Vic Lewis

Although not a major musician himself, Vic Lewis was an important force in British jazz beginning in the 1930s, leading bands covered a wide range of styles. A rhythm guitarist (he started when he was three) and an occasional cornetist and trombonist in his early days, Lewis gained early experience leading a band that included the teenage George Shearing. When he first visited the U.S. in 1938, he led a couple of Dixieland-oriented recording sessions that included Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, and Pee Wee Russell. Lewis served in the RAF during 1941-1944 but was still able to r...