Soon after, he came to the attention of Captain Mert Plunkett, who selected Ayre to be a pianist for the 3rd Canadian Division Concert Party, known as the Dumbells.

He composed The Dumbell Rag while still a soldier; the piece went on to sell more than ten thousand copies of sheet music.

[1] He became the first Canadian to conduct an orchestra in a hit Broadway show, when he served as conductor for the musical Biff, Bing, Bang at the Ambassador Theatre in New York.

The Dumbells dissolved in 1932,[4] but Ayre continued to perform on the piano in various venues until his death.

Toward the end of his life, Ayre participated in a reunion performance of the Dumbells in 1975 at Lambert Lodge in Toronto.