Duncan Lamont (musician)
Soho jazz saxophonist, composer of Mr Benn theme.
Duncan Lamont (4 July 1931 – 2 July 2019) played saxophone, composed music, and led bands, spending many years in London's Soho jazz scene. He wrote the soundtrack for the 1970s children's TV animation *Mr Benn*.
Lamont grew up in Greenock, where his father worked in a shipyard. He took up the trumpet at age seven because it was the cheapest instrument he could find, costing 30 shillings. While still in school, he played with local dance bands. After a stint working in the shipyards himself, he moved to London. There he performed with Kenny Graham's Afro Cubists and, after switching to tenor saxophone, joined the Johnny Keating band in 1957. He toured the US with Vic Lewis in 1958, and during the 1960s became a member of the Johnny Scott Quintet.
For decades, Lamont freelanced around Archer Street in Soho, playing flute and clarinet as well as saxophone in the area's jazz clubs. He frequently accompanied American vocalists with British bands, including Fred Astaire, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee, and Frank Sinatra. He also played for touring bandleaders like Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Henry Mancini. Lamont led his own band for 11 years. He worked on recording and performing projects with Kenny Wheeler for many years, including Wheeler's 1974 album *Song for Someone*.
Lamont wrote a large amount of concert music, library music, television music, and songs. In 1979, he composed *The Young Person's Guide to the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra* for a BBC broadcast, offering a jazz orchestra take on Benjamin Britten's classical variations for orchestra and narrator. The City of London commissioned *The Sherlock Holmes Suite* to mark the character's first appearance in *The Strand* magazine, with his friend Spike Milligan narrating; it was recorded for the BBC in 1989. Starting in the 1970s, he recorded orchestral music for the KPM and Bruton music libraries. He was part of the library music group WASP, which also included Steve Gray on piano, Brian Bennett on drums, Dave Richmond on bass, and Clive Hicks on guitar. His television theme tunes included those for the BBC animations *Mr Benn* and *Spot*. Singers such as Blossom Dearie, Natalie Cole, Cleo Laine, and Norma Winstone recorded his songs. Cleo Laine ended her Carnegie Hall show with his song "Not You Again." A CD of
- born
- 4 July 1931
- died
- 2 July 2019
- field
- Saxophonist, composer, bandleader
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Music for the 1970s children's television animation series Mr Benn
Lore & Background
Duncan Lamont was born in Greenock, the son of a shipyard worker. He began learning the trumpet at age seven because it was the cheapest instrument he could get, costing 30 shillings. He played with local dance bands while still at school, then worked in the shipyards before moving to London to play with Kenny Graham's Afro Cubists and, switching to tenor saxophone, with the Johnny Keating band in 1957. In 1958 he toured the US with Vic Lewis, and during the 1960s he became a member of the Johnny Scott Quintet.
For several decades Lamont worked as a freelance musician on flute, clarinet and saxophone, based around Archer Street in Soho and playing in surrounding jazz clubs. He often performed with British bands accompanying American vocalists including Fred Astaire, Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Marlene Dietrich, Peggy Lee and, for 19 seasons, Frank Sinatra. He also played with touring bandleaders such as Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Henry Mancini. Lamont led his own band for 11 years and worked on recording and performing projects with Kenny Wheeler for many decades, including on Wheeler's 1974 album Song for Someone.
Lamont was a prolific composer of concert works, library music, television music and songs. His compositions include The Young Person's Guide to the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra (1979) and The Sherlock Holmes Suite, commissioned by the City of London and featuring Spike Milligan as narrator. He recorded orchestral music for the KPM and Bruton music libraries and was part of the library music group WASP. His television theme tunes include those for Mr Benn (under the name Don Warren) and Spot. Blossom Dearie, Natalie Cole, Cleo Laine and Norma Winstone recorded his songs. In May 2019, just over four weeks before his death, Lamont returned to Greenock for a homecoming gig.
Reader's Guide
Duncan Lamont's significance lies in his dual role as a versatile sideman in London's Soho jazz scene and as a prolific composer whose work reached wide audiences through television and library music. His long association with major American vocalists, especially Frank Sinatra for 19 seasons, underscores his reputation as a reliable and skilled saxophonist and flautist. As a composer, his music for the children's series Mr Benn remains a nostalgic touchstone for many, while his library music tracks—such as Battle, used in The Sweeney, and Pressure Point, used in SpongeBob SquarePants—demonstrate the enduring reach of his work. His concert pieces, like The Young Person's Guide to the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, show his ambition to educate and innovate within the jazz idiom. Lamont's legacy is that of a working musician who bridged the worlds of live jazz performance, television scoring and commercial library music, leaving a substantial body of recorded work that continues to be heard.
Did You Know?
- Lamont began learning the trumpet at age seven because it cost only 30 shillings, the cheapest instrument he could get.
- He performed with Frank Sinatra for 19 seasons.
- His composition Pressure Point from Bruton BRS 8 was used in SpongeBob SquarePants, Series 2, Episode 15.
- Lamont used the name Don Warren for the Mr Benn theme tune.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Duncan Lamont (musician)?
Duncan Lamont (1931–2019) was a British tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader who became a fixture of London's Soho jazz circuit. He is perhaps best remembered for writing the musical score for the beloved 1970s children's animated series *Mr Benn*.
What instrument did Duncan Lamont play and how did he get started?
Lamont began on trumpet at age seven, choosing it simply because it was the cheapest instrument he could afford at 30 shillings. He later switched to the tenor saxophone, which became his primary voice throughout his professional career.
Where did Duncan Lamont grow up and begin his musical life?
He was raised in Greenock, where his father was a shipyard worker, and Lamont himself briefly took a job in the yards before moving to London. As a schoolboy he already played with local dance bands, giving him early stage experience.
What role did Duncan Lamont hold in London's jazz scene?
After relocating to the capital, Lamont performed with Kenny Graham's Afro Cubists and went on to lead his own bands, embedding himself in Soho's vibrant jazz community for decades. He was as much a bandleader and collaborator as a solo saxophonist.
Why is Duncan Lamont (musician) important to British jazz history?
Lamont bridges two worlds—Scotland's working-class roots and London's cosmopolitan jazz scene—while also bringing a distinctive musical sensibility to mainstream television through the *Mr Benn* soundtrack. His career spans nearly six decades of British jazz, from post-war dance bands to the Soho era.
More in British jazz musicians 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record