Ivy Benson was born on November 11, 1913 in Holbeck, Leeds, England. Her father Digger Benson, a musician who played with ensembles, began teaching her to play piano at the age of five. She played at working men’s clubs from the age of eight, billed as Baby Benson, and performed on BBC Radio's Children’s Hour at nine years.

Ivy's father had ambitions for her to become a concert pianist, but she was inspired to become a jazz musician after hearing a  Benny Goodman record and learned to play clarinet…