The concept of a 'family sing song' may nowadays seem positively antique - but in the pre-rock 'n' roll, pre-TV early 1950s, gathering together and belting out a ditty or two was a regular weekend occurrence for any family with a piano or record player in their parlour. Sing-a-long medleys were guaranteed to shift shellac and vinyl. And few who recorded such things sold more records than the Big Ben Banjo Band, a group of seasoned studio musicians brought together by one of the leading UK record producers of the 50s and early 60s - Norrie Paramor. Some of the leading studio men of the day appeared on BBBB sessions, including guitarists Billy Bell, Judd Proctor and Bert Weedon and trombonist George Chisholm. The BBBB was a regular fixture in the UK charts until rock 'n' roll took hold - particularly around Christmas time, when parties were in full swing. Even after it did, their albums and EPs were in great demand throughout the 60s and well into the 1970s.
