Sanding (dance) the box of rosin before matches to improve his grip. Sims' popularity as a tap dancer and career at the Apollo certainly made him one of the most if not the most influential sand-dancer of all time. Sand dancing was also used by the popular comedic vaudeville trio, Wilson, Keppel and Betty. They spread sand over the stage in one of their most well-known numbers, "Sand Dance". In their performance, there was no allusion to African American heritage; rather to the sandy environs of Egypt, a clear inspiration for their number. In spite of this deviation from the African American
The Bill Hall Trio The Bill Hall Trio The Bill Hall Trio was a musical comedy act originally consisting of Bill Hall (violin), Johnny Mulgrew (double bass) and Spike Milligan (guitar). They met through the Combined Services Entertainment programme during World War II and the trio continued in its original form until 1947/8. After Milligan left, the Bill Hall Trio obtained a new guitarist (who according to Mulgrew was like George Formby) and other new members whenever old members left or died. The group went on until the death (from throat cancer]) of Johnny Mulgrew in the 1980s. (Johnny Mulgrew died on 1 August