Harmonicas | The Harmonica Archivist

Tommy Reilly International Club (TRIC), 1967-71

June 3, 2025June 19, 2025 Archie Leave a comment

based on articles by Cheng Jang Ming in Harmonica World in 2013,
and Roger Trobridge, who edited the original articles.

Cheng Jang Ming wrote: Not many people know much about TRIC these days. I don’t remember the first time I came across TRIC, but it definitely didn’t strike a chord with me at the time.

Recently after hearing some of Roger’s old BBC radio recordings about TRIC, I became fascinated by it. I asked some questions and things became clearer.

It was not only a club for Tommy Reilly to give lessons to his pupils, but it was also a place for trying out new harmonica compositions and a meeting centre for musicians and composers.

Hammonds Wood, the home of Tommy and his wife Ena, was the venue for TRIC. At that time, many people considered Hammonds Wood the Mecca for harmonica players. People from Britain and overseas went there to learn from Tommy. I started digging into the history of TRIC with immeasurable help from David Reilly, Sigmund Groven, Uwe Warschkow, Frank Semus, Carol Bloxsome (Carol Axford) and Roger Trobridge. Here is what I learned.

The early days

Tommy was born in Canada in 1919. He moved to England in 1935 when his father, Captain James Reilly, became Musical Director of the newly formed Hohner National Song Band League. Tommy turned professional at the age of 16 but he was interned by the Germans at the start of WW2 when he was studying violin in Leipzig. He worked hard on his harmonica technique during his time in the camps using the knowledge he had gained from his studies on violin. This led to him being recognised as the acknowledged master of the chromatic harmonica.

When he was released at the end of the war, in 1945, he restarted his musical career as a speciality act in a variety show called Twinkle where he met Ena who was the Principle Girl in the show. They married and had a son David.

Tommy Reilly travelled in many countries, giving concerts with some of the world’s foremost orchestras. As the years went by, the idea with an international club grew, because of his concern for quality of tuition available for harmonica players.

He met many harmonicas players when he was on tour but he found they were not reaching the standards of performance that they ought to have done. They liked the instrument and they wanted to learn to play it properly. Unfortunately there was no where that they could get together and study the chromatic harmonica as a legitimate instrument. Everybody seemed to be doing things in their own way. Tommy thought someone had to set a certain standard and say, “Do it this way!”

The Creation of TRIC

In the end, it was Ena who started TRIC! Many of Tommy’s fans wrote to him and it was Ena who would answer them. There were too many letters and if she couldn’t answer some of the technical questions, she would get the answer from Tommy whenever he was free. It was taking a lot of her time, so around 1965 she thought of the idea of forming a club so that players could come to Tommy for lessons, and also meet one another to exchange ideas, whether they were amateurs or professionals.

TRIC began to take shape at the Reilly’s house in Sunbury on Thames, London, around 1964-6, but as it began to grow they decided to look for something that could accommodate more people. They looked at many houses over the next eighteen months, before finding Hammonds Wood.

Hammonds Wood was a very large house with 14 bedrooms, built in 1905, on 11 acres of land on the outskirts of the small rural village of Frensham, near Farnham, in Surrey.

The land included a long drive, stables, a paddock, lawns and wooded areas, which fell away to the banks of the River Wey.

It cost 10/6 (55p in today’s money) to join TRIC, which provided all sorts of general information services for the harmonica world. Members could come to Hammonds Wood and meet other players from all over the world, both amateur and professional. Most important of all, they could have lessons with Tommy.

Tommy enjoyed his time with the pupils who came, but he did not take complete beginners. He was not sure that he would be any good at teaching. It wasn’t until he started teaching and had to answer questions from his pupils that he really began to understand what he was doing. He was just playing in a natural way. Teaching other players made him analyse what he was doing so that he could tell them how to do it. Here is an application form for TRIC when it was active between 1967-71.

Please note the following application form is not valid any more.

TOMMY REILLY INTERNATIONAL CLUB (T.R.I.C.)

The Tommy Reilly International Club is an organisation for the advancement and fuller enjoyment of the harmonica in all spheres of music.

Under the leadership of world-famous
harmonica player and teacher Tommy Reilly, the club has been formed for the benefit of harmonica players everywhere.

This includes professional and amateur players as well as nonplayers.

The club will assist in the formation of local branches where members may meet for their mutual enjoyment and encouragement.

In addition, through the club’s international organisation, members can exchange news and ideas with other enthusiasts thousands of miles away in other countries.

The aims of the Tommy Reilly International Club are

To make expert harmonica tuition available for the beginner and advanced student.
To sponsor local and national harmonica festivals and concerts.
To provide a link between harmonica enthusiast all over the world.
I enclose 10/6. Please enrol me as a member of the Tommy Reilly International Club.
Name …………… (Block Capitals Please)

The Activities at TRIC.

HOME THIS AFTERNOON – BBC Radio 4, 13 Aug 1969

A family magazine introduced by Ken Sykora and including: Tommy Reilly’s International
Anne Catchpole visits Hammonds Wood where Tommy Reilly has established a centre for harmonica players deep in the Surrey countryside.

What follows is an edited transcription of the 15 min section in the program about TRIC. You can listen to the broadcast if you want at the end of this section.

With its many attractive bedrooms, and large gardens, Hammonds Wood could take up to 10 visitors. There was no fixed program or routine; the time was spent having lessons with Tommy, practicing, listening to records and tapes, making tapes, and chatting over endless cups of tea and coffee. Meals were taken at any time, and Ena did all the cooking.

Ena said, “When they came here, I looked after them. Generally if they had any problems, they would tell me. Of course, they were in our home which meant I had to look after them. Some time ago Ho Chong Wing came here from Singapore. I wrote to him to ask about the food he could eat. We introduced him to many English dishes like pancakes, and he took the recipe back for his wife to make them for him when he returned to Singapore. It’s quite fun really. It’s like one big happy family, we all help each other!”

The people who helped Tommy and Ena to run TRIC were their son David, Tommy’s personal manager, Sigmund Groven, and occasionally, James Moody. TRIC had members from many different countries, some of them would come to Hammonds Wood for tuition more or less regularly.

A very active member at TRIC was Brian Chaplin, the All-Britain Champion in 1967. He had been playing the harmonica since he was 13. As there was no way then to get proper tuition for the harmonica, he had enlisted the help of a saxophone player and organist, Les Bloxsome, whose daughter Carol, accompanied him on the piano – she is now better known as Carol Axford.

Brian said, “Carol’s father helped me quite a bit, as did Carol, who played the piano. We worked very hard but we hardly made any progress until we were able to come to Hammonds Wood. Since we’ve been here, it’s been absolutely fantastic! I’m an engineer and I find it very difficult to turn off after a hard day’s work, talking only engineering. Hammonds Wood really does set the right environment and gets you tuned in to the music.”

Carol decided to play the harmonica herself, and two years later she became the British amateur champion. She was also an active member of TRIC. She said “I usually came and practiced for three days. I would have one lesson with Tommy because that was enough to keep me going for another month”.

Brian said, “I’m slightly different from Carol. I usually I booked two lessons, one per day. I locked myself away in a little room and beat my brains out trying to put into effect what Tommy has taught me. From a lesson lasting one hour, it seemed that I needed hundreds of hours of practice to attain the standards Tommy set! Then I would have another lesson to consolidate what he had taught me already and what I had been practicing since the last lesson.”

Brian commented, “Carol has been able to learn the right way to play the harmonica right from the start, unlike myself, who had picked up bits and pieces here and there. I had learned some bad habits as well as some of the right things. One of the difficulties I had in the first year in TRIC was, in fact, undoing all those wrong things that I have taught myself.

As Carol recalls, “A typical day might start with Tommy having to clean out the Aga stove, that was his job in the kitchen. He used to leave his silver harmonica on the side and wasn’t worried that I would have a go at playing his super instrument while he was working! Tommy only taught one to one and quite often the hour long lesson he gave me would last 2 hours. We didn’t use any piano accompaniment, simply because there was no piano in the large room where the lessons were carried out. There was no timetable at all.”

Carol added, “I have many happy memories of my time at TRIC. The the surroundings of the lovely house and grounds gave such an ideal setting for people to come from everywhere for tuition. Tommy was a very relaxed person and his lessons were very interesting and he demanded high standards. I remember spending at least 20 minutes trying to get 4 consecutive notes to sound as he thought they should, and he was always right, a superb musician, perfectionist, and virtuoso.

Brian said, “I have often wondered what sets certain musicians in a class of their own, even though their contemporaries may, professionally, be very competent indeed. Well, Tommy touched on this, and was at great pains to demonstrate the finer points of techniques which are required.”

Here is a recording of the
‘Home in the Afternoon‘ broadcast

The active members of TRIC were: Carol Bloxsome (UK), Graham Butcher (UK), Bryan Mapperley (UK), John Ferguson (Ireland), Dimas Barrantes (Costa Rica), Ho Chong Wing (Singapore), Joe Sakimoto (Japan), Ho Kit Fun (Hong Kong), Doris Ehmann (Germany), Brigitte Burgbacher (Germany), Helmut Herold (Germany), Ernst Hotan (Switzerland), Heiner Schwenkglenks (Germany), Peter Jansen (Netherlands, father of Rob Jansen from Fata Morgana), Tariq Hameed (a Pakistani player living in London at that time), Frank Semus (UK), Johnny Stafford (UK), Wally Chapman (UK). There were also many professional musicians who were members, including Richard Hayman (US), Jerry Murad (US) and several others.

Members of TRIC premiered new works for harmonica ensemble by James Moody who conducted and played piano, at the Accordion and Harmonica Day in Leicester in 1970.

The players were: Tommy Reilly, James Hughes, Sigmund Groven, Brian Chaplin, Carol Bloxsome, Graham Butcher, and Bryan Mapperley.

The Film Recording of TRIC from 1970

During the summer of 1970, Norwegian TV (NRK) came to Hammonds Wood with a film team to record a special programme about Tommy’s teaching activities in TRIC. The resulting film can be seen on the NRK website. It has a Norwegian soundtrack and no credits.

Here is a new version (2025) of the NRK film in English created by Roger Trobridge with help from Sigmund Groven, who edited the original film in 1970.

The musicians seen in the film are Tommy Reilly, James Moody, David Reilly, Sigmund Groven, Doris Ehmann, Brigitte Burgbacher, Helmut Herold, Jimmy Hughes, Brian Chaplin, Bryan Mapperley, Graham Butcher and Carol Bloxsome (Axford).

The end of TRIC

Ultimately, TRIC came to an end in 1971. It involved a lot of hard work both for Ena and Tommy, and they had no financial sponsors. The fee they charged the members was obviously a highly subsidized rate, because what was paid for a week at Hammonds Wood couldn’t even cover the cost of food.

It was also difficult to combine TRIC activities with Tommy’s extensive touring schedules and other professional commitments. In 1971, Tommy was 52, and he was at his peak simultaneously in techniques (which goes downhill as one ages), musicianship (which matures as one ages) and fame. He also needed to make more income for his family. It was a clear choice that he took on more performances.

The entire TRIC project was never conceived as a business. Besides the low fees he charged for the pupils, Tommy was very kind to them, so kind that he sometimes gave money back to the students who were (or appeared) broke, to let them buy a pair of much needed shoes.

Tommy was treating TRIC more as a gathering place for meeting like-minded friends (both old and new), having a cup of tea, eating good food, making great laughs, and giving some lessons. James Moody was also able to try out new compositions for solo and group harmonicas. Technically the best player in the world was asking only a few pounds for his secrets. So it was only natural that TRIC would wind down in just a few years.

However, Tommy didn’t stop taking in students even after he closed down TRIC. He continued to take in a few selected students in between his performance engagements, especially during the summers. He also gave workshops during harmonica festivals and this had benefited a great many players. So his playing style and methods still live on in many of his pupils.

Tommy did not teach beginners but he had devised a harmonica course (Book and 2LPs) with James Moody, that would get the player up to the required standard.

This course was published by Messrs. Hohner Ltd. London in 1967, and recently re-released by David Reilly and Sigmund Groven . The Tommy Reilly Harmonica Course

“I really envy those who were fortunate to be TRIC members. It was a truly great milestone in the harmonica history! ” Cheng Jang Ming

The source of the cartoon is unknown – Please contact me know if you know the cartoonist.

Return to the Tommy Reilly Retrospective page

Gerry Ezard – chromatic harmonica player and teacher

January 18, 2025January 22, 2025 Archie 1 Comment

Gerry Ezard as a friend and organiser

A personal tribute from Roger Trobridge – former Chairman of HarmonicaUK.

Gerry was living in London as a child and studied accordion at the Hohner run, “British College of Accordionists“. He preferred harmonica and ended up being very successful in the National Harmonica League (NHL) UK Championships in the 1950s.

This led to him being asked to join the Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang, a professional variety act. Gerry decided it was not what he wanted and after his National Service he established a business in his beloved Wales.

It was a big success and when he retired, he left it to his family and returned to the harmonica.

Gerry demonstrating the chromatic harmonica

This was about the time I took over as Chairman of the National Harmonica League (now HarmonicaUK) in October 2000. We met up through the forum on my website and he immediately joined the committee, where his business and musical experience was invaluable.

Gerry was very involved with the transfer of the annual festival to the Folk House in Bristol in 2001.Ben Hewlett was teaching a blues class for musicians there and he thought it would be a great venue.

He took a back seat around 2010 but continued to support the Chromatic Weekend festival which he had set up in 2006.

Gerry had other interests and he became leader of the Mid Glamorgan Accordion Band, still playing his chromatic harmonica. He also enjoyed writing and the research that went into it. When we met up earlier this year he was about to visit Scotland to check out the background for his latest novel.

You can learn out more from Gerry himself in this 60 mins video based on a talk he gave to the Porthcawl U3A about his life as a harmonica player entitled “Remember when you got your first harmonica“.

Gerry Ezard, performer, musician and author

Gerry has recorded two CDS, (“Just My Stuff” and “More of My Stuff”) and is also an author (Gerald Ezard) of a self produced book, “Mar$”, available through Amazon.

When Gerry performed on stage he would always dress for the occasion. It was part of the performance. His playing was of the highest standard, something he tried to pass on to anyone wishing to learn. From the time he joined the NHL in 2001, he ran workshops on all aspects of playing the chromatic harmonica. In 2006 he set up the Chromatic Weekend Festival, in Birmingham, along with Steve Dooley, which resulted in an increased awareness and uptake of the chromatic harmonica.

Gerry was always happy on stage and would always have something to say. As the following examples will show, he loved to act out stories, often in the style of the characters from the stories of Mickey Spillane and Damon Runyon – gumshoes, gangsters and gamblers. Like Larry Adler – no opportunity was missed to make it a better story.

Bach in the Bar

with apologies to
Mickey Spilane

Harmonica World
Dec-Jan 2005

It was quiet, too quiet, when I crossed the reception at Jurys. The blond behind the desk wasn’t giving anything away through those baby blue peepers.

The lights were low and the noise of the gang drowned out the background music when I hit the bar. Wheels sat in his usual place eyeing the crowd, Babs, his doll, glanced up as I sashayed in hoping they wouldn’t notice the bulge of cold metal under my armpit.

I knew something was going down, but as long as it wasn’t me in a cement overcoat I was too tired to
care. I flung myself into a chair in the shadows. They were all there – Babyface Jamie, Fast Eddie, and
Fingers Lee and his Ma, Lady C.

Lady C slid the paper over to Wheels and his eyes narrowed as he glanced it over. ‘Hey Jamie, you handle this stuff?’ he breathed. Babyface sidled over, casual like, and the bar went silent as he slowly pulled out a silver 48. Yeah, “Wheels”, he nodded, ‘I can fix it’. Everyone’s hands were in the open, I kept mine there too, and smiled like I knew too much.

Wheels raked the room with his eyes, nobody looked up, ‘Any of youse guys ready to roll’ he queried. The question hung in the air like a harmonic minor. The dame nodded ‘I’m in’ she drawled, ‘Me too’ added Fast Eddie, both producing mean looking 48s.

I shrunk into the shadows but it was too late, Wheels fixed me with his eyes. A long moment passed, ‘You’re in Pops’, he announced, and I knew there was no backing out. I was glad I’d packed my big 56 because this little number was going to be a doozy.

Then Fingers began to tinkle the ivories and Wheels began to play. Lady C narrowed her eyes and joined in with Babyface alongside. Me, I was with Fast Eddie, and we all watched each other to see what went down.

Well it went something like that after the festival concert, when, at 1am in Jurys lounge, five chromatic players. Carol Axford, Gerry Ezard, Jamie Dolan, Eddie Ong and Douglas Tate played Bach’s Double Violin Concerto, with Lee Axford at the piano. The bar was still crowded with hotel guests, and there were a few surprised looks as the elegant music silenced the conversation.

It was one of those magic moments, and Douglas, with his wife Barbara at his side, had somehow managed to raise us all from our post festival day stupor to enjoy playing Bach in the early hours of the morning.

I’m glad I was there. We will remember Douglas by playing this again one day.

Gerry (Pops) Ezard

Repeat performance at Douglas Tate’s Memorial Service (21 April 2006)

Here is a video of a repeat performance of the music that was played in the bar at Jurys Hotel in Bristol, on that Saturday night. Again Gerry Ezard is the narrator and a performer alongside Colin Mort, Philip Achille, Eddie Ong and Jamie Dolan. The 9 mins recording is taken from Douglas Tate’s Memorial service in Olney Parish Church, which added its own reverb to the chromatic harmonicas.

Gerry Ezard in Concert

Gerry played in many NHL/HarmonicaUK concerts and Chromatic Weekends. He loved the film music and Light Music of his youth. Here he plays two arrangements by Tommy Reilly from the Festival Concert in 2011 and also demonstrates his sartorial elegance.

Tribute from HarmonicaUK

It was with sadness and heavy hearts that we learned of Gerry’s passing. Everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him will miss him greatly.

Gerry played a major role in rebuilding HarmonicaUK and the teaching and promotion of his beloved chromatic harmonica.

A professional performer on stage – off stage he was warm and generous with an impish sense of humour.

The Gerry Ezard Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Tribute Fund

There is a Gerry Ezard – Forever By the Sea Tribute Fund page for donations. Gerry was an avid Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) supporter. He loved life aboard his boat. Our first meeting was through a link to his Moonraker boat club.

Tommy Reilly Retrospective

January 12, 2025June 19, 2025 Archie Leave a comment

A collection of information about Tommy Reilly

This is work in progress

Growing up

Tommy’s father, Captain James Reilly, was a bandmaster at the Royal Military School of Music (RMSM), Kneller Hall in Twickenham, London. He left for Canada after WW1 to become the bandmaster of the Guelph Army Battalion and also the leader of the OAC Symphony Orchestra and a local choir. Tommy Reilly was born there in Aug 1919.

When the depression started in 1929, Captain Reilly moved to the local Elmdale Public School as custodian and in 1930 he started a harmonica band at the school. It was very successful. Tommy studied violin and also played harmonica and accordion.

In 1935, James Reilly returned to England with his family to become a Musical Director of Hohner’ new Harmonica Song Band League. Within a couple of years Tommy was performing in a circus troop as a musician and acrobat and touring in Europe. In 1939 he was studying violin in the Leipzig Conservatory when war was declared and he spent over 5 years in German POW camps. He used this time to develop his prodigious harmonica technique utilising his knowledge of the violin and the playing of Jascha Heifetz.

You can hear more details of Tommy’s early life in this video from the Elgin County Heritage Society, in Canada.

Life as a harmonica soloist

After the war, Tommy returned to the UK and began performing with John Still, a pianist he had met in the POW camps. He quickly built up links with the BBC and played regularly on radio shows like Variety Bandbox and Workers Playtime. Tommy joined the Clarkson Rose Music Hall Review, Twinkle, and met Ena, the Principle Girl. They married and had a son, David.

Tommy was a household name by 1950 and he started composing for himself and Production Music companies like Conway and recording 78rpm records for the popular music market. His producer was George Martin who had just been made head of EMI’s Parlophone label. His best known recording is probably the Jack Warner 78rpm – An Ordinary Copper (Dixon of Dock Green), heard on the TV show and released as a single in 1958. These 78 rpm singles were never re-released.

Writing for the Production Music Libraries was very profitable and several pieces became well known as themes for TV and radio programmes in several countries. In the UK the best known were Family Joke (The Grove Family) and Trade Wind Hornpipe (The Navy Lark). Tommy wrote under several pseudonyms – Max Martin and Dwight Barker – and also with James Moody and his son, David.

Tommy’s concerts included popular and classical music, usually transcribed for harmonica. His fame led to pieces being composed for him by Michael Spivakovsky, Robert Farnon, James Moody, Gordon Jacob, Fried Walter, Graham Whettam, Alan Langford and Sir George Martin. He also performed works written for the harmonica by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Arthur Benjamin, and Villa-Lobos.

Another area where Tommy was active was on film soundtracks, The Sundowners, Yokohama Holiday and most notably, Midnight Cowboy, which is the subject of another of my blogs.

Tommy Reilly International Club (TRIC)

Tommy was always interested in education and like his father, Captain James Reilly, he wrote several instruction books. Tommy went further and decided to teach harmonica at his new home, Hammonds Wood, in 1977. He started TRIC and several musical events were held with some top players from around the world. It proved unworkable and lasted only for a few years. This is covered in detail in another of my blogs.
Tommy Reilly International Club

Concerts and Workshops

Member of the Order of the British Empire – 1992

Queen Elizabeth presented Tommy Reilly with the MBE for ‘services to music’ in 1992.

Discography

Here are links to Tommy’s vast collection of audio recordings.

Singles and EPs 78/45rpm
LP Albums 33rpm
CDs and featured Artist Recordings
Music Library/Production Music

Tommy Reilly Discography 2 LPs/33rpm

January 12, 2025June 19, 2025 Archie Leave a comment

LP Albums and featured artist recordings

View the 78 rpm and 45 rpm recordings
View CDs and featured artist recordings
View Library Music Recordings
Return to Tommy Reilly Retrospective page

The Life of Reilly – World Sound- T 541 – Irish Traditionals: The Humours of Limerick, Thady‘s Wattle, St. Patrick‘s Day, The Irish Washerwomen, The Meeting of the Waters, The Rakes of Kildare, Dumph‘s Hornpipe, Coming through the Field, Castle of Dromore, Killarney, Tatler Jack Welsh, Kathleen Mavoureen, The Gentle Maiden, The Minors of Wicklow, The Mug of Brown Ale, The Last Rose of Summer, Snowy Breasted Pearl, The Showman‘s Fancy, The Fairy Reel, Love Thee Dearest, Maggie Morrissey, The Green Fields of Erin, Lark in the Clear Air, The Rakes of Mallow, My Lagan Love, Go to the Devil, Old Women, Black Thorn Stick – with James Moody and his players – (1965)

Chromonica Rallye mit Tommy Reilly Concorde – ORL-ST 5002 – Cobra – FLLP 207 – The Peanut Vendor (Simon), Midnight Party (Haensch), Sinfonie (Alstone), Flirt in Rio (Reilly-Arnold), No Time (Rundle-Morris), Esmeralda (Rundle-Morris), Piccolino (Berlin), Acapulco Holiday (Martin), To pass the time (Fruth), In the dusk (Jojic), Colonel Bogey (Alford), Tokyo (Rundle-Morris) – with The Continentals – (1967)

Colours of my Life – Polydor 236 507 (UK) – Polydor 184107 (International) – Paper-hearted Friend (D. Reilly-Durham), If it‘s a Game (D. Reilly-Durham), Slavonic Patrol (Martin), Can‘t make up my mind (D. Reilly-Durham), Bachanalia (Moody), Colours of my Life (D. Reilly-Durham), The Night Knows All (Gert), Badinerie (Bach), Chanson Russe (Stravinsky), In the Evening (Trad., arr. E. Groven), Seventeen Come Sunday (Trad., arr. Morris), Strawberry Fair (Trad., arr. Morris), One Summer Day (Richards), Berceuse (Faure) – with the Hindar Quartet, rhythm group and Johan Øian, piano – (recorded in Oslo,1968).

Tommy Reilly Harmonica Course – Hohner – FP 1969 – with two LP discs or a cassette. Reissued privately 2006

Melody Fair – Polydor – 222 002 – Angelin is always Friday (Woodley-Paxton), What a wonderful World (Weiss-Douglas), Lead on Light (D. Reilly-Durham), Yours to the end (arr. W. Last), Canadian Sunset (Heywood), Melody Fair (Farnon), La Source (Dijan-Faure-Bonnet), Kiss me goodby (Reed-Mason), The Legend of Xanadu (Howard-Blaikley), A Man without Love (Livraghi-Panzeri-Pace), My First Dance (W. Last-Loose), Tomorrow is far away (W. Last-Bader) – with the Kai Warner singers and orchestra – (1969)

Latin Harmonica – Polydor – 2418 021 – 2 The Pearlfishers (Bizet), Cumana (Allen-Spina-Hillmann), Beso triste (Steffanowski), The man who stood (D. Reilly), Baiao cacula (Gennari-Tedesco), Ba-tu-ca-da (Alfonso-Trinidade), Poinciana (Simon), Quando, quando (Renis), Serenata (Anderson-Parish), Pueblo Bossa (W. Last), Golden Earrings (Young-Livingston-Evans), If it‘s all the same to you (D. Reilly) – with Kai Warner and his orchestra – (1970)

The Harmonica of Tommy Reilly – Polydor – 2382 002 – Sonata in g-minor (Scarlatti), Drink to me only with thine eyes (Trad., arr. Moody), Gavotte en Rondeau (Bach), Gigue (Bach), Serenade (Rachmaninoff), Age of Innocence (D. Reilly-Farnon), Bulgarian Wedding Dance (Moody), Italian Dance (Dring), Voice from the Past (T. Reilly-Moody), Spanish Dance (Moszkowski), My World for Love (D. Reilly-Moody), Caprice (Duck), Firebrand (Langford) – with Kaare Ųrnung, piano, and string quartet – (1971)

Wand‘rin‘ Star – Polydor – 2384 029 – I‘m an old cowhand (Mercer), This river flows to New Orleans (D. Reilly), Ragtime Cowboy Joe (Muir- Abraham-Clarke), Streets of Laredo (arr. D. Reilly), Don‘t fence me in (Porter), Birmingham Jail (arr. D.Reilly), The Big Country (Moross), Wand‘rin‘ Star (Loewe-Lerner), Yellow Rose of Texas (arr. D. Reilly), Red River Valley (arr. D. Reilly), Beautiful Brown Eyes (Wynne-James), Riverboat Queen (D. Reilly), Buttons and Bows (Livingston-Evans) – 1971)

Tommy Reilly Plays Fried Walter – Apollo – AS 1008 – The Adventures of Corporal Smith – Cascade – Duettino*, Arabesque – Ballade and Tarantella (alle von Fried Walter) – with the Berlin Studio Players, conducted by Fried Walter and *Sigmund Groven, harmonica) – (1971)

Harmonica Parisien – Polydor – 2382 016, 2922 053, 2484 044 – La Vie en Rose (Louiguy), Plaisir d‘amour (Martini), Sous le ciel de Paris (Giraud-Brun), Quand je reviendrai (Rey), J‘attendrai (Olivieri-Rastelli-Poterat), Clopin Clopant (Coquatrix-Dudan-Goell), Les feuilles mortes (Kosma-Prevert), Moulin Rouge (Auric-Larue), La Ronde de L‘Amour (Straus-Ducreux), Hymne a L‘Amour (Monnot-Piaf), La Mer (Trenet-Lasry), Les Trois Cloches (Villard) – Tommy Reilly and his orchestra – also on the Philips label (6382 062) – (1972)

Warm Latin Sounds – Philips – 6382 081 – Sunshine of my Life (Wonder), Wave (Jobim), Baubles, bangles and beads – (Wright-Forrest), Triste (Jobim), Corcovado (Jobim), Light my Fire (TheDoors), Girl from Ipanema (Jobim-de Moraes), It‘s Impossible (Manzanero), Desafinado (Jobim), The Secret (Rey), Shadow of your Smile (Mandel-Webster), Brazil (Barroso) – Tommy Reilly and his orchestra – (1975)

The Silver Sound of the Harmonica – ARGO ZDA 206 – Divertimento for harmonica and string quartet (Gordon Jacob), Suite dans le style francais (James Moody), Quintet for harmonica and string quartet (James Moody) – with the Hindar Quartet und Skaila Kanga, harp – also released in 1981 on the Philips label (9500 997) – (1975)

Music for two harmonicas – Polydor – 2922 008 – Seventeen-Seventy-One (James Moody), Tźte-ą-Tźte (Robert Farnon), Introduction and Galop (Gordon Jacob), A Summer Romance (Grųttum), Invention (Max Saunders), Bohemian Carnival (Vilem Tausky), The Rose of Telemark (Tommy Reilly-Sigmund Groven-David Reilly), Love Theme from Tom Sawyer (David Reilly-Tommy Reilly), Blow, Silver Wind (Sigmund Groven-Erik Bye), Valsentino (Tommy Reilly), Sicilian Interlude (James Moody), Window of the World (David Reilly) – with Sigmund Groven, harmonica, Armon String Quartet, Skaila Kanga, harp, David Reilly, guitar, Frank Clarke, bass, Russ Stableford, bass – (1976)

Works for Harmonica and Orchestra – Argo – ZRG 856 – with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, directed by Neville Marriner – Little Suite (James Moody), Five Pieces (Gordon Jacob), Concertino (Vilem Tausky), Romance (Ralph Vaughan Williams) – (1977)Harmonica Recital – Argo – ZK 55 – Waltz in D-flat Major, op.64 no.1 (Chopin), Jasmin (Hazell), Popular Song (Walton), Air and Rondo (Händel), Fair Maid of Perth (Bizet), Cancion y Danza (Mompou), Italian Dance (Dring), The Swan (Saint-Saens), Humoresque (Reizenstein), Chanson Russe (Stravinsky), Sonatine (Scarlatti), Gymnopedie (Satie), Trotting to the Fair (arr. Moody), Sonatina (Saunders) – with James Moody, piano, und Skaila Kanga, harp – (1978)

Tommy Reilly Plays Villa Lobos Harmonica Concerto – Argo – ZRG 905 – Harmonica Concerto (Villa-Lobos), Harmonica Concerto (Malcolm Arnold), Harmonica Concerto (Arthur Benjamin) – with the London Sinfonietta, conducted by David Atherton – (1979)

Romantic Melodies – Philips – 9500 997 – Ave Maria (Bach-Gonoud), Ballet Music from “Faust“ (Gounod), Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Villa-Lobos), Eastern Motif (Skaila Kanga), Cavatina (Myers), Gavotte from “Mignon“ (Thomas), Siciliano (Bach), Suite dans le style francais (Moody) – with Skaila Kanga, harp – (1981)

Tommy Reilly und Pluche – Nova-Zembla NZR 85001 – Valencia (Padilla), Falling in Love Again (Hollaender), Loin du Ball (Gillet), Over the Rainbow (Arlen), Poupee Valsante (Poldini), Romance op. 97 (Shostakovitch), Golden Girl (Martin), La Petite Tonkinoise (Scotto), Drink to me only with thine eyes (trad., arr. Morris), Georgian Rumba (Slaney), Smoke gets in your eyes (Kern), Believe me if all those endearing young charms (trad., arr. Morris), La Mattchiche (Borel-Clerc), Sunshine Rag (Martin) – arranged by James Moody – with the Pluche Salon Orchestra – (1985)

Serenade – Chandos – ABRD 1202 – Bulgarian Wedding Dance (Moody), Pavane Op. 50 (Faure), Romance (Faure), Norwegian Dance no. 2 (Grieg), Adagietto (George Martin), Aviator (David Reilly), Serenade (Tommy Reilly), Sonata (Handel, arr. Moody), Au bord de l‘eau (Faure), Bruyeres (Debussy), On Wings of Song (Mendelssohn), My Lagan Love (trad., arr. Tommy Reilly), Two Beatle Girls (Lennon-McCartney, Martin) – with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the Fields Chamber Ensemble – (1986)

Tommy Reilly and Skaila Kanga Play British Folk-Songs – Chandos – LBRD 017 – Skye Boat Song, Early One Morning, Blow the Wind Southerly, Scarboro‘ Fair, Londonderry Air, Trotting to the Fair, Drink to me only, Kathleen Mavoureen, Morning has broken, The Lark in the Clear Air, Cherry Ripe, Ash Grove, David of the White Rock, Keel Row, Ye Banks and Braes, Endearing Young Charms, Dashing away with the Smoothing Iron, My Love is like a Red, Red Rose, She moved thro‘ the Fair, The Rising of the Lark – arranged by Skaila Kanga – with Skaila Kanga, Harp – (1987)

Works for Harmonica and Orchestra – Chandos – ABRD 1306 – Romance (Ralph Vaughan Williams), Concertino (Vilem Tausky), Little Suite (James Moody), Five Pieces (Gordon Jacob) – with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner – originally (1977) Works for Harmonca and Orchestra – Argo – ZRG 856 – (1988)

Thanks for the memory – Chandos – LBRD 020 – Over the Rainbow (Arlen), Medley: There‘s a Small Hotel (Rodgers-Hart), Once in a While (Green-Edwards), A Pretty Girl is like a Melody (Berlin), I‘ll Follow my Secret Heart (Coward), In a Sentimental Mood (Ellington), Medley: A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (Sherwin- Maschwitz), Dancing on the Ceiling (Rodgers-Hart), Love is the Sweetest Thing (Noble), Misty (Garner), Medley: Goodnight Vienna (May), I am Getting Sentimental over You (Bassman), The Way you Look Tonight (Kern), Sweet and Lovely (Arnheim-Tobias-Lemare), Medley: When you Wish upon a Star (Harline-Washington), Because I Love You (Berlin), I‘m a Dreamer (DeSylva-Brown- Henderson), Smoke gets in Your Eyes (Kern), Medley: A Room with a View (Coward), Tenderly (Lawrence-Grosz), The Breeze and I (Lecuona), Thanks for the Memory (Rainger-Robin), Medley: Getting to Know You (Rodgers-Hammerstein), September Song (Weill-Anderson), Someday I‘ll Find You (Coward), Body and Soul (Green), Medley: One Night of Love (Schertzinger), The Very Thought of You (Noble), Love Walked In (Gershwin) – with James Moody, piano – (1988)

This information is taken from a range of sources including our own collection and the extensive listing in Uwe Warschkow’s excellent book Harmonica Lessons with Tommy Reilly, produced with the help of Sigmund Groven.

Return to Tommy Reilly Retrospective page

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Christmas Music played by top harmonica players

December 13, 2024December 13, 2024 Archie Leave a comment

Harmonica players of all styles have recorded many great renditions of seasonal Christmas music. Here are some collections of music played on many types of harmonica.

Chromatic Harmonicas at Christmas – Seasonal Christmas music played by chromatic harmonica artists. Robert Bonfiglio, Sigmund Groven, Chris Bauer, Tommy Morgan, Jacob Venndt, Tommy Reilly and Charlie McCoy.

Blues Harps at Christmas – Blues harmonica players and their bands performing songs about Christmas. Carey Bell, Paul Oscher, Paul Butterfield, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, G Love, Sonny Boy Williamson, Canned Heat, Richard Sleigh, Eddie C Campbell, Mark Doyle and the Maniacs.

Harmonica Groups at Christmas – Seasonal Christmas music played by Harmonica Groups – chromatic, chord and bass harmonicas – The Harmonica Men, The New Don Les Harmonicats, Harmonicas International (James Hughes/Rob Janssen), Chris Bauer, Charlie McCoy and Pete Pedersen.

Jazzy Harmonica Arrangements at Christmas – Arrangements of Seasonal Christmas Music featuring harmonica players, Toots Thielemans, Jason Keene, Stevie Wonder, Tommy Morgan, Norton Buffalo, Rob Paparozzi, Tollack Ollestad and Chris Bauer.

Harmonica Christmas Stocking Fillers – This extra Collection is made up of contributions sent in by artists like Will Galison, Madcat Ruth, Mike Caldwell, A J Fedor… and recordings that did not quite make it into the earlier Collections. As the title suggests, it covers many styles and even a bit of tremolo. It should have a few surprises just like a Christmas stocking for a harmonica lover. Stay with it to the end – variety is the spice of life.

Larry Adler harmonica videos 1972 and 2000

July 27, 2024July 27, 2024 Archie Leave a comment

Here are some videos I have restored or edited showing Larry Adler at the peak of his ability in 1971 and also from his final year in 2000/2001.

1971 – “Playing the Thing“

In 1971 Chris Morphet created his harmonica film “Playing the Thing” and this included visiting Larry Adler at his flat in Brighton (UK) where he was interviewed and recorded playing several pieces of music. Some of the footage was included in “Playing the Thing” but most of it was lost on the editing floor. I recovered most of the out-takes and reconstructed the original full interview and performances. Here are the resulting videos. The quality is not perfect as some of the 16 mm film was damaged or missing and was from different sources.

Interview https://vimeo.com/987579664

Malaguena – https://vimeo.com/987579584

Gavotte – https://vimeo.com/987579649

Smoke gets in your eyes – https://vimeo.com/987579604

Genevieve – https://vimeo.com/987579631

The full story of my continuing reconstruction of “Playing the Thing” with the interviews with Larry Adler, Sonny Terry, Cham’ber Huang, James Cotton, Bill Dicey, Andy Paskas, The Herold Trio, Hohner ….. can be found on the “Playing the Thing” website.

The website also has a video of the original film, “Playing the Thing“, which was released in 1972.

2000-2001 – Larry Adler’s final years

Here are some other videos from Larry’s last year before his death in 2001.

One is from his appearance at the Millennium Festival in Bournemouth (UK) in 2000 organised by John Walton and the IHO.

The others are from his last days when he secretly left his hospital bed to play in the Albert Hall, and the tribute concert held a few months after his death.

You can watch these on my blog page – The final years of Larry Adler (1914-2001)

The final years of Larry Adler (1914-2001)

July 5, 2024April 23, 2025 Archie Leave a comment

Despite his poor heath, Larry did what he always did.
He played until he finally had to leave the stage.

I first got to know Larry when I joined the National Harmonica League (NHL, HarmonicaUK) committee in 1999. Larry was our President and needed help with his office. Gout had frozen his fingers making it very difficult for him to answer emails and write his articles and reviews. I visited Larry regularly and made his computer more accessible.

I had set up the NHL website which had a page listing his many gigs around the country and in his favourite location, Larry’s Room in The Pizza in the Park , London, where his bronze was on show.

Larry returned from a successful concert with Cham’ber Huang in Hong Kong in December 1999 and after a series of UK gigs he made a short tour in Australia in May 2000. On his return he wrote, “I’m playing at the Edinburgh Festival Aug 5 and 6, later in September at the Palace Theatre, London as part of the Soho Jazz Festival. Found a sensational piano accompanist whom I’m importing for these events.” This was the 18 year old Simon Tedeschi from Australia. He looked after Larry’s musical needs until his death, a year later.

Simon Tedeschi

Larry was set to tour Australia in 2000, and for whatever reason his pianist was indisposed. When he found out that a teenager was due to accompany him instead, he wasn’t happy in the slightest, and as anyone knows, Larry came from an era in which feelings were not held back. But when we met, the music flowed instantaneously. He called me son, and I called him pop. We exchanged Jewish jokes and talked about the world. He was a complex man, with many sides, some of them difficult, others charming and affable.

We went on, after that tour, to travel the world together. As his health failed, I had to do more and more to ‘fill in the gaps’ musically, but I never stopped learning from Larry, simply from being around him. I never quite worked out which of his stories were 100% true and which were confabulated, and I don’t think he quite knew either.

We performed at Pizza on the Park in Knightsbridge at least twenty times, and each time was a joy. We travelled on the Orient Express together, which I will never forget. We argued and laughed, jostled and teased. He was the first ‘legend’ I ever worked with.

Until only a week or so ago, I had no idea any footage of us playing together existed. I was his last pianist and according to him, the finest Gershwin exponent he’d ever heard. I still like to use that quote wherever I can!

Videos of Larry’s last performances

Larry Adler and Simon Tedeschi performed together on many occasions including at the IHO Millennium Festival Concert in Bournemouth, UK, 7-10 September, 2000. Larry was very ill but he did not want to disappoint his harmonica friends – he was President of the NHL. He arrived in a wheel chair and was assisted to and from the stage.

Here is the video from the concert.

After Larry’s death in August 2001, there was a Tribute Concert in The Arts Theatre in London, 30 October 2001. It was attended by lots of Larry’s friends and colleagues from the entertainment industry, including his brother Jerry, and Sir George Martin. Music was provided by Simon Tedeschi, Hot Club de Londres, Izzy Van Randwyck, and Harry Pitch.

Here is a link to the video of the concert.

This was Larry’s last gig. He was in hospital in June 2001 and there was a big musical birthday party for his old friend, Prince Philip. His doctors would not let him take part so he slipped quietly out of his room, went to the concert in the Albert Hall and returned to the hospital.

Unfortunately for Larry the concert was televised by the BBC…

Here is a link to the video of Larry’s Great Escape.

Larry died in the hospital on 6 August, 2001.

Simon Tedeschi went on to have a successful career as a musician and writer – https://simontedeschi.com

Other Larry Adler pages on my blog

Larry opened the the doors which the harmonica players who followed him were able to walk through.

Here is a link to my one minute tribute video

The History of HarmonicaUK (Part 3, 1950-1959)

March 17, 2024March 18, 2024 Archie Leave a comment

HarmonicaUK started life as a Hohner marketing activity in 1935 and remained so until it was handed over to the members in 1981. It was first called the Hohner Song Band League, then the National Harmonica League and finally HarmonicaUK.

The Golden Age of the Harmonica

The end of WW2 produced major changes in society. Soldiers returning home wanted change and they returned to a different Britain. One part of the change was the rebuilding of the Entertainment Industry as musicians and artists looking for work as the rebuilding of the country got underway. We will see the secondary effect of the opening up of education when we get to the 1960s.

The 1950s saw the high point for the harmonica. The soloists (Ronald Chesney, Larry Adler, Tommy Reilly and Max Geldray) gained National and International status and the harmonica groups (The Three Monarchs and The Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang) enjoyed lots of success in Music Hall, initially on BBC Radio and then TV brought them into homes all over the country.

Ronald Chesney had demonstrated the potential of the chromatic harmonica when he gave a solo performance in the Royal Albert Hall in 1946. Larry Adler had toured the world, stared in films and composers began to write music for the harmonica. In 1952 Larry performed the ‘Romance in D flat for Harmonica’, composed for him by Ralph Vaughan Williams, in the BBC Proms. Tommy Reilly moved from the Music Hall to the concert stage with compositions by Spivakovsky, Gordon Jacobs and his long term accompanist, James Moody. Max Geldray continued in the jazz clubs and Variety.

The format of the early radio shows opened up many opportunities for entertainers. Shows like ‘Variety Bandbox’ and ‘Workers Playtime’ on the BBC Light Programme provided spots for soloists and the groups but the popular long running comedy programmes like “The Goon Show” and “Educating Archie” featured musical breaks in the story which were filled by Max Geldray and Ronald Chesney respectively. Ronald went on to write the scripts for Educating Archie.

Harmonicas also turned up on themes for radio programs and films.

Tommy Reilly can be heard on Dixon of Dock Green and The Navy Lark.

Larry Adler had a big success with his music for the film “Genevieve”.

Ronald Chesney appeared on Educating Archie.

In addition to the home grown talent, the Harmonicats’ recording of “Peg O’ My Heart” was proving very popular and Borrah Minevitch had moved ‘The Harmonica Rascals’ to France. Interest in the harmonica was at its peak.

The National Harmonica League restarts

Hohner had started rebuilding their organisation after the war and in 1949 they established the National Accordion Organisation (NAO) and relaunched their magazine, “Accordion Times”.

In 1951, Hohner restarted the Hohner National Song Band League (HNSBL) and began the publication of Harmonica News.

This was in part a reaction to the increase in popularity of the harmonica in the UK, but also a result of Hohner setting up the Federation Internationale de l’Harmonica (FIH) with Dr Otto Meyer (GB) as President. This was an umbrella organisation covering most European countries and S Africa which went on to organise the World Harmonica Championships starting in Duisbourg in 1953 and then moving around European cities in subsequent years.

The new organisation had Ronald Chesney as its President and Larry Adler, The Three Monarchs and Tommy Reilly were active in events and writing for the magazine. At the start of 1953 Hohner changed the name of the organisation to the National Harmonica League (NHL). This was less of a mouthful and reflected the increased emphasis on individual players, not bands.

Competition for the NHL Championship was fierce, with regional heats and then a final which was held in the Central Hall, Westminster in London. The three winners then took part in the FIH World Championships. As the event developed, competition classes were held for chromatic soloists, groups and diatonic harmonicas (not blues harp!).

Several of the winners of these early competitions have been active in the NHL in recent years. Douglas Tate, Jim Hughes, Gerry Ezard and Dave Beckford are probably the best known, but even more went on to join the Morton Fraser Harmonica Rascals. Local harmonica bands and groups continued into the 1950s, but the increasing popularity of the guitar based rock and skiffle groups led to a steady decline in their numbers.

The peak of the NHL’s success was in the mid 1950s but by 1958 the interest was waning and Hohner could no longer afford to support the magazine. In 1959, Harmonica News ceased publication and harmonica items were moved into the Accordion Times. The Council of the National Harmonica League agreed to transfer its activities into the larger and more active National Accordion Organisation (NAO). The activities of the NHL continued under the wing of the NAO.

Away from these organisations something was stirring.

Deep in Soho in The Round House pub on Wardour Street, Cyril Davies (harmonica) and Alexis Korner (guitar) were running a club which was progressing from playing early country blues, Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly music, to barrel house and blues.

Touring American blues musicians visited the club and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee were the club Presidents. Following Muddy Waters visit to the club in 1958, the move to electric Chicago blues music was underway, but that has to wait for the next part of the story…

Back to History of HarmonicaUK home index page.

Forward to The History of HarmonicaUK – Part 4

The History of HarmonicaUK (Part 2, 1939-1950)

March 17, 2024April 15, 2025 Archie Leave a comment

We left 1939 with a young pair of chromatic harmonica players, Ronald Chesney and Tommy Reilly, just starting their careers and Larry Adler enjoying world wide fame as a World War was breaking out.

The Hohner Song Band League stopped officially at the start of the Second World War and did not really get going again as a club until 1951. Despite this, these years turned out to be an important time for the harmonica.

The social changes brought about by the mixing of service men and women from all sections of society and all over the country and in foreign places led to a need for entertainment, and portable instruments like the harmonica were in great demand. Ronald Chesney led a campaign to collect harmonicas to send to the soldiers.

After the war things came together for the harmonica. This is illustrated in the programme notes for a concert of classical music performed by Ronald Chesney in the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in 1947, just after the end of WW2. It was the first solo concert held there by any harmonica player.

Ronald Chesney’s Programme Notes from the Royal Albert Hall

“Finding that his musical ability did not advance beyond the “party-piece” stage, Ronald Chesney’s lessons on the piano terminated at the age of twelve. Freed from the grind of five-finger exercises his natural love of music came to the surface, however, and nine years ago, at the age of seventeen, his studies were resumed. Discovering by chance the possibilities of the mouth-organ, he chose this surprising instrument for serious study and within two years had made his broadcasting debut with instantaneous success.

After appearances in many of the B.B.C.’s major programmes, his own feature, “Teaching the Allied Forces how to play the Harmonica,” commenced and brought him a fan mail running into many thousands of letters. Averaging nearly a hundred a day, Chesney took pride that the majority of these letters came from servicemen, stationed in all parts of the world – from the desert and from the lonely arctic circle, where the pocket- sized mouth organ was a substitute for full-sized symphony orchestra or swing band, depending on the musical tastes of the player’s comrades. To these men his programmes of instruction and music were a link with home.

His virtuosity on such a small instrument attracted the attention of concert impresario Harold Fielding, who has during recent years presented him in concerts throughout Great Britain, including a musical festival at Sadler’s Wells. Still a bachelor at twenty six and a young man of simple tastes, Ronald Chesney spends most of his time in a workshop at home, improving the mechanical aspect of the harmonica to keep pace with his musical progress. He believes the instrument capable of great improvement and considers he has only just begun to discover its vast musical possibilities.”

The harmonica was being taken seriously at last!

The chromatic harmonica moves into the spotlight

Larry Adler had been playing in America entertaining US troops at home and then in Europe.

Ronald and Larry both went to the Hohner factory in Trossingen as soon as the war ended to get more instruments.

Lots of things were on the move.

Ronald Chesney was touring the country with top musical artists, and Larry Adler was performing in the USA and around the world. He did his own concert at the Royal Albert Hall just after Ronald Chesney.

Tommy Reilly had been interned in a prisoner of war camp at the start of the war, when he was studying violin in Germany.

He spent time developing his technique on the chromatic harmonica. He returned when the war was over and started playing harmonica in Music Hall and on the BBC.

Max Geldray had escaped to the UK from Holland at the start of the war and joined the Dutch Brigade of the British Army. He began playing in London jazz clubs in his spare time and even played in a concert for the Queen at Windsor in 1942. After the war he continued to find some work in clubs but his big break was just round the corner.

After the war Morton Fraser advertised for harmonica players and started the Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang with demobbed soldiers.

Eric York, Jimmy Prescott and Henry Leslie (aka Cedric/Les Henry) got together after leaving the Army and formed the Monarchs (later The Three Monarchs), initially as a straight act. The comedy came later.

Larry Adler blacklisted in the USA

The clouds were gathering for Larry Adler. He was blacklisted by the US House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1947 along with many others in show business. This prevented him from working in America, which led to him moving with his family to live in the UK where he was much more appreciated.

The Golden Age of the Harmonica was about to start…