John Chilton

{{Short description|British jazz trumpeter and writer (1932–2016)}} {{EngvarB|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox musical artist |image = | name = John Chilton | image_size =  | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = John James Chilton | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1932|7|16|}} | birth_place = London, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|2|25|1932|7|16|df=y}} | origin = | instrument = Trumpet | genre = Jazz | occupation = Musician, writer | years_active = 1944–2016 | label = | website = }}

'''John James Chilton''' (16 July 1932 – 25 February 2016) was a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s, he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 1983.

==Biography== Chilton was born in London on 16 July 1932,<ref name="Larkin60">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0149-X|page=111}}</ref> to working-class parents (his father was a musical hall comedian) and was evacuated to Northamptonshire, where he began playing the cornet at the age of 12. He switched to trumpet at 17 and after doing national service in the RAF (1950–1952) he formed his own jazz band, playing at Butlins.<ref name="vor" />

He worked in Bruce Turner's Jump Band<ref name="vor">{{cite web |title =Review: Hot Jazz, Warm Feet |publisher =Vortex |first =Chris |last =Parker |url =http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/book-reviews/hot-jazz-warm-feet.html |date =5 July 2007 |access-date =2010-07-04 |url-status =dead |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110728081648/http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/book-reviews/hot-jazz-warm-feet.html |archive-date =28 July 2011 }}</ref> from 1958 to 1963. A film of their exploits called ''Living Jazz'' (1961) was made by director Jack Gold. Chilton later appeared in Alex Welsh's Big Band.<ref name="Larkin60"/>

He later worked with Wally Fawkes,<ref name="Larkin60"/> also known as the cartoonist "Trog",<ref>{{cite web|title =Obituary: George Melly |publisher=BBC | url =https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3493375.stm |date =5 July 2007 |access-date =2010-07-04}}</ref> and in January 1974 formed John Chilton's Feetwarmers, who began accompanying British jazz singer and writer George Melly.<ref name="Larkin60"/><ref>{{cite web|title =October 2007 |publisher=All About Jazz |first=Fradley|last=Garner|date=17 October 2007 | url =https://www.allaboutjazz.com/october-2007-by-fradley-garner |access-date =2010-07-04}}</ref> Together they made records and toured the world for nearly 30 years.<ref name="Larkin60"/> Chilton won a Grammy Award for Best Album Notes on ''Bunny Berigan'' (1983) and was nominated in the same category in 2000 for ''The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions on Verve''.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Chilton |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/john-chilton/8772 |website=grammy.com |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref>

As an author and researcher, Chilton published his ''Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street'' in 1970, and there were five updated editions until 1989. He followed this with ''Who's Who of British Jazz'' in 1997. He completed biographies of Billie Holiday, Sidney Bechet, Louis Jordan and Coleman Hawkins. He won a Grammy award for his writing on jazz, and in 2000 he won the British Jazz Award for Writer of the Year.

==Bibliography== *''Louis: The Louis Armstrong Story'' (with Max Jones) (1971), {{ISBN|0-289-70215-1}}; (1988), {{ISBN|0-306-80324-0}} *''Ride Red Ride – the Life of Henry 'Red' Allen'' (2000), {{ISBN|0-8264-4744-9}} *''Roy Eldridge, Little Jazz Giant''<ref>{{cite web|title =John Chilton, author of Roy Eldridge: Little Jazz Giant |date=19 January 2004 |publisher=Jerry Jazz Musician | url =http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/mainHTML.cfm?page=chilton.html |access-date =2010-07-04}}</ref> (2002), {{ISBN|0-8264-5692-8}} *''McKinney's Music – A Bio-discography of McKinney's Cotton Pickers'' (1978), {{ISBN|0-9501290-1-1}} *''A Jazz Nursery – The Story of Jenkins' Orphanage Band'' (1980), {{ISBN|0-9501290-2-X}} *''Teach Yourself Jazz'' (1979), {{ISBN|0-340-23847-X}} *''Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Story of Bob Crosby's Bob Cats and Big Band'' (1983), {{ISBN|0-9501290-3-8}} *''Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street'' (1970, 1972, 1978, 1985, 1989) ISBN see:<ref>{{cite web|title =Jazz and Big Band Bibliography |publisher=FolkLib Index | url =https://www.folklib.net/index/discog/bibliog8.shtml#4bo |access-date =18 May 2017}}</ref> *''Let the Good Times Roll: The Story of Louis Jordan and his Music'' (1997), {{ISBN|0-472-08478-X}} *''Billie's Blues – A Survey of Billie Holiday's Career'' (1975), {{ISBN|0-8128-1821-0}} *''The Song of the Hawk – The Life and Recordings of Coleman Hawkins'' (1990), {{ISBN|0-7043-2737-6}} *''Sidney Bechet – the Wizard of Jazz'' (1988), {{ISBN|0-19-520623-1}} *''Who's Who of British Jazz'' (1997), {{ISBN|0-304-33909-1}}; (2004), {{ISBN|0-8264-7234-6}}

==Autobiography== *{{Cite book | title=Hot Jazz, Warm Feet | year=2007 | publisher=London: Northway Books, 2007 | isbn=978-0-9550908-3-7}}

==Discography== *''Nuts'' (1972) *''Son of Nuts'' (1973) *''It's George'' (1974) *''Making Whoopee'' (1982) *''Best of Live'' (1995) *''Anything Goes'' (1996) *''Goodtime George'' *''The Ultimate Melly'', including guest Van Morrison (2006)

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilton, John}} Category:1932 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Musicians from London Category:English jazz trumpeters Category:British male trumpeters Category:Grammy Award winners Category:British male jazz musicians