Ike Isaacs (guitarist)

Ike Isaacs (December 1, 1919, Rangoon, Burma[1] – January 11, 1996,[2] Sydney, Australia)[3] was a Burmese-English jazz guitarist, best known for his work with violinist Stéphane Grappelli.

Isaacs was self-taught on guitar. In Burma he grew up with fellow guitarist Cedric West. He started playing professionally in college while pursuing a degree in chemistry. In 1946 he moved to England, where he became a member of the BBC Show Band. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a member of the Hot Club of London, led by guitarist Diz Disley, which often collaborated with Stéphane Grappelli.[1] He was a member of the band Velvet with Digby Fairweather, Len Skeat, and Denny Wright. In the 1980s, he moved to Australia and taught at the Sydney School of Guitar.[4]

He died of cancer in January 1996 at the age of 76.[3]

  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1236. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ "Musicians Who Died in 1996". OnThisDay.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b Eric Myers. "Obituary: Ike Isaacs 1919-1996" (PDF). Static1.squarespace.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  4. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Ike Isaacs". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2017.