 Bill
started his musical life as a drummer and moved onto the Clarinet because he
got fed up of transporting his drums on the bus. From Clarinet he moved onto
Saxophone and within a short time had made a very good name for himself playing
with the top artists and bands of the decade, including Ambrose And His
Orchestra, Oscar Rabin and his band along with many West End
Theatres.
 It was as a result of injury to his thumb, not being able to
play for a period of time, Bill moved into musical instrument retailing
specialising in Brass and Woodwind, securing premises in Macclesfield Street on
the 1st floor, still remembered by many to this day, with a barber downstairs
and massage parlour upstairs. Joined by his brother Denis, this soon extended
to include a repair workshop. Instruments in the early days were hard to come
by and Bill would visit Fleet Street to get copies of the Music Exchange and
Mart the night before they hit the street to hunt out instruments he could
purchase. It was also not unusual for Bill to ask musicians working the cruise
ships to bring back instruments they had purchased in New York for him. The
shop later moved to 164 Shaftesbury Avenue, with the office of writer and
composer Lionel Bart upstairs and then along to 144 Shaftesbury Avenue,
overlooking the Palace Theatre at Cambridge Circus, but this time with a
warehouse in Covent Garden. Being in the heart of Theatreland and so close to
the famous Ronnie Scott club, the shop would have the cream of international
musicians coming through its doors. Ronnie would have his repairs done here and
such legends as Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Sal Nistico would
all have various adjustments and repairs done whilst playing at the club and of
course top London players, Ronnie Ross, Tony Coe, Pete King, Alan Skidmore etc,
were regular customers. As the business expanded Bill moved into Distribution
for Noblet and Leblanc Clarinets, building up a very close friendship with Leon
Leblanc. Then Yamaha Japan came knocking and Bill became the distributor for
Yamaha Brass and Woodwind Instruments. Bill loved music and supported many
musicians over the years from Music for Youth to sponsorship of a Brass
Band.
In May 1998 Bill passed away and Denis decided it was time to
retire. This led to the closing of the by now famous London shop but Bill's
wife, Anne carried on the company, concentrating on Distribution and repairs,
moving the company to its current location in Essex. The company was then run
by a small and dedicated team of Musicians with many years of service with the
company, dedicated to keeping Bill's company and love for Music alive. Still
specialising in Brass and Woodwind but over the years we have added other
products like Guitars, Ukuleles and Drums.
Unfortunateley Bill
Lewington Ltd closed its doors in May 2018 - the end of an era |
Bill
started his musical life as a drummer and moved onto the Clarinet because he
got fed up of transporting his drums on the bus. From Clarinet he moved onto
Saxophone and within a short time had made a very good name for himself playing
with the top artists and bands of the decade, including Ambrose And His
Orchestra, Oscar Rabin and his band along with many West End
Theatres.
It was as a result of injury to his thumb, not being able to
play for a period of time, Bill moved into musical instrument retailing
specialising in Brass and Woodwind, securing premises in Macclesfield Street on
the 1st floor, still remembered by many to this day, with a barber downstairs
and massage parlour upstairs. Joined by his brother Denis, this soon extended
to include a repair workshop. Instruments in the early days were hard to come
by and Bill would visit Fleet Street to get copies of the Music Exchange and
Mart the night before they hit the street to hunt out instruments he could
purchase. It was also not unusual for Bill to ask musicians working the cruise
ships to bring back instruments they had purchased in New York for him. The
shop later moved to 164 Shaftesbury Avenue, with the office of writer and
composer Lionel Bart upstairs and then along to 144 Shaftesbury Avenue,
overlooking the Palace Theatre at Cambridge Circus, but this time with a
warehouse in Covent Garden. Being in the heart of Theatreland and so close to
the famous Ronnie Scott club, the shop would have the cream of international
musicians coming through its doors. Ronnie would have his repairs done here and
such legends as Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Sal Nistico would
all have various adjustments and repairs done whilst playing at the club and of
course top London players, Ronnie Ross, Tony Coe, Pete King, Alan Skidmore etc,
were regular customers. As the business expanded Bill moved into Distribution
for Noblet and Leblanc Clarinets, building up a very close friendship with Leon
Leblanc. Then Yamaha Japan came knocking and Bill became the distributor for
Yamaha Brass and Woodwind Instruments. Bill loved music and supported many
musicians over the years from Music for Youth to sponsorship of a Brass
Band.
