Ronnie Verrell
| Ronnie Verrell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ronald Thomas Verrell |
| Born |
21 February 1926 Rochester, Kent, England |
| Died | 22 February 2002 (aged 76) Kingston-upon-Thames, England |
| Genres | Jazz, big band |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | mid-1940s–2001 |
| Associated acts | The Ted Heath Orchestra, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra |
Ronald 'Ronnie' Thomas Verrell (21 February 1926 – 22 February 2002) was an English jazz drummer. He played in two of the United Kingdom's "most famous" big bands, The Ted Heath Orchestra and The Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Verrell also worked extensively in television, including as a drummer in Jack Parnell's ATV Orchestra and Sunday Night at the London Palladium. He also provided the drumming for The Muppet Show's Animal, and was a "Skinnerette" on The Frank Skinner Show.
The Scotsman called Verrell a "driving band drummer" and an "exciting soloist".The Daily Telegraph said Verrel had a "rare combination of craftsmanship and bravura showmanship" and called him "Britain's best-known big band drummer for half a century".
Ronnie Verrell was born on 21 February 1926 in Rochester, Kent in England. Initially he showed little interest in music until he saw The Benny Goodman Quartet perform in a film, Hollywood Hotel in 1938. Verrell was so impressed by what he saw, he stayed to watch the film a second time. He wanted to be a drummer and taught himself how to play after only one lesson. In 1940, after the outbreak of World War II, the 14-year-old Verrel was evacuated to Porthcawl in South Wales, where he made his first public appearances drumming with local bands in the area. He returned to Kent in 1943 and worked professionally for a while with the Claude Giddins band, before being conscripted to work as a Bevin Boy in the coal mines for the remainder of the war.
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