History
Ronnie Scott and Sonny Rollins taken by Freddy Warren.
1959: The beginnings
When Ronnie Scott and Pete King opened the club in Soho on 30 October 1959, they wanted to recreate the kind of intimate, musician-led jazz clubs they had encountered in New York. The basement at 39 Gerrard Street soon became a refuge for London’s modern jazz musicians, with Ronnie often taking to the stage as both performer and famously dry-witted compère, while King ran the business behind the scenes.
But there was a problem: American musicians were effectively prevented from working in British clubs by post-war union restrictions. King spent years negotiating with the British and American musicians’ unions, eventually helping establish an exchange arrangement that opened the door to visiting American artists.
The first was saxophonist Zoot Sims, who arrived for a month-long residency in 1961. He was followed by a remarkable procession of American players, including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Roland Kirk, Sonny Stitt and Ben Webster.
The club quickly became about more than jazz. Musicians, artists, actors and writers all found their way down the stairs - among them the Beatles, Harold Pinter, Peter O’Toole and Spike Milligan.
The Original Club: 39 Gerrard Street, 1959–1965
The first Ronnie Scott’s occupied a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in Soho.
The room had previously been a taxi drivers’ and musicians’ hangout, with billiard tables, a counter serving tea and sandwiches, and little else. Scott and King transformed it with a small bandstand, second-hand furniture and a baby grand piano.
Zoot Sims - 1961
For the first two years, American musicians could not easily perform in Britain. Pete King’s negotiations with the Musicians’ Union eventually changed that.
Saxophonist Zoot Sims became Ronnie Scott’s first American visitor, playing a month-long residency in 1961 with the club’s house trio. His arrival opened the door to a remarkable procession of American jazz musicians.
The best jazz in the best club in town.
60s & 70s: Jazz icon era
By the middle of the 1960s, the original basement was no longer big enough.
In 1965, Ronnie Scott’s moved around the corner to 47 Frith Street, where it remains today. The new room gave the club more space while retaining the intimacy that had made the original so special.
The move marked the beginning of Ronnie’s most celebrated era. The stage welcomed artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Chet Baker and Buddy Rich, alongside the British musicians who had made the club their home.
Ronnie himself became part of the experience. His introductions, one-liners and famously dry humour became almost as well known as the music.
The Club at 47 Frith Street
Ronnie Scott’s has occupied the same address for more than 60 years.
The original Gerrard Street club was relaunched as The Old Place after the move, continuing as an important space for emerging British musicians until its lease ended in 1967.
Gallery
Some of the stories associated with Ronnie’s have become part of jazz folklore. The club has also witnessed moments that became part of music history far beyond jazz.
On 16 September 1970, Jimi Hendrix joined Eric Burdon and War on stage at Ronnie’s. It was his final public performance, just two days before his death.
And the club has never existed in isolation from the wider culture around it. Musicians, actors, writers and artists have passed through its doors over the decades, drawn by the same thing: the chance to be close to the music.
Sonny Rollins & Alfie
Sonny Rollins once stayed behind at the club after closing, using the empty room to work on the music for the film Alfie.
The theme he was working on became one of his best-known compositions.
80s & 90s: Keeping the club alive
Ronnie Scott’s has always had to evolve to survive.
Through the 1970s and 80s, the club expanded beyond its traditional jazz audience while remaining rooted in live music. It became an important home for Cuban jazz, welcoming artists including Irakere, Arturo Sandoval and Paquito D’Rivera.
The club also developed a reputation as a recording venue, with performances captured live for some of the enduring recordings associated with Ronnie’s.
Ronnie Scott died in December 1996, aged 69. Pete King continued to run the club for another nine years, preserving the principles they had established together.
In 2005, after 46 years at the helm, King sold the club to theatre impresario Sally Greene and businessman Michael Watt.
The change marked the beginning of a new chapter.
A New Chapter
After 46 years under Pete King, Ronnie Scott’s changed hands in 2005.
A major refurbishment followed, led by designer Jacques Garcia. The club reopened in June 2006, preserving the character of Ronnie’s while giving the room a new lease of life.
Wynton Marsalis performed at the reopening.
The story continues
The principle has remained remarkably consistent: great musicians, a close audience and a room built around the experience of live music.
The club was carefully restored and upgraded again in 2024, improving the room, acoustics and technical infrastructure while retaining its distinctive character.
In 2026, the story expanded upstairs. Upstairs at Ronnie’s reopened as a 140-capacity live music venue, bringing a broader programme of jazz, soul, R&B, gospel, hip-hop and classical music to the building.
More than sixty years after Ronnie Scott and Pete King opened the doors on Frith Street, the club remains in the same place, doing much the same thing: bringing musicians and audiences together in a room where anything can happen.
Come and experience it yourself
From jazz legends to the next generation shaping the music, discover what’s coming up at Ronnie Scott’s.
