The Ken Lewis Dance Orchestra revelation...
As regular followers of Tomfoolery will know, we take great pleasure in rehearsing and performing from original band-folders from the Ken Lewis Dance Orchestra, a Kent-based group active (so we understood) during the post-World War Two years. The origins and history of the Ken Lewis group have, however, remained shrouded in mystery to us - who was Ken Lewis; where did the band play; when were they active ?
Well, we're very excited to say that the curtain of mystery has slowly begun to lift, following a telephone call from a lady who - much to our enormous excitement - revealed that she was the wife of the founder and band-leader of the KL Dance Orchestra, and that she has the entire history of the group in memorabilia, in documents, diaries and in her head!
Maureen Morgan paid us a surprise visit this morning, bringing with her just a small sample of some of the archive documents relating to the band, including a photo of the band-leader himself (about whom, more later...) and the prospect of sharing with us the story of her husband's group's history.
Needless to say, this is a fantastic revelation, and gives us the terrific opportunity not only to discover the history of the band-parts from which we rehearse and perform, but also to bring the Ken Lewis Dance Orchestra out of the shadows of the past, and restore it to its rightful place as part of the Golden Age of British Dance Bands. We'll be sharing the story with you as it slowly unfolds, photos and other documents from the band's past, and will hopefully create a dedicated section on the website charting its history.
It all starts here! Stay tuned...
