Biography
Ray Keith Irwin, 25 October 1961, London, England. As a child, Ray Irwin heard music from the record collection of his father, an American soldier stationed in Britain. The music included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr. and swing bands of the 40s, as well as 50s rock ‘n’ roll and R&B, with the bands led by Louis Jordan and Louis Prima proving to be especially influential. In the latter’s case, Irwin was drawn to the leader’s singing and to the tenor saxophone playing of Sam Butera. In 1979, Irwin began studying the tenor saxophone and the following year was sufficiently proficient to play professionally with the Dynamite Band, a group that was influenced by Bill Haley. In 1982, Gelato teamed up as a duo with French guitarist Patrice Serapiglia, who called himself Maurice Chevalier, and they named their band the Chevalier Brothers. Among the pioneers of the revival of interest in London in R&B and the jump bands of...
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