Blue Plaque For Dance Legend, Bert Ambrose

Dance band legend, Bert Ambrose (c. 1896 – 1971) was commemorated with an English Heritage Blue Plaque on 1 September at 2.30 pm at the May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1, where the dance band leader lived and played for much of the period 1927-40. It was during the time that Ambrose played at the May Fair Hotel that he enjoyed his greatest popularity. The Blue Plaque will be unveiled by BBC Radio Two’s Mr Malcolm Laycock.

Ambrose’s origins are rather obscure; he is thought to have been born in 1896, though the registration of his birth has never been found. Some accounts suggest he was born into poverty, but it is more likely that he was raised in Stamford Hill, the son of a woolmaker. Ambrose learnt to play violin and was inspired by his first trip to New York when he was about 15, where he played for Emil Coleman. He then moved on to play in a big band at the Palais Royal, and when the bandleader fell ill, Ambrose took over. He formed his own fifteen-piece band which he took on to the Club de Vingt with great success. This personal experience of American musicianship and arrangements set Ambrose above his peers, and on his return to London in 1922 he was invited play at the Embassy Club with a seven-piece band.

Although Ambrose briefly returned to New York in the early 1920’s, he was enticed back to London by his friend and fan, the Prince of Wales. When the May Fair Hotel opened in March 1927, Ambrose took a job, at almost £500 per week, that allowed him to broadcast on the radio on Saturday nights and make some 80 records a year. The deal also included a flat at the hotel , which Ambrose retained even when he returned to the Embassy Club in 1933 . After touring Britain with the young vocalist Vera Lynn, Ambrose and his fellow bandleader Jack Harris bought a club in 1937, the Ciro’s Club. He did, however, return to play at the May Fair one last time, between September 1939 and August 1940, before retiring to a small farm in Hertfordshire, to escape the capital and the air raids.

Following the war, Ambrose played again at the Ciro’s Club, until March 1947, when the big freeze caused a collapse in business. He returned to the London clubs in 1948, and the Café de Paris in 1955, but by this point his music was no longer fashionable, and he turned instead to management. In 1958, he discovered 16-year old Kathy Kirby at a club in Ilford, and devoted his remaining years to nurturing her career. It was in 1971 that Ambrose collapsed while Kirby was recording a show for Yorkshire Television. He died in Leeds Infirmary that night.

Ambrose had a rare talent as a bandleader, for choosing successful songs and arrangements, and for selecting the best musicians from both Britain and the United States.

For further press information, please contact Helen Bowman, English Heritage Corporate Communications, 0207 973 3252 / 077 8992 7584 or helen.bowman@english-heritage.org.uk