Kenneth Daniel “Kenny”, Ball was born 22 May 1930. He is best known for his role as lead trumpet player in Kenny Ball’s Jazzmen. Born in Ilford, Essex, England. Ball started his career in sidemen in bands, before forming his Trad jazz band in 1958. Ball and his band enjoyed unbroken success in the 1960s. Their hits “Samantha”, “Midnight in Moscow,” and other songs are still popular in trumpet and dixieland circles. Ball’s success rivals that of his contemporaries Chris Barber and Acker Bilk. With “Midnight in Moscow”, Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen reached number 2 on the US Billboard charts in March 1962. Ball continued touring in the 2000s, charting no less than 14 Top 30 singles in the UK, which is the most by any jazz artist. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
