PAUL VERNON CHESTER

Manouche Maestro
 

Jack Toogood - Alive and Pickin'

(Jack Toogood Guitarist is still teaching in Bristol in his 80's) If anyone else can contribute anything additional in the meantime please do so. 

These rare Images of Jack were supplied by Alfie Smith - Entertainments Manager of the Pontin's Holiday Camp, Sand Bay, Weston-super-Mare in 1955
Well done Alfie - my faith is restored. 

Interesting Deep-cut Electric Guitar with control cluster on the scratch guard.  Does anyone recognise this guitar??
Is it a Gretsch? - and what about that Amplifier. Very basic drum kit for a touring band in those days.  Who are the supporting Musicians?? Alan ? on Bass - on drums was Don Hunter the Leader, piano Les Drake!

The guitars in the picture Jack Toogood is playing are both by the English maker Emile Grimshaw the big jazzer is a Grimshaw Plectric from around 1955, and the thin line, with the cats eye holes is a Grimshaw SS.DELUXE around 1957/9 favoured by the early English rockers i.e. Joe Brown Bruce Welch, - hope that helps - Keith Sellers

Grimshaw Guitars - History
Grimshaw Guitar Players
Grimshaw Origins

Pontin's Circa 1955, Note the Pedal Steel Guitar on the floor - a bit unusual for the UK audiences then.  The piano has a Perforated Roll Playback feature - they were rare too a mess of rubber tubes and bands in between the Frame.  Jack on the guitar with yet another pot arrangement, Les Drake on the Pianola and Alan ? on Bass. Can anyone name the Saxist/Clarinettist or the Drummer? - Quite a Pile of Charts eh - before the Big Book was published. Is that yet a bigger Amplifier out front for the pedal steel - note the jack lead? Good old Alfie for taking this one.

Powell of Swing DeVille - Brighton worked with Jack. 
----  Originally from Bristol, I studied guitar with legendary guitarist Jack Toogood.  This led to my lifelong love of the music of Django Reinhardt. Brian Powell

BMG Article
The Monthly Magazine devoted to the interests of the
Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar and Kindred Instruments
Edited by A. P. SHARPE (1961)
BMG Magazine

THERE is little glamour in the life of a provincial guitar player,” said Jack Toogood. When I asked him for some details of his career.  There is little acclaim, too, he might have added. His name has been well known in and around Bristol since the war playing “gigs,” the occasional broadcast from the Western Region station and, of course, pupils. Then in February 1959 “Guitar Club” went to Bristol and the name of Jack Toogood was heard all over the Country. His playing so impressed the Producer John Kingdom that he was given a second broadcast in the programme from London and, later, several guest spots in the Monday late-night “Stringalong” programmes.  These broadcasts led to Jack’s association with violinist Leslie Baker (Right) and the formation of the “Swingtette” (based on the Hot Club of France Quintet) which was featured for thirteen weeks in the “Stringalong” series.

I remember Leslie Baker very well as I too play the violin and as a teenager in the early 1960s I entered one of his talent competitions held in the Floral Pavilion, Bridlington.  I was fortunate enough to win and after Leslie announced the result to the audience (always full of fun!) he said to me - "I wonder, if you're not doing anything special next Saturday night - (pause, during which I relished the prospect of a job!) - would you mind lending me your fiddle?"  He only played at Bridlington two or three years and was then replaced by Edwin Harper.  However, he very kindly sent me a Christmas card and invited me to come and see him play in Southport. 
A few years later I heard a sad story to the effect that he had become a recluse, never played and had wrapped his violin case round and round with Sellotape.  Whether or not it is true I have no idea, but I never heard of him again.  Leslie was a fine fiddler and even to this day, whenever I play "These Foolish Things" (Fred Hartley arrangement) I incorporate a jazzy bit of extemporisation that I picked up on when he played the number at Bridlington.  Very interesting website,  Robin Johnson (Sheffield)

Hello,  Violinist Leslie Baker was my Mother's cousin and although I never met him, I remember listening to him on the BBC 'Music While You Work' - he also did Cabaret and played at Quaglino's Restaurant in Soho.  - Ron Adams

Another Guitar and another Amp 1959 - identification of these please.  Alan ? on Bass - JT Music Stands
an Emile Grimshaw SS.DELUXE around 1957/9 see above contribution by Keith Sellers

MORNING MUSIC
Stringalong” went off the air on Sept. 25th but every Saturday morning since then Leslie Baker and Jack Toogood (with the “Swingtette”) have been heard in Morning Music. Today the tasteful guitar playing of Jack Toogood is a topic of conversation among enthusiasts who recognise first- class execution and real guitar tone. Jack Toogood started his musical career at the age of seven learning the piano, For four years he was an average student.” He told me he could learn easily enough but truthfully had little interest in the keyboard instrument. When schooling put an end to his piano lessons he did retain enough interest to play the latest “pops” and, looking back, he realises this helped him to keep what little reading ability he had acquired. At the age of thirteen he was smitten with the ukulele craze—after seeing some of George Formby’s films and listening to this famous star’s many recordings. He taught himself by the aid of every ukulele tutor he could lay his hands on. He admits that in his early ‘teens he simply “lived” for the ukulele.   At the age of 15 he was a junior clerk in a Bristol insurance office and one day he was delivering letters when he passed a newsagent’s and saw a copy of “BMG.” in the window. The subtitle: “Devoted to the Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar and Kindred Instruments” caught his eye and thinking here might be a chance to learn something more about his beloved “uke” he bought his first copy. He even remembers the date: January 1940.

TAKES LESSONS
Within two months he had commenced taking lessons on plectrum guitar from Horace Craddy (whose address was in our Teachers pages) and stayed with him until his army call-up in November 1942. Mr. Toogood emphasizes the fact that the real foundation for his subsequent musical success came from the instruction he received from Horace Craddy. From his teacher he also became aware of Lang, Kress, McDonough and, later, Reinhardt and he started collecting the recordings of these famous players of the plectrum guitar which have so influenced his own style of execution. Jack Toogood recalls that studying anything at this period was far from easy. It was wartime and he was required to take the insurance examinations by his employers and had to study for these at the same time as he was struggling with the guitar He said he made the fatal mistake of resting his insurance test papers on a copy of Eddie Lang’s “Fingerboard Harmony!” He took a guitar with him into the army and managed to find time to further his studies apart from playing for his fellow soldiers at sing songs etc When hostilities ceased in Europe his unit was in Germany and soon he was transferred to the Brigade Concert (103 A A Brigade R A) When the unit was disbanded he was fortunate in being posted to the 49th Div Road Show the Polar Stars”—with a fine dance band under the leadership of Stan Butcher, now staff arranger for Campbell Connally & Co.  Mr Toogood recalls it was excellent training for him as there were many first-class musicians with the band from time to time. (Don Lusher—now with the Ted Heath Band was first trombone). At one stage the band lacked a good jazz man for second trumpet—and Jack took the trumpet solos on electric plectrum guitar’ He recalls it was most enjoyable to have a full scored backing instead of the more usual rhythm section only.

Horace Craddy -  born in Bristol in 1902. His father and uncle played a banjo double act for many years, so poor Horace had no chance .  He was a pupil of Tarrant Bailey Snr. and in turn gave his first banjo lesson when he was only13! With his brother Wilfred (usually
on piano) he performed in the Bristol area for over 40 years.

Photo from 1956 with Jack, Alan and ??? on drums Les Drake on pianola had just left the stage - Piccolo Trumpet and even louder shirt - Alfie Smith unknown. The Jack Toogood Quartet was booked for a number of seasons by the Manager of Pontin's Sand Bay, Mr Len Pontin (brother of Sir Fred Pontin).

FIRST BROADCAST
It was while he was playing with the “Polar Stars” he experienced his first broadcast (from BFN. Hamburg): experience that was to prove invaluable a few years later back in “civvy street.”  After demobilisation there were tentative arrangements for a small unit of the “Polar Stars” to play professionally but owing to conflicting demob dates the idea fell through. Back in his borne town of Bristol, Jack Toogood decided to try to exist as a professional—but he says it was hard for a time. However, gigs became more frequent; pupils increased and there was always the occasional local broadcast to help. Then “Guitar Club” went to Bristol and Jack Toogood has never looked back. Two highlights of Mr. Toogood’s career has been backing Joseph Reinhardt in one o the “Stringalong” prograrnmes and playing solo guitar in the .Light Programme’s “Trad Tavern” on Nov. 11th, when he was backed by Diz Disley and the Chris Barber rhythm section.  One final comment from Jack Too- good himself: “There is no doubt the extra publicity I have enjoyed during the past couple of years has been almost entirely due to my playing a round soundhole acoustic guitar and producing something resembling the Django Reinhardt sound. This proves to my mind there is still a public for this kind of music a fact borne out by the many appreciative letters I received during the Stringalong series This being so I deplore the frequent knocks by certain people aimed at anyone who plays in this idiom After all 90% of the players of the electric guitar in this country sound like would be copyists of Barney Kessel Tal Farlow — Johnny Smith el al (who in turn sound very much like each other) and nobody appears to think they are committing- any crime!” I personally enjoy hearing the impeccable playing of Jack Toogood for to my ears he produces a worth-hearing sound that is unmistakably guitar.

Reproduced - with kind permission as a tribute to Jack Toogood -

Hi, My dad was in the 'Polar Stars' with Jack and Don Lusher in 1945 in Germany. He shared 'digs' with Jack for 6 months, and was also with the band when they did some recordings at Hamburg ( although he was not with the band when they did the first recording). He still has a glass, yes glass, 78 recording that the band made later.  He has a couple of old photos (1945) of the Polar Stars with himself, Jack and Don in them. Dad is 85 (like Jack) so isn't getting any younger. Jack was at my mum and dad's wedding (in Iserlohn, Germany) and they have met up once or twice down in Bristol.- Mike Crawshaw

I refer to the section about Jack Toogood. I found this to be very informative about the man whom I first heard on the BBC in the sixties and really know nothing about. The reason he stands out in my memory after all these years (I am 72) is that it was rare to hear decent guitar playing on the radio in those days, especially playing Django style and being a picker myself, to hear that sound was like Manna from Heaven. Although I had little money to spare I was the proud owner of a Ferrograph reel to reel tape recorder and would wait excitedly for Jacks performance each week to begin and record it. I still have the fourteen good quality recordings. My notes were very sparse but have the band down as THE JACK TOOGOOD GROUP and the violinist as Johnny Van Derrick or who died in 1995 aged 68.   The list of tunes are:-
Jealous. Swing Guitar. Basin Street Blues. Indiana. Sweet Loraine. Moonlight and Shadows. Runnin’ Wild. House of Dreams. Rose of the Rio Grande. Tears. Minor Swing. Stars Fell on Alabama. Stompin’. and one unidentified tune.
There is a question mark over Moonlight and Shadows as it is not in the Gipsy Jazz style and may not be Jack.  - John Bunce

In 1969 I was living in Bristol and had an introduction to Jack. He promised that if I showed any promise after 12 x £1.00 lessons he would get me a "Sit-In " with the Riverside Band who were playing Sundays lunchtimes at the "Old Duke " True to his word went down to the Duke and very much "Heart in Mouth" I bashed out the chords - Jack's chords - to Georgia and Sweet Sue !  I owe him so much and have enjoyed my many gigs with Bands from Scotland to Devon !!!!  Roger Middleton

The Late Johnny van Derrick -

In his subsequent career, which spanned almost 50 years of British jazz and commercial music, van Derrick played for everyone from the Beatles to Rod Stewart. He proved himself a master of all styles, from his bebop days with Roy Fox and Tubby Hayes to his jazz broadcasts with the Jack Toogood Swingtet on BBC's Late Night Live. He was an excellent country fiddler and gave a televised performance from the Albert Hall of Mancini's country concerto Oklahoma Crude, a performance which won him a five-star invitation to Nashville. His own CDs, Always on the Fiddle and the 1993 Mike Batt Produced Gershwinning CD demonstrates his phenomenal range, with his wistful, French-sounding compositions placed next to his electrifying swing duets with the guitarist Phil Bond

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Last modified: 29/07/2010