Ivy Benson was taught piano and clarinet as a teenager by her father. She worked at a menswear mill in Leeds where she saved up enough money to buy her first saxophone. She began to play semi-professionally, but as a woman, life in the big-band world was hard. With the arrival of the Second World War, with so many men away, Ivy began recruiting her first all-girl band.
Starting as a five piece, the band soon had a dozen members and a residency at the Ritz Ballroom in Manchester. In 1943, they made their debut on the BBC while continuing to play to the troops throughout Europe. Invited to play at the victory celebrations in Berlin, Ivy's growing popularity was rewarded by a 22-week bill-topping season at the London Palladium. The only woman member of the Bandleaders' Association, Ivy was still very active when she died suddenly in 1993. Her signature tune was always Lady be Good.
