Shep's Banjo Boys were a British musical act who appeared weekly on The Comedians , a British television show of the 1970s (later reprised in the mid-1980s and early 1990s), produced by Johnnie Hamp of Granada Television. They were a 7-piece band comprising (for the first five series) Charlie Bentley (tenor banjo), Andy Holdorf (trombone), John Drury (sousaphone), John Orchard (piano), John Rollings (drums), Graham Shepherd (banjo) and Howard Shepherd (lead banjo). In 1973, the line up was Howard "Shep" Shepherd (lead banjo), Graham Shepherd and Mike Dexter (banjos), Tony Pritchard (trombone), Tony "Tosh" Kennedy (sousaphone) and Ged Martin (drums).
During the 1980s, the group regularly entertained Queen Elizabeth 2 passengers playing background reception music and "welcome aboard" acoustic music, in addition to their cabaret spot. [1]
In 2013, they toured the UK with comedian Jimmy Cricket and Neil Hurst in a live show, The Good Old Days of Music Hall and Variety. [2]
The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, "Glad All Over", which knocked the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK Singles Chart. It peaked at No. 6 in the United States in April 1964. Although this was their only UK No. 1, they topped the US chart in December 1965, with their cover of Bobby Day's "Over and Over". Their other UK top-ten hits include "Bits and Pieces", "Can't You See That She's Mine", "Catch Us If You Can", "Everybody Knows", "The Red Balloon", "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll", and a version of Chet Powers' "Get Together".
Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester and fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous transatlantic hits in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion. Between March and August 1965 in the United States, the group logged twenty-four consecutive weeks in the Top Ten of Billboard's Hot 100 with five singles, including the two number ones "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Henry VIII, I Am".
Antony Gordon Hawksworth, MBE, known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author.
The Comedians is a British television show of the 1970s produced by Johnnie Hamp of Granada Television. The show gave TV exposure to nightclub and working men's club comedians of the era, including Russ Abbot, Jim Bowen and Bernard Manning, many of whom went on to enjoy mainstream success in the 1980s. Filmed before a live audience in Manchester, comics each performed 20-minute sets, which were then edited together into half-hour shows featuring up to thirteen stand-up comics.
Clinton Ford was an English popular singer of the 1950s and 1960s.
The Dillards are an American bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. The band is best known for introducing bluegrass music into the popular mainstream with their appearance as "The Darlings" on The Andy Griffith Show.
George Edward Heath was a British musician and big band leader.
Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical styles and influences. The band included percussion and a four-piece brass section. Bellowhead's bandmembers played more than 20 instruments among them, whilst all performers provided vocals.
Cissie and Ada, in full Cissie Braithwaite and Ada Shufflebotham, are a comedy drag act featuring two fictional housewives from Northern England. The act was created and played by the comedian Les Dawson and the comic actor Roy Barraclough on television in the 1970s and 1980s.
Kenneth Colyer was an English jazz trumpeter and cornetist, devoted to New Orleans jazz. His band was also known for skiffle interludes.
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands, but may be more correctly termed military bands, concert bands, or "brass and reed" bands.
The Temperance Seven is a British band originally active in the 1960s, specialising in 1920s-style jazz music. They were known for their surreal performances.
Hey Negrita were an English country blues band formed in London in 2002. They were named after the song "Hey Negrita", from the 1976 album Black and Blue by the Rolling Stones. The band, which consisted of Felix Bechtolsheimer, Matthew Ord, Neil Findlay (drums), William Greener, Paul Sandy (bass) and Paul Tkachenko, released four studio albums and various singles.
The Grumbleweeds are an award winning British comedy band, performing music and comedy. They were mostly popular on radio and television in the 1980s, including The Grumbleweeds Radio Show which ran from 1979 to 1988 on BBC Radio 2 and a later television incarnation.
Pete Allen is an English Dixieland jazz clarinettist, alto and soprano saxophonist, banjo, bandleader, and vocalist. He has appeared in television and radio shows, both with his band and as a solo act. He has worked with Peanuts Hucko, Bud Freeman, Bob Wilber, Marty Grosz, Billy Butterfield, Barrett Deems, Jack Lesberg, and Kenny Ball.
Danny Davis was an American country music band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer, best known as the founder and leader of the Nashville Brass.
Berisford Shepherd, professionally known as Shep Shepherd, was an American multi-instrumental jazz musician, composer and singer.
Noah and the Whale were a British indie rock and folk band from Twickenham, formed in 2006. The band's last line-up consisted of Charlie Fink, Tom Hobden (violin/keyboards), Matt "Urby Whale" Owens, Fred Abbott (guitar/keys) and Michael Petulla (drums). Doug Fink (drums), the brother of lead singer Charlie, and Laura Marling were also past members of the band.
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde art, the Bonzos came to public attention through appearances in the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour and the 1968 ITV comedy show Do Not Adjust Your Set.
This is a summary of 1950 in music in the United Kingdom.