When Acker was young he was taught to play the piano but this he did not like as it meant he had to practice when all his friends were out playing football or poaching. Acker originally started playing clarinet in 1948 when he was in the Royal Engineers in the Canal Zone where he borrowed a military clarinet and started copying records. He was sent to the Glasshouse for sleeping on guard duty, and he had hours to practice whilst in a cell awaiting court martial. Demobbed, Acker formed his first band in Bristol the came to London as a clarinet player with Ken Colyer’s Band, but hated London and returned to Bristol to form the Bristol Paramount Jazz Band. Eventually, in May 1951, this band came to London (where Acker lived in a factory attic in Plaistow). The band got their first big chance in Dusseldorf – six weeks constant playing in a beer bar. This disciplined Acker and the band musically, and prepared them for the big time ahead.

The duration of Acker’s success story is quite an achievement, when one recalls that “Stranger on the Shore” was a hit in 1961, and even before that we had “Somerset”, since then he has received many too many awards to list here. Some 15 years later he was in the singles charts again with “Aria”. Albums such as “The One for Me”, “Sheer Magic” and “Evergreen” are some of the more recent ones that obtained him places in the charts once again. This is not just in England, but all over the World. Acker is now a freelance artiste and records live with his Paramount Jazz Band, with string orchestras or with a synthesizer and enjoys all three ways of getting his music to the public. The synthesizer was a fairly new innovation in 1989, but he was delighted with the results. These LP’s he records with Pickwick Records and the live albums with his Paramount Jazz Band are recorded with Kaz.

At this majestic age you would have thought that Acker would have lightened his work load a little but, besides recording albums in the U.K. he tours constantly throughout the World and in the last eighteen months has been to Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, The Far East, The Middle East, East and West Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Poland, Cyprus, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, France, Northern Ireland; in fact you name it, he’s been there. In the last couple of years we have seen Acker and his Paramount Jazz Band touring with Kenny Ball both in Austria and New Zealand and in England. In England they usually go out as a jazz package with other artistes such as Humphrey Lyttleton, George Melly, Chris Barber, Kenny Baker, George Chrisholm, Jack Parnell, etc., etc. This accident-prone genius, who claims his instantly recognizable style of clarinet playing came about by losing two front teeth in a school punch-up and half his finger in a sledding mishap, can still pack ’em in.

Besides being a Musician, Composer and Bandleader, he also is a Partner in his own Agency, and owns two publishing companies. Acker lives in Potters Bar with his wife Jean, daughter Jenny (who now works for Acker driving him all over the United Kingdom), son Peter and Ebby, their dog. One of his pride and joys is his beautiful Mercedes Coupe, and he is quite a connoisseur of champagne, white wine and, of course, cider! A long time has passed since 28th January, 1929 and, as I have said above, Acker has traveled the World. I think that a true example of his down-to-earthiness and his warmth of character is the fact that having seen the World. Acker has just built a bungalow in his beloved Pensford in Somerset (I know it’s called Avon but Acker won’t have that – he calls it Somerset!) and he and his wife will spent as much time there as they can.

He will still be touring the World and playing his music three or four times a week and, as Acker says, “I can’t believe I actually get paid for doing what I love most in the World but he will be able to spend a lot of his spare time walking in the Pensford countryside – This is the mixture that is really Acker Bilk.

To end this outline on Somerset’s favorite son I think the biggest tribute I could pay to him is that having worked with him for over twenty years my initial reaction to Mr. Acker Bilk stays the same and that is, when you are with him his special warmth and friendliness keeps you smiling and when he is onstage playing his clarinet the music that this man produces leaves you breathless with admiration. So I end as I began “This Great Master of the Clarinet has to be heard to be believed,”

Pamela F Sutton - Personal Manager/Partner