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After the First World War, a whole series of
changes swept through the Western World. To escape their horrific
memories, the survivors turned their energies towards the pursuit of
pleasure. They danced, they sang, they went to theatres and clubs,
they bought records and listened to the radio - and to keep up the
supply of fresh entertainment, a Music Industry grew up,
hungry for new writing, playing and singing talent.
Australia's first
electrical disc recording studios opened in Melbourne in the mid
1920s, recording not just local talent but visiting artists as well.
St. Kilda, the suburb where Marjorie lived, had a thriving Palais de
Dance which at this time featured bands like Ray Tellier's San
Francisco Orchestra and Harry Jacobs and his
Palais Pictures. Early recordings from Melbourne include all the
latest transatlantic hits of the time such as Moonlight and
Roses and Don't bring Lulu. Marjorie Stedeford, with
her looks, voice and personality, was in the right place at the
right time and a wonderful
career opportunity opened up for her right on her own doorstep.
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An
advertisement for Symington's Radio Show on Radio Luxemburg, 1939.
Marjorie Stedeford gets third billing after the show's two top
stars. |
In
1935, Marjorie came to London and found herself right at the centre
of the very latest Music trends there. The bands she sang with sound
like a Who's Who of Thirties entertainment - she recorded with
The Six Swingers, Jack Jackson and His Orchestra, Mario
Lorenzi and His Rhythmics, Brian Lawrence and His
Lansdowne House Sextet, Billy Thorburn and His
Music and the wonderfully-named Carol Gibbons and His Boy
Friends. Remember - these were the days of the one-take
recording. Marjorie became a very successful artist and soon had a regular slot
in Arthur Askey's show on Radio Luxemburg, described in publicity
material as "The voice you love to hear".
And
just as everything was going really well for her, another World War was
declared - in the very week that this advertisement appeared in the Radio
Pictorial, at the very height of her fame.
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Marjorie
went home to Australia. She married, had a son and continued her
career as a radio singer. She died, aged only 50, in 1959. Her recordings, however, have become collector's items and some have
been digitally re-mastered and re-issued. If you would like to hear
what Marjorie Stedeford sounded like in her prime you can still do
so. A CD of 24 of her hits is available - details by e-mail from sales@screensound.gov.au.
The disc is called Body and Soul: Marjorie Stedeford in London
1935 - 1937.* |
*For
copyright reasons, we cannot reproduce the sound of her voice here.
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to Issue
8 |
Whispering