Acker Bilk (b. 28 January 1929), born Bernard Stanley Bilk (known more familiarly as Mr. Acker Bilk), has been one of the world's greatest clarinetists since the late 1950s. His trademark goatee, bowler hat, and striped waistcoat are almost as recognizable as his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register clarinet style. He was born in Pensford, Somerset, England. Bilk earned the nickname Acker from the Somerset slang for friend or 'mate'. Wikipedia
The definitive Wikipedia entry for Acker Bilk. Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acker_Bilk
Kenny Ball Acker Bilk Chris Barber Humphrey Lyttelton George Melly John Dankworth and Cleo Laine Terry Lightfoot Pasadena Roof Orchestra Elkie Brooks Jacqui Dankworth Bob Kerr & his Whoopee Band More artists... www.jazzco.co.uk/
Significantly for us here today, he is clearly - and proudly - a man of these parts. The Vice-Chancellor will maintain that Bristol is the centre of the Universe; Acker nearly agrees: the true centre is pretty close, just a few miles to the South-East. www.bristol.ac.uk/cms/go/hon-degree/2005/jul-bilk.html
Clarinet player, band leader His recording of "Stranger on the Shore" reached #1 on Billboard magazine's pop music chart in 1962. It was also number 1 in the UK charts and remained in the charts for more than a year. He had a severe heart attack in 1976. www.imdb.com/name/nm0082254/
Initially associated with the British traditional or "trad" jazz movement, Acker Bilk rose to prominence in Britain and the United States as the bandleader responsible for the hit instrumental "Stranger on the Shore," which became the theme song of a popu www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003995/Acker-Bilk.html
