[2] In Melly's memoir Owning Up, published in 1965, he detailed many of the pair's drunken and scandalous outings which had made them regular tabloid figures in the 1950s.
Mulligan's orchestra included Roy Crimmins, Ian Christie, and Archie Semple; it rivalled Humphrey Lyttelton's band in popularity on the British trad jazz circuit.
While he booked excellent side men, Mulligan was not a top-flight musician and his own playing was often hampered by intoxication; their recording legacy is spotty because their releases were irregular and generally for small labels.
In January 1963, the British music magazine NME reported that the biggest trad jazz event to be staged in Britain had taken place at Alexandra Palace.
The event included Melly, Diz Disley, Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer, Monty Sunshine, Bob Wallis, Bruce Turner, Alex Welsh, and Mulligan.