Scan Tester
| Scan Tester | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lewis Tester |
| Born |
7 September 1886 Chelwood Gate, Horsted Keynes, Sussex, England |
| Died | 1972 |
| Genres | Folk music |
| Instruments | Anglo concertina, bandoneon, melodeon, fiddle |
| Associated acts | Tester's Imperial |
Lewis "Scan" Tester (7 September 1886 – 1972) was an English folk and English country musician.
Lewis Tester was born in Chelwood Gate, near Horsted Keynes, Sussex. At about the age of five he acquired the nickname "scantelope". There are several variants on the story, but his immediate family used the name "Scan" and he used it when advertising himself as a musician. He spent most of life in the area north of Brighton, playing Anglo concertina, bandoneon, melodeon and fiddle. He occasionally sang. Both his older brother, Trayton and a younger brother, Will played concertina. He lied about his age in order to be able to leave school early and earn money for his family. Parish records of the school suggest he was born in 1887, but he claimed it was 1886. At his father's pub, the Green Man at Horsted Keynes he learned step-dancing. He danced and played at weddings, harvest suppers and pubs with his elder brother and other local musicians.
When visiting the hop fields of Kent he earned more money from playing concertina and dancing than he could have earned by pulling hops. There would be contests for dancing in the hop fields, including gypsy dancers, and he generally won the prize - a gallon of beer. After the First World War he formed a "jazz band" - that is a country dance band that included a full drum kit. It was called "Tester's Imperial". He hired rooms and taught the dances - quadrilles, schottisches, polkas, and the like - before the dance started. His brother Trayton, brought a bandoneon back from Germany after the First World War. It was an oversized concertina, with a full deep sound, excellent for un-amplified playing. By the 1950s the instrument was no longer manufactured. For over forty years, Tester played at the Stone Quarry pub at Chelwood Gate. He was one of the last to play the old-time tunes.
...
Wikipedia