Henry Pitts Brown, known professionally as Ray Ellington, was a popular English singer, drummer and bandleader.
Background
Ellington was born Henry Pitts Brown, at 155 Kennington Road, Kennington, London, the youngest of four children. His father was Harry Pitts Brown (c1877–1920), an American black music-hall comedian and entertainer, his mother was Eva Stenkell Rosenthal (b c1879), a Russian Jew. His father died when Brown was four years old.
Education
Ellington was brought up as a strictly Orthodox Jew and attended the South London Jewish School (1924-1930), before entering show business at the age of twelve, when he appeared in an acting role on the London stage.
Career
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). Ellington"s first break came in 1937 when he joined Harry Roy and His Orchestra as the band"s drummer, replacing Joe Daniels.
His vocal talents were put to good use too, from the time of his first session when he recorded "Swing for Sale." Ellington was called up in May 1940 when he joined the Royal Air Force (Royal Air Force) as a physical training instructor where he served throughout the war.
He played in various service bands including Royal Air Force Blue Eagles (1945). After demobilisation, Ellington resumed his career, fronting his own group, playing at The Bag O"Nails club
Early in 1947, he rejoined the Harry Roy band for a few months. 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 United Kingdom 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 first jazz band in the United Kingdom to use an amplified guitar, which was produced and introduced by their guitar player, Lauderic 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. Ellington"s recording of "The Madison" reached #36 in the United Kingdom Singles Chart in November 1962.
They had two small children (Lance and Nina) when the marriage ended in divorce, due to Ellington"s constant touring.
Ray"s son Lance Ellington is a singer who has recorded several jazz-oriented albums, and is one of the backing singers in the British Broadcasting Corporation show Strictly Come Dancing. 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.
Ray Ellington died of cancer on 27 February 1985.
Membership
The other members of Ellington"s quartet were Dick Katz (piano) and Coleridge Goode (bass).