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Ray Keith Irwin (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 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 the 40s and 50s, the band expanded to a five-piece. After winning a talent contest at London’s Camden Palace, the band toured extensively in the UK and Europe. 

In 1988 the Chevalier Brothers folded and Gelato formed his own band, a seven-piece group, which he named the Giants Of Jive. The band’s enormous popularity in Italy was responsible for a 1992 Carnegie Hall engagement, which was for an Italian television special. Ray Gelato And 

The Giants Of Jive folded in 1994 and the leader promptly established a new group, the Ray Gelato Giants. The new band retained some of the original quirkiness and all of its dynamic stage presence but the material moved closer to the middle of the road, drawing its repertoire from the music popularized by artists such as Nat ‘King’ Cole, Duke Ellington, Dean Martin, and Sinatra. Nevertheless, Gelato’s singing continued to show allegiance to Prima and his tenor saxophone playing to Butera. 
In 2001 the band opened for Robbie Williams and his Swing When You’re Winning concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall and the following year played at Paul McCartney’s wedding. Gelato has also played at private parties hosted by the rich and famous, not least Queen Elizabeth II. Having previously made several hugely popular appearances at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, the band returned there in 2003.

By the early 00s, Gelato’s band included Danny Marsden (trumpet), Richard Busiakiewicz (piano; who has worked with Gelato since 1994), Alex Garnett (saxophones; with Gelato in this band since 1996 and also in the occasionally formed Tough Tenors group), Andy Rogers (trombone), Tom Gordon (drums), and Kent (bass; who is also Gelato’s business partner). Gelato has been hugely successful, finding a niche and retaining his dominance in it through hard work, good musicianship and a flair for showmanship.

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Ray Gelato & Kai Hoffman - Hey Boy! Hey Girl! - 2010
Ray Gelato & The Giants Of Jive - Gelato Espresso - 1993
Ray Gelato & The Giants Of Jive - Giants of Jive - 1990
Ray Gelato & The Good Fellas - Gangsters of Swing - 1997
Ray Gelato & The Good Fellas - Gelato all'italiana - 1996
Ray Gelato - Hey There - 2006
Ray Gelato - Ray Gelato - 2004
Ray Gelato - Salutes The Great Entertainers - 2008
Ray Gelato Giants - The Full Flavour (1995)
Ray Gelato Giants - The Men From Uncle - 1998 (@160)
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