Ivor Mairants

Ivor Mairants, one of the most famous British guitarists, was born in Poland and moved with his family to England in 1913. Originally trained on the banjo, he first played with British dance bands of the 1930s such as those led by Ted Heath, Geraldo and Ambrose, first on banjo, then guitar. By the 1960s, his distinctive guitar work could be seen and heard on television and radio, and on recordings by Mantovani. Mairants also wrote instructional books for flamenco guitar method, and in 1958, with his wife Lily, established the 'Ivor Mairants Musicentre', the first British specialty guitar store, in London's West End. He also ran a dance studio in London in the 1950s, with several of his ex-pupils becoming top British guitarists themselves. For years he was a columnist for such music journals as 'Melody Maker'. Mairants died in 1998, a year after the 'Ivor Mairants Guitar Award' competition was started by the Worshipful Society of Musicians.