[Dixielandjazz] George Melly & the Press Gang

[David Richoux]

Maybe not surprisingly, I found some messages about Melly on the  
Bonzo Dog list - maybe because of his general notoriety in the UK  
music scene - he did, after all, record a track with  the long  
running Punk Band "The Stranglers" in 1978...

anyway, here is a tribute video done for him on YouTube:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ncq35PiMRwQ  Not OKOM for most, I  
guess! Punk Rock  music on the DJML?

Horrors!

Dave Richoux


On Jul 10, 2007, at 10:25 PM, Bill Haesler wrote:

> Ivor Jones wrote:
>> I first came across George at a Pub at the bottom of Fleet Street,  
>> the home of the British press. It was 1954, more or less, I don't  
>> remember the pub.The band was called the Press Gang, and it was  
>> probably comprised of journalists. George sang 'Judge, Judge,sweet  
>> mister Judge send me to the 'lectric chair' . He was bloody awful  
>> but very entertaining. The question is, Who was in the Press  
>> Gang ? Not even Mr. Australia will know that . How about it Bill.
>
> Dear Ivor,
> This is the best I can come up with:
>    In his first book, 'Owning Up', George Melly said that his  
> initial experience of live jazz was was at a farewell concert for  
> Graeme Bell & His Australian Band at the Leicster Square Jazz Club  
> in London. The Bells left London for Australia on 9th July 1948 and  
> handed the LSJC gig to Humph, so this effectively dates Melly's  
> introduction to the London jazz scene.
> George became impulsively involved and decided to be a singer. He  
> sat in with Humph and was then in a band with John RT Davies on  
> banjo, pianist Norman Day and John Postgate, cornet.
> They did at least one gig at the legendary Eel Pie Island on the  
> river Thames.
> Mick Mulligan was rehearsing his Magnolia Jazz Band at this time  
> and invited John RT and Norman Day to join. He also, somewhat  
> unwillingly, got George - courtesy of Norman! The Mulligan band  
> played its first paid job in Oct 1948, had several changes of  
> personnel, then recorded for Tempo in Jan 1950.
> The band 'turned' professional later in 1950. George was to remain  
> with Mick M until the early 60s.
> However he did work with others and made the first record under his  
> own name in June 1951.
> Now for the Press Gang in 1954.
> George appeared at a Royal Festival Hall concert in London on 30  
> Oct that year with Fred Hunt, p; Nevil Skrimshire, g; Frank  
> Thompson, sb and Pete Appleby, d. Could it have been them at the pub?
> I have found here (and in Britain) that there are musical cliques  
> of mates who regularly work together in small pickup groups fpr pub  
> jobs, outside their normal gigs.
> Kind regards,
> Bill.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or change your e-mail preferences for the Dixieland  
> Jazz Mailing list, or to find the online archives, pleas visit:
>
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>
>
>
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com