Any Memories Of Bill Black

Although I vaguely recall a music shop in Thornton Heath, this was not the one I used as we lived nearer the one at the top of Warwick road, at the Norbury end of the borough. Sorry I can't help you trace Bill from the Billy Cotton band, but I did know the daughter of another band leader, Norrie Paramor, who lived in the next road to me in Norbury.

Hi Viv,

Thank you so much for sharing your comments. This is the first time I've revisited this website for many years and had pretty much lost hope on my search! So I will certainly look into this and see if I can find anyone named Paramor from the Billy Cotton Band. Best wishes

My wife recently mentioned that when she was at Winterbourne School in the 1950's, a friend of hers used to claim her father was a trombonist in Billy Cotton's band. The only thing is, her maiden name was Sharon Webb, so could there have been two members of the Billy Cotton band, both trombonists, living in Thornton Heath at roughly the same time? It could be possible.

As far as I know, Norrie Paramor was not a member of Billy Cotton's band. He was a pianist, band leader and the recording director for EMI's Columbia label from 1952, producing Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Helen Shapiro and many others. Interesting to find that he lived in Norbury, as another band leader, Ken Mackintosh, lived just a bit further up the road at Streatham Common. My mother knew him from her days as a vocalist with various dance bands during and just after WW2, when she was in the WAAF.

While searching the British Newspaper Archive website I came across an advert for Rose Music Shop in the classified ads section of the Croydon Times, dated Friday 5th April 1957: “WE BUY violins, 'cellos, guitars, clarinets, saxophones, accordions, trombones, etc. Condition not important. Valuable instruments bought. Rose Music Shop, 13 Thornton Road, Thornton Heath Pond. Phone THO. ????”.