Ten years ago I was sent a video from a Big Band Buddy friend in South Africa of a pianist whom I had never heard of. The video started with a view in a Butchers shop and the gentlemen in question was serving a lady customer with a cut of meat. He said to her, “I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me now I just off to make a TV programme”, and with that the next shot we see this man at the piano playing the introduction to “The Sound of Music”. This was the first time I had seen or heard of Ken Higgins, and I was absolutely transfixed watching him play a selection of popular and classical tunes in a style that immediately reminded me of such greats as Carman Cavalaro, Eddie Duchin and Bill Snyder.

After years of searching for information about Ken through BBB members in South Africa I managed to learn a little more about him. Then just this year I once again typed his name in ‘Google’ search engine and his name appeared with a website address.

His picture appeared on his home page looking some-what older than the video I have of him filmed may bethirty years ago. I wrote to Ken to tell him my story and my search for him over these past years and he was kind enough to write back and send me some history of his life for all you readers of our Magazine.Born in Bury, Lancashire, England in 1936, Ken showed an early interest in music. starting piano lessons at the tender age of five. In 1947 Ken immigrated with hisfamily to South Africa. On the day he arrived in CapeTown this young boy at the age of just 11 years performed live for twenty minutes at the South African Broadcasting Studios. At 12 years old he entered the South Africa College of Music and a year later performed Haydn’s Piano Concerto. From the age of 14 years and destined to become a concert pianist his aspirations to achieve this were suddenly brought to an end when he heard the likes of George Shearing, Art Tatum,Carmen Cavallaro, Oscar Peterson, Errol Garner etc.At 17 years old he left the College of Music, and after passing his exams he entered the meat industry, a move that he regretted in later years.When he was 19 years old he married his childhood sweetheart Cecily and this month (June 2010) they will celebrate their 55th Wedding anniversary. They have three sons and a daughter, all music mad; two of his sons are musicians. His children have increased his family now by having between them nine grandchildren for Ken and his wife. Ken continued his music after his marriage but with the likes of Shearing, Tatum and Peterson influencing his music, he turned to playing Jazz and Swing, playing with his trio in nightclubs.

At 25 years old he was approached by the ‘GALLO’ Music group to record and LP which became an instant success leading to many more recording session eventually releasing 14 LP records.He was offered his own radio programme presenting over the years more than two thousand. One of his most popular shows called “Higgins At Home” ran for 13 years.During this period he won the ‘SARI’ award twice as “Best Instrumenta-list”.He also entered the world of Television and did many varied appearances and was nominated for several TV Awards, flowing from this he performed many live concerts, many as soloist with all the leading Orchestras throughout South Africa.It was one of his TV shows that I was first introduced to Ken Higgins and his music now is played in my home regularly, thanks to several of his CD’s he has released recently. Those CD’s are available now worldwide thanks to his new website which also includes samples of his music. http://www.kenhiggins.co.za

He added to his letter a nice anecdote saying that when he applied to have his hands insured for a fairly large sum, no company is South Africa would touch him. His broker applied to Lloyds of London and their reply came back “A Concert Pianist who is a butcher? NO THANK YOU.His name has been added to the Trivial Pursuit questions, which read “Which retired South African Musician is a Butcher, by day and a concert pianist by night?”With many fans still wanting to hear his music he receives many enquiries and so came out of retirement nine years ago, which has led him to release, three new Cd’s under his own label. Ken adds “I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed a great amount of success with these new releases; I have had a wonderful and interesting life, and would not change any part of it, “Except the part about the meat business”.

Well Ken all I can say is that I wish I had known more about your music fifty years ago. Somehow I will have to try and trace some of those records you have released and may be someone out in South Africa has some of those radio programmes on cassette I’d love to hear from anyone who has them.ED