Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye were an English musical variety double act who were known for performing syncopated
piano duets together from the 1930s to 1950s. The duo consisted of pianists Ivor Arthur Moreton (born Arthur Lethbridge; 18 March 1908 – 9 December 1984) and David "Dave" Kaye (born David Keigel; 13 March 1906 – 15 December 1996), who had both been members of
Harry Roy
Harry Roy (12 January 1900 – 1 February 1971) was a British dance band leader and clarinet player from the 1920s to the 1960s. He performed several songs with suggestive lyrics, including " My Girl's Pussy" (1931), and "She Had to Go and Lose ...
's dance band, the act developing from Roy's small group, the Tiger Ragamuffins. They played at two pianos, usually with Kaye carrying the melody, and Moreton embellishing it.
Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye were a headline act in variety and radio, regularly appearing at venues run by
Moss Empires
Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United ...
, who were responsible for the largest chain of theatres and music halls in the UK. ''
The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'' wrote of Moreton and Kaye that, "With their slick evening dress and immaculate stage appearance, they endeared themselves to lovers of
light entertainment
Light entertainment encompasses a broad range of television and radio programming that includes comedies, variety shows, game shows, quiz shows and the like.
In Great Britain
In the early days of the BBC virtually all broadcast entertainment w ...
in a polished but unassuming way."
Early lives
David Kaye was born on 13 March 1906 in
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area.
In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
[''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007'' atabase on-line London, England: ]General Register Office
General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital recor ...
. His parents, Leah (née Kalisky) and Reuben Keigel, were born in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
, then part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. Reuben was a hairdresser, with Leah working in the business, and the family lived in
Hackney.
Dave formally changed his surname to Kaye in July 1940.
He worked in a timber merchant's office for three years, before getting a job accompanying a woman who sang songs in a store advertising sheet music.
Ivor Moreton, originally named Arthur Lethbridge, was born in
Barnsbury
Barnsbury is an area of north London in the London Borough of Islington, within the N1 and N7 postal districts.
The name is a syncopated form of ''Bernersbury'' (1274), being so called after the Berners family: powerful medieval manorial ...
, London on 18 March 1908 to parents Mary Elizabeth (née Doncaster) and Frederick Charles Lethbridge.
The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
; Kew, London, England; ''1939 Register''; Reference: ''RG 101/1215E''[''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007'' atabase on-line ]General Register Office
General Register Office or General Registry Office (GRO) is the name given to the civil registry in the United Kingdom, many other Commonwealth nations and Ireland. The GRO is the government agency responsible for the recording of vital recor ...
; United Kingdom; Volume: ''13''; Page: ''1965''The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; ''Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911''[ ]London Metropolitan Archives
The London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) is the principal local government archive repository for the Greater London area, including the City of London: it is the largest county record office in the United Kingdom. It was established under its pr ...
; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: P76/SIL/023. Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936 atabase on-line His father was a compositor in the printing trade.
Upon leaving school at 15, Ivor worked in a stockbroker's office, and left this job to become a cellulose sprayer, with the job of tracing designs onto dresses.
He had already been able to play the piano for some time, and provided accompaniment at local parties in the evenings. At a local dance, he was asked if he would like to play professionally. He was then offered a job playing at a small night club.
Career
With Harry Roy
Following Dave Kaye's job in the shop, he formed his own band, and worked as a pianist for Jerry Hoey,
Sydney Lipton and
Jack Harris Jack Harris may refer to:
Entertainment
* Jack Harris (film editor) (1905–1971), English film editor
* Jack H. Harris (1918–2017), American film producer
* Jack Harris (broadcaster) (born 1941), American radio personality based in Tampa, Flor ...
.
In 1926, he joined drummer and xylophonist Julian Vedey's new band at the Cosmo Club in
Wardour Street
Wardour Street () is a street in Soho, City of Westminster, London. It is a one-way street that runs north from Leicester Square, through Chinatown, across Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street. Throughout the 20th century the street became a ...
,
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was deve ...
, in a residency which lasted around six months. Coinciding with the end of this period was the departure of Kaye's brother Cyril for
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
, Australia, to lead a band at the Wentworth Hotel. In 1929, it was reported that Dave was part of a new band at
The Piccadilly Hotel, led by Jim Kelleher on alto sax, with Kaye on piano and
Joe Daniels on drums.
During this period of his career, Kaye was also part of
Maurice Winnick's band at the hotel, although by August 1931, he had been replaced.
Ivor Moreton, who had been professionally active since at least 1930, was invited by drummer Bill Currie to join him in an act at a club, where Moreton and Kaye first met each other.
By 1931, Moreton was a pianist with
Harry Roy
Harry Roy (12 January 1900 – 1 February 1971) was a British dance band leader and clarinet player from the 1920s to the 1960s. He performed several songs with suggestive lyrics, including " My Girl's Pussy" (1931), and "She Had to Go and Lose ...
's five-piece band at the Bat Club, being with Roy from his first recording session in April that year.
In addition, Moreton also sang on vocals with Currie, and in a trio with Roy. Later that year, Roy formed a larger band to take to the
RKO Theatre in
Leicester Square
Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicest ...
, and it was at this point that Kaye joined, thus starting Moreton and Kaye's long professional association. From October 1931 onwards, Moreton was on piano, and Kaye on second piano at Roy's recording sessions.
In autumn 1932, Moreton sang his first solo vocal refrain for Roy on his version of "
Love is the Sweetest Thing
"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" is a popular song written in 1932 by British band leader and singer Ray Noble. Using guest vocalist Al Bowlly, Noble's recording was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Noble his first American succe ...
", a song which became a standard. He subsequently contributed further solo vocal refrains to Roy's records.
In 1933, Moreton and other members of the band joined Syd Roy and His R.K. Olians, an outfit fronted by Harry's brother. Moreton played piano and contributed vocals, whilst Cyril Kaye was also a pianist for the group. This line-up recorded for the budget Eclipse label (owned by
Woolworths
Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to:
Businesses
* F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores
* Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shop ...
) from April to October 1933.
In December that year, a
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
record credited to "Ivor Moreton & Dave Kaye" was released, with the label describing them as "Harry Roy's Famous Pianists On Two Pianos". The record consisted of two medleys of jazz standards: one side featured them performing "
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
" and "
Some of These Days", whilst the other had "
Dinah
In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only daughter of Leah and Jacob, and one of the matriarchs of the Israelites. The episode of her violation by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent vengea ...
", "
After You've Gone" and "
Nobody's Sweetheart". Joe Daniels also received billing for playing the drums on these recordings.
Perhaps aided by his role in the spotlight as the band's singer, it was reported in early February 1934 that Moreton was receiving fan mail of more than 200 letters a week.
On 5 February that year, Moreton and Kaye made their first recordings as part of Harry Roy's Tiger Ragamuffins (a name coined by Moreton's father), a smaller group in which the pianists took a key role.
Led by Roy, the group also featured Arthur Calkin on bass and Daniels on drums.
Headline act
The
Silver Jubilee Royal Variety Performance
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...
in October 1935 featured the duo as part of Roy's band. Moreton and Kaye also appeared in the 1936 musical film
''Everything is Rhythm'', which starred Roy; however, by the time it made it into cinemas, the duo had left the band to concentrate on their own career as duettists in variety. They departed in January 1936, and were joined on tour by drummer Ossie Noble.
In April 1936, their first 78 since leaving Roy was issued on Parlophone, with a "
Fox Trot Medley" on one side and a "
Quickstep
The quickstep is a light-hearted dance of the standard ballroom dances. The movement of the dance is fast and powerfully flowing and sprinkled with syncopations. The upbeat melodies that quickstep is danced to make it suitable for both formal ...
Medley" on the other. Their "Tin Pan Alley" series of contemporary hit medleys ran to almost 100 issues.
On 7 April 1937, Moreton and Kaye cut their only sides as leaders of a band, The Rhythm Rogues. Directed by Kaye, both played piano and Moreton sang vocals on "
Harbour Lights".
Moreton and Kaye continued to be prolific on gramophone records in their own right, with piano medleys issued regularly. Entertainment agent Keith Salberg later said of the duo, "They were wonderfully slick - a sort of jazzed up version of
Rawicz and Landauer. They were a housewives' favourite," he added, noting that "everybody" had a Moreton and Kaye 78 "somewhere in their house."
April 1937 also saw the duo appearing in their own
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
slot, during the early days of the medium in Britain.
They were referred to in the press and on theatre bills as "The Original
Tiger Rag pianists", having played on Harry Roy's 1933 recording of the song.
In June, they had their own slot on the
BBC National Programme. Later that year, the duo toured Scandinavia.
In early 1938, they could be heard in their own series, ''Tomorrow's Songs'', on the
BBC Regional Programme
The BBC Regional Programme was a radio service which was on the air from 9 March 1930 – replacing a number of earlier BBC local stations between 1922 and 1924 – until 1 September 1939 when it was subsumed into the Home Service, two days b ...
in London.
Moreton and Kaye also composed several tunes together, including "Peter Pan". Billed as "The Original Tiger Ragamuffins", cinema audiences could see them playing "Peter Pan" at two grand pianos in an August 1938
''Pathétone'' newsreel.
In October that year, they topped the Concert Hall bill for the final week of the
Empire Exhibition in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
, where Kaye played the electric
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...
as part of their stage act for the first time. In the late 1930s, the duo made forays into classical music, recording a two-part medley of
Franz Lehar Franz may refer to:
People
* Franz (given name)
* Franz (surname)
Places
* Franz (crater), a lunar crater
* Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada
* Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...
waltzes and
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
's
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, S.244/2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set.
In both the original piano solo form and in the orchestrated version this ...
. Their recordings tended to have accompaniment on drums, string bass, and occasionally,
Hawaiian guitar
Hawaiian guitar may refer to:
*Lap steel guitar, a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap
*Ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ...
.
The advent of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
saw their performing career briefly interrupted. Moreton volunteered for service in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
in June 1940, leaving Kaye to temporarily go solo, before he also enlisted. The pair were reunited during the war to entertain troops at RAF bases around the UK.
In 1943, they had their own
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
series, ''Keys For Two''. Moreton and Kaye both achieved the rank of
Sergeant
Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...
, and Moreton served in the
British Liberation Army
The British Liberation Army (BLA) was the official name given to the British Army forces which fought on the Western Front of the Second World War, between the Invasion of Normandy and the end of the war. Almost all BLA units were assigned to the ...
.
Post-war success
Having been released from the RAF, Moreton and Kaye continued performing, with a contemporary review from December 1945 describing the previous night's show at
Dudley Hippodrome as an "exhilarating performance". Their popularity ensured that they were still top of the bill. In January and April 1947, Moreton and Kaye appeared in two further short films for British Pathé, in which they could be seen playing
boogie woogie
Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pi ...
. Rather than the pre-war evening dress, they wore informal suits.
They continued touring, and visited Australia in 1949 to appear in the revue ''Starry Nights'' on the
Tivoli theatre circuit. It was reported that the duo liked the country so much that they were considering settling there. Whilst in Australia, they also played the
Ugly Sisters The ugly stepsisters are characters in the fairy tale and pantomime, Cinderella. They are the daughters of Cinderella's wicked stepmother, who treat her poorly. The "ugly stepsisters" have been in variations of the story from as early as researchers ...
in a Sydney production of the pantomime ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
''. Moreton and Kaye ended up staying in Australia for thirteen months. Back in Britain, they had a regular slot on the
BBC Light Programme
The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...
in late 1950.
They were also still making recordings for Parlophone: although there were no
UK record sales charts until November 1952, research published in 2013 stated that Moreton and Kaye's recording of "Ivory Rag", a popular contemporary song, would have been on the Top 30 bestselling singles lists in August 1951.
In October that year, they once again played at the Royal Variety Performance: this time, as part of a Keyboard Quintette, with
Carroll Gibbons
Carroll Richard Gibbons (January 4, 1903 – May 10, 1954) was an American-born pianist, bandleader and popular composer who made his career primarily in England during the British dance band era.
Image of Gibbons from the W.D. & H.O. Wills ...
,
Charlie Kunz
Charles Leonard Kunz (August 18, 1896 – March 16, 1958) was an American-born British musician popular during the British dance band era, and who became a pianist.
Life and career
Kunz was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States, the on ...
and
Billy Thorburn.
From April to June 1952, the duo had a weekly radio show on the Light Programme. In May 1953, they were back in Australia, fronting ''The Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye Show'' at the
Theatre Royal in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
.
Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye's last billed BBC appearance was in October 1954 on ''Piano Playtime'', a radio broadcast on the Light Programme. Their final 78, a two-part medley titled "Moreton And Kaye's Christmas Music", was issued in December that year. They appeared together until the mid-1950s, at a time when trends in popular music were changing.
According to Kaye, "We decided to get out while still at the top". In 1959, they opened a restaurant in
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...
, west London, which became a popular meeting spot for musicians and those in show business.
Personal lives and deaths
In an interview, Moreton and Kaye gave their mutual interests as golf, tennis and
gin rummy.
Moreton was sued by Florence Addicott in May 1935.
A dressmaker, she had met Moreton at a social club where he was the pianist in the late 1920s. Addicott claimed that at Christmas 1931, they had agreed to marry, but he had broken off the engagement by letter in September 1934. Moreton claimed that Addicott had ended the engagement. A court ordered him to pay her £500 in a breach of promise of marriage case. During this period, he was living in
Peckham
Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720.
History
"Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vil ...
.
He married Betty Shirley Gardner in
Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it ...
, west London, in 1936. In the early years of their marriage, the couple lived on
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...
. During the Second World War, they were living in
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
.
In January 1945, they had a daughter.
["Births." Times, 20 January 1945, 1. The Times Digital Archive (accessed 4 February 2022). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS16990260/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=79c8462a.] Following the end of the war, they were again resident in Marylebone.
[The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; ''BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists''; Reference Number: ''Series BT27-''] He latterly lived in
Coombe,
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
. Moreton died in Kingston on 9 December 1984, aged 76, and was survived by his wife.
In the early part of his career, Kaye lived in
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the ...
, north London,
and later in
Cricklewood
Cricklewood is an area of London, England, which spans the boundaries of three London boroughs: Barnet to the east, Brent to the west and Camden to the south-east. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north ...
.
He married Dorothy Partridge in 1957 in Kensington. Kaye died in
Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Gre ...
on 15 December 1996, aged 90, survived by his wife Dorothy.
References
External links
British Pathé short film of Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye performing "Boogie Bash"Ivor Moreton And Dave Kaye - 78 RPM - Discography at 45worlds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreton, Ivor and Dave Kaye
20th-century British male singers
20th-century British pianists
Big band singers
British male pianists
English entertainers
English jazz singers
English male composers
English male singers
Musical groups from London
English musical duos
English pianists
English pop singers
English radio personalities
Male musical duos
Music hall performers
Pantomime dames
Parlophone artists
People from Beckenham
People from Cricklewood
People from Islington (district)
People from Kingston upon Thames
People from Marylebone
People from Shoreditch
People from Stamford Hill
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II