Ivy Benson
| Ivy Benson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
11 November 1913 Holbeck, Leeds, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 6 May 1993 (aged 79) Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Genres | Jazz, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Bandleader |
| Instruments | Alto saxophone, clarinet, piano |
| Years active | 1929–1982 |
Ivy Benson (11 November 1913 – 6 May 1993) was an English musician and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson and her band rose to fame in the 1940s, headlining variety theatres and topping the bill at the London Palladium, and became the BBC's resident house band.
Benson was born on 11 November 1913 in Holbeck, Leeds, the daughter of Douglas Rolland "Digger" Benson and his wife Mary Jane Mead. Her father, a musician who played several instruments including trombone for the Leeds Symphony Orchestra, began teaching her the piano at the age of five. She played at working men's clubs from the age of eight, billed as Baby Benson, and performed on BBC Radio's Children's Hour aged nine.
Ivy's father had ambitions for her to become a concert pianist, but she was inspired to become a jazz musician after hearing a Benny Goodman record and learned to play clarinet and alto saxophone. She left school at 14 and took a job at the Montague Burton factory in Leeds, putting aside half a crown from her wages each week to save up for her first saxophone. She supplemented her income by playing in dance bands in the evenings.
Benson joined Yorkshire-based six-piece band Edna Croudson's Rhythm Girls in 1929, touring with them until 1935, after which she toured with various bands including Teddy Joyce and the Girlfriends where she became a featured soloist. She moved to London in the late 1930s and formed her own band. Their first significant engagement was performing with the all-female revue Meet the Girls, which starred Hylda Baker.
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