Kenny Ball

From the age of fifteen onward, Kenny Ball devoted himself to the trumpet, acquiring formative experience in the groups of Charlie Galbraith, Eric Delaney, and Sid Phillips. Launching his own ensemble in 1958 quickly placed him at the forefront of Britain’s trad jazz movement. The first hit, “I Love You Samantha,” was followed by the enormous 1961 Dixieland crossover “Midnight in Moscow”—a chart entry made during the period when such material could still reach mainstream audiences—and by “So Do I,” establishing Ball’s lasting profile. He sustained an active career into the mid-1990s, highlighted by a 1985 Soviet Union tour, while continuing to enjoy household recognition across England.