Marion Ryan
Marion Ryan(4 February 1931 – 15 January 1999)[1]was a British singer in the 1950s in the early years of BritishIndependent Television.She was once called "the Marilyn Monroe of popular song".[2]
Early life[edit]
Born inMiddlesbrough,North Riding of Yorkshire,England,[3]she attended Notre Dame Collegiate School for Girls in Leeds, nowNotre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College.
Career[edit]
Marion Ryan was working in a hosiery shop in Leeds and she broke into show business when she approachedRay Ellingtonwho was performing at the Locarno in Liverpool in July 1953 and asked to sing with his quartet. He allowed her to do so and the audience reaction was so good he signed her up to work with the quartet. She made her debut with them at the Locarno, Glasgow in September 1953.[4]Her first radio appearance took place on the show "Stepping Out at Radio Roadhouse" on the Light Programme on October 27, 1953 when the Ellington quartet were the guest band.[5]She continued to tour with Ellington until 1957 and made further radio appearances with them including the popularGoon Show.[6]
She began recording forPye Nixain 1956[7]and mainly made cover versions of American hits. Her version of "Love Me Forever"peaked at number five on theUK Singles Chartin 1958.[8]Her first LP "A Lady Loves" was released in 1959.[9]Beginning in June 1956, she was the regular singer in the popular musical quizSpot the Tune[10]onGranada Televisionfor seven years, with a total of 209 half-hour programmes, which featured several star hosts includingdisc-jockeyPete Murray,the Canadian pop singerJackie Rae,and the comediansKen PlattandTed Ray,and alsoPeter Knightand his orchestra.[1]The show re-emerged in the 1970s asName That Tune.
Ryan went solo in 1957 and undertook her first variety tour[11]and then went on tour with Cyril Stapleton and his Show Band. She made six appearances in BBC'sSix-Five Specialin 1957 and 1958 and she appeared in theRoyal Variety Performancein 1959[12][circular reference]Ryan appeared onSunday Night at the London Palladiumin 1963 and made one brief appearance as herself in the filmIt's All Happening,with singerTommy Steelethe same year.[1]She had important guest spots on TheBob HopeShow in 1958 and TheBing CrosbyShow in 1961.[13]
Personal life[edit]
Her first marriage at the age of 17 was to Lloyd George Frederick Sapherson (known as Fred) (1913-2001) in the second quarter of 1948.[14][circular reference]They had twin sons,BarryandPaul(bornLeeds,West Riding of Yorkshire,24 October 1948). In 1969 she married theshow businessagent Harold Davison (1922-2011) and they had a daughter named Caroline.[15]After which she gradually eased herself into retirement.[16]She died from a heart attack at age 67 inBoca Raton, Florida,United States.[1]
References[edit]
- ^abcdGifford, Denis(19 January 1999)."Obituary: Marion Ryan".The Independent.Retrieved9 March2015.
- ^"Aberdeen Evening Express".Aberdeen Evening Express:2. 13 October 1953.
- ^Colin Larkin,ed. (1992).The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.p. 2171.ISBN0-85112-939-0.
- ^"The Stage".The Stage:4. 3 September 1953.
- ^"bbc.co.uk".bbc.co.uk.Retrieved30 March2022.
- ^"Neath Guardian".Neath Guardian:9. 2 April 1954.
- ^"45worlds.com".45worlds.com.Retrieved31 March2022.
- ^ Gambaccini, Paul (1991).British Hit Singles: Every Single Hit Since 1952(8th ed.).Billboard Books.p. 238.ISBN978-0823075720.
- ^"Discogs.com".Discogs.com.Retrieved2 April2022.
- ^"Spot the Tune".UKGameshows.com.18 March 2012.Retrieved28 December2015.
- ^"The Stage".The Stage:4. 15 August 1957.
- ^"wikipedia.org".wikipedia.org.Retrieved31 March2022.
- ^"Internet Movie Database".imdb.com.Retrieved31 March2022.
- ^"wikipedia.org".wikipedia.org.Retrieved31 March2022.
- ^"The Stage".The Stage:30. 28 January 1999.
- ^"Discography".45-rpm.org.uk.Retrieved24 August2008.
External links[edit]
- "Best Before the Beat"(Obituary inThe Guardian,17 January 1999)
- Portraits of Marion Ryanat theNational Portrait Gallery, London
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