Quick Facts
Byname of:
Ronald Scott
Born:
Jan. 28, 1927, London, Eng.
Died:
Dec. 23, 1996, London (aged 69)
Movement / Style:
big-band jazz
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Ronnie Scott

British entrepreneur and musician
Also known as: Ronald Scott

News •

Barbara Jay, jazz singer who worked with Benny Goodman and Ronnie Scott – obituary • Oct. 29, 2026, 2:00 AM ET (The Telegraph)
Barbara Jay obituary • Oct. 23, 2026, 11:38 AM ET (The Guardian)

Ronnie Scott (born Jan. 28, 1927, London, Eng.—died Dec. 23, 1996, London) was a British jazz entrepreneur and musician whose London nightclub, Ronnie Scott’s, became one of the world’s most famed jazz venues. A gifted bebop tenor saxophonist, he founded his club in 1959 and presented many of the outstanding American and European jazz musicians there while also leading small combos and (in 1962–73) playing in the Kenny Clarke–Francy Boland big band.

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