Ray Ellington
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| Ray Ellington | |
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 Ray Ellington
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harry Pitts Brown |
| Born | 17 March 1916 |
| Origin | England |
| Died | 28 February 1985 (aged 68) England |
| Genres | Jazz, blues |
| Occupations | singer, drummer, bandleader |
| Instruments | drums |
| Years active | 1950s-? |
Ray Ellington (17 March 1916 – 28 February 1985) was a popular English singer, drummer and bandleader. He is best known for his appearances on The Goon Show from 1951 to 1960. The Ray Ellington Quartet had a regular musical segment on the show, and Ellington also had a small speaking role in many episodes, often as a parodic African, Native American or Arab chieftain (but also often, with no attempt to change his normal accent, as a female secretary or a Scotsman).
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[edit] Early life
Ellington was born Harry Pitts Brown, at 155 Kennington Road, Kennington, London, the youngest of four children. His father was Harry Pitts Brown (c.1877–1920), a black music-hall comedian and entertainer, and his mother was Eva Stenkell Rosenthal (b. c.1879), a Russian Jew. His father died when Brown was four years old. He was brought up as a strictly Orthodox Jew. He attended South London Jewish School (1924–30), before entering show business at the age of twelve, when he appeared in an acting role on the London stage.
[edit] Musical style
Ellington specialised in jazz but experimented with many other genres throughout the show's history and his musical style was heavily influenced by the comedic jump blues of Louis Jordan. Ellington's band was one of the first in the UK to feature the stripped-back guitar/bass/drums/piano format that became the basis of rock and roll, as well as being one of the first groups in Britain to prominently feature the electric guitar. They were also reputedly the very first jazz band in the UK to use an amplified guitar, which was produced and introduced by their guitar player, Lauderic Rex Caton.
Early in the Goon Show's run, there were many jokes linking Ellington to the African nation of Ghana, thus leading Ellington to say that he came from Ghana.
He was married to Anita West who was to become the second female presenter of Blue Peter when she replaced Leila Williams, but she only lasted a few weeks in this role. The marriage ended in divorce.
Ray's son Lance Ellington is a singer who has recorded several jazz orientated albums.[1] Lance Ellington also appeared in tributes to Peter Sellers and in the film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, where he played his father. In May, 2001, Lance Ellington took part in "Goon Again", a 50th anniversary celebration of The Goon Show.
He played with Lauderic Caton, who is known for introducing the electric guitar to Britain.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Ray Ellington at the Internet Movie Database
- "Ray Ellington". The Goon Characters. Goon Show Preservation Society. 2006. http://goon.org/usgoons/ellington.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- The Spike Milligan Tribute Site
- The Spike Milligan Appreciation Society
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