhaps they will sell as
they are both fairly commercial.”
This is where we close I’m afraid as
Bill had to leave for the “Sinah Warren”
where he was due to appear with the
Arthur Ward Band. So all that remains
is for me to wish Bill Cole and The
Arthur Ward Band the very best of luck
with their forthcoming ventures!
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Obituary
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Births Mar 1919 Cole William mother's maiden name Green at Chorlton Lancs 8c 904
Marriages Dec 1913 Cole William married Green Caroline Chorlton 8c 1417
Bill is third from the right
The Club QuartetBarry Barron, George Good, Nelson Peters, Terry Flynn
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