Mr. Acker Bilk Got Here Before The Beatles

Here's a trivia question for you: What British musician had the first number one single in America in the early 1960's?

If you thought it was the Beatles, you'd be wrong. The first artist from England who had a number one hit in America was a person whose name you may never have heard.  You may not know the name of the record, either, but it's a sure bet you've heard it many times.  Acker Bilk was a clarinet player, and his hit record, Stranger on the Shore, was all over the radio in 1962 and has been a staple of elevator music for more than 60 years. Acker's instrumental topped the charts in America three years before anyone had even heard of the Beatles. Don't tell me you've never heard this one:

Stranger on the Shore has been covered by practically every instrumentalist you can name, and just when it was starting to wane, someone put words to it and every singer in the day recorded it on their albums, from The Drifters to Slim Whitman to Patti Page. Here's Andy Williams, who seems just barely able to hit that low note:

In Andy's defense, you'll remember the song was originally played on a clarinet, which has a greater octave range than most humans.

And just in case you're wondering: yeah, Acker Bilk says he's sick of hearing that song too.