It is difficult to imagine the modern world without music. After all, it can be heard everywhere: at home, at work, in a coffee shop, on the street, in transport, etc. Each person has their own taste in music and chooses their own playlist. However, there are performers and songs that are etched in memory for a long time. In this article, we will tell you about the musician Ivy Benson, a leader of the musical group. Ivy Benson was born in Leeds but developed her musical career outside the city. Learn more about her success story at leedska.
Ivy’s childhood and education
The future music star was born in Leeds in 1913. Ivy’s father was a musician as well and could play several instruments. Probably that was why Ivy had a knack for music and started playing the piano at the age of five. From the age of eight, the girl began to play in men’s clubs under the pseudonym Baby Benson. Later, she made her debut on the BBC Radio’s Children’s Hour.
Ivy’s father really wanted her to become a pianist. However, she sought to realise herself as a jazz musician. She got inspired by a Benny Goodman record and learned to play the clarinet and alto saxophone.
Ivy Benson left school at the age of 14. She started to work at the Montague Burton factory in Leeds and saved money to buy a saxophone. Ivy also played in dance groups in the evenings.
Career development
The active development of her musical career began in 1929 when Benson joined the Yorkshire band Edna Croudson’s Rhythm Girls. It consisted of six members and Ivy toured with them until 1935. Later, she cooperated with other bands. Benson became the soloist for Teddy Joyce and the Girlfriends and then created her own group.
World War II was a terrible page in the history of humanity. However, during that difficult time, female musicians got new opportunities. After all, many male musicians were enlisted in the army, giving women a chance to realise their potential too. Thus, in 1943, Benson’s group became the BBC’s resident dance band and was top of the bill at the London Palladium. It had a good reputation and many fans. In 1945, the band was the first musical group invited to perform at the VE Day celebrations in Berlin. They also gave a Christmas performance on live BBC Radio. In addition, Benson’s band toured Europe and the Middle East as well as performed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
In the 1950s, Ivy played for vacationers on the Isle of Man. She also continued to lead the group, adapting its musical repertoire to listeners’ preferences. Over time, the band switched to only private events because dance halls and variety shows started to decline. The band broke up in 1982.
We would like to add that in addition to her musical career, Ivy Benson also had experience working in the film industry and on TV. In 1934, she appeared in the film The Dummy Talks. In addition, Ivy and her band took part in the filming of The Music Band TV series in 1957. In 1976, Benson appeared in the show This Is Your Life. In 1984, Birmingham Repertory Theatre staged Liane Aukin’s play The Silver Lady, based on Ivy Benson’s life.
Personal life: several failed marriages
Ivy was married several times. Her first husband was a theatre producer. They married in 1949 but divorced two years later. In 1957, she married US Air Force Sergeant Brantley Callaway. By the way, Ivy met her second husband on the Isle of Man. However, they divorced too in 1964. Benson underwent a surgery after which she could not have children.
In the 1980s, Ivy moved to Clacton and continued to perform as a pianist, organist and vocalist. In 1993, she had a heart attack and passed away.
It should be noted that Ivy Benson received only one significant award during her lifetime. She became an honorary fellow of Leeds Polytechnic in 1988. In 2011, Leeds Civic Trust commemorated Ivy Benson with a blue plaque on the house where she grew up.
Ivy Benson was a talented musician and bandleader who realised her potential during World War II. Such a period was a unique opportunity for music and female musicians to develop. At that time, the population was in dire need of music and therefore songs spread quickly and became popular. Ivy Benson caught that wave and began to develop her band actively. She had hundreds of performances and thousands of fans.
We hope you enjoyed our informative article and learned a lot of new information about this famous person who was born in Leeds.
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