Stranger on the Suez Canal

Sometimes, all you need is a nap (even if it’s on the shore or the Suez Canal).

​​​​​Read the full story ⬇︎

While awaiting court martial in a military prison (for falling asleep guarding the Suez Canal) Acker passed the time learning to play the clarinet, practicing five hours a day every day for three months.
 

He didn’t even have a reed for the instrument, instead fashioning his own from of a scrap of wood. The resourceful setup (along with the loss of his two front teeth and half a finger from a sledging accident years earlier) gave Acker a distinctive vibrato all his own.

 
“By the time I was released,” he later recalled, “I was so interested in jazz I joined a band and played at army concerts.”
 

For over a decade, the clarinetist played standard jazz gigs throughout the UK with the standard success of a relatively unknown musician—but his success became extraordinary in 1962 with the release of his own composition entitled “Jenny”, named after his daughter. The tune caught the attention of the British television series Stranger on the Shore who asked to use it as their theme song.
 

The melody skyrocketed Acker Bilk’s career—topping international charts for 55 weeks and selling over a million copies. The song has since become a jazz standard with Acker referring to it as “my old-age pension.”

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All for taking a nap on the shore of the Suez Canal.

•••

As a child, my favorite movie was Mr. Holland’s Opus, the story of a reluctant music teacher who only wanted to compose his own music—only to discover that his real opus was the lives of the students he taught over the years.

 
Even as I type this, tears come to my eyes as I recall a turning point in his story:
 

One day after school, a student was struggling to play the clarinet, and Mr. Holland, in a hurry to get home to compose, told her to give it up for the day. She immediately busted into tears and he quickly realized how insensitive he had been. He sat down with the student and became fully present, perhaps for the first time in his career:
 

MR. HOLLAND: Let me ask you a question. When you look in the mirror, what do you like best about yourself?
 
GERTRUDE LANG: My hair.
 
MR. HOLLAND: Why?
 
GERTRUDE LANG: Well, my father always says that it reminds him of the sunset.
 
MR. HOLLAND: Play the sunset. Close your eyes. One, two, three, four… 
 
 
To her delight, Gertrude proceeded to play a beautiful rendition of  “Stranger on the Shore.”
 

Even as a child, I recognized the significant value that a caring person can have in the lives of others. Mr. Holland became my hero. I wanted to be that caring and charismatic person for others. And I suppose that is why, as a teenager, the first song I learned to play on the clarinet was “Stranger on the Shore.”

 
This melody has always held a significant place in my heart—and now, years later, learning the story behind it adds four more layers of significance:


1. If you’re sitting around waiting to be court martialed, then you mind as well find something interesting to do to pass the time. It just might change the course of your life for the better.  

2. It doesn’t need to be perfect for you to get started. Even if you’re missing part of a finger, your two front teeth, and a reed—you can get started with what you have. And these perceived limitations just may be what give you a distinctive vibe.  

3. Playing jazz standards can give you standard success, but when you play the melody written in your heart, your success can become extraordinary—and that just may become the new standard.

4. Sometimes, all you need is a nap (even if it’s on the shore or the Suez Canal).


Reflection
When you look in the mirror, what do you like best about yourself?
Play that. Close your eyes. One, two, three, four…
 
 
Want More?
Jonas Cain, M.Ed. is a storyteller, magician, musician, and facilitator of fascination—helping people discover joy through curiosity and wonder. Connect with Jonas to discover more.
 
References
(1963, April 22). “I had been court-martialed for falling asleep on guard and got three month’s detention.” Singapore Holdings. www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/641b99c4-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad