Norman Pennington RIP
30th April 1937 - 19th June 2022

25/06/22 -

Norman passed away on Sunday June 19th in hospital after a long illness bravely born. He will be sadly missed by the band and all who knew him, his tireless efforts promoting the band and the Beaky jazz nights on Wednesdays, twice monthly, was very much down to his determined efforts RIP Norman, -

Roger Wimpenny

26/06/22 -

I was deeply saddened and stunned to hear of Norman's death. For a long time I have been an admirer of the Tame Valley Stompers, a band he promoted with tireless dedication. To me as a would-be jazz musician, they became heroes of the jazz scene and I aspired to be able to play like them. Eventually, it was Norman who gave me my first booking in my own right as a guest at Beaky. Since then, I have had the pleasure of guesting/sitting in with them on many occasions and found that not only was this band incredibly talented but they were also a bunch of really nice blokes - it has been an honour and a privilege to play with them. Whenever I went along Norman was always welcoming and interested in "how I was doing", and when my band, the Dixie Beats first started, he and his wife, Dorothy took the trouble to come and hear us and offer encouragement. He, and the rest of the stompers were hugely appreciative, encouraging, and welcoming of new musicians and one of my most cherished musical memories is a midsummer night gig at Beaky where myself and Alex Clarke played with a hot band in a hot room on a hot night to an appreciative audience. His enthusiasm for the music and willingness to give new musicians a chance was matched by his dedication to his own talented band who always seemed to be performing somewhere and receiving rave reviews. Meeting and getting to know Norman has been a rewarding and positive influence not just on my musical journey, but on my life. I will always remember the great music of his band and be grateful for the opportunity and encouragement he gave me. Rest well, mate. Hopefully I'll sit in with you again at the Jazz club in the sky.

John Percival

26/06/22 -

Very sad Fred
Another good drummer taken his sticks up there.  R I P

John Westwood

01/07/22 -

Norman was a true gent. A wonderful organiser and a talented drummer. His enthusiasm for his craft was a great example to us all. RIP

Richard Slater

11/07/22 -

14/07/22 -