Lee Lawrence (born Julius Leon Sirota, 1 September 1920 – 25 February 1961)The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Consulates, Netherlands Antilles and Surinam: Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages; Class: FO 907; Piece: 29 was a British singer who was popular in the 1950s. He was born in Salford. Biography by Rovi at Allmusic.com
Retrieved 18 December 2012 Both his parents sang with the Carl Rosa Opera Company, and at the age of 16 he went to Italy to study opera for three years. After returning to England, he enlisted in the

Royal Tank Regiment The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) is the oldest tank unit in the world, being formed by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. Today, it is the armoured regiment of the British Army's 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade. Formerly known as th ...

and sang with the

Entertainments National Service Association The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

(ENSA), where he was noticed after the end of the war by BBC radio producer Roy Spear. He sang on Spear's programme '' Beginners Please'', and made many appearances with other bands including those of

Stanley Black Stanley Black OBE (14 June 1913 – 27 November 2002) was an English bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist. He wrote and arranged many film scores, recording prolifically for the Decca label (including their subsidiaries ''Lond ...

Sydney Lipton Sydney John Lipton (14 December 1905 – 19 July 1995) was a British dance band leader, popular from the 1930s to the 1960s when he led "one of the most polished of the British Dance Bands". Life and career Born in London, he learned the vio ...

, and Cyril Stapleton. He made his first recordings for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

in the late 1940s. His songs included "How Can You Buy Killarney", "Song of Capri", "So Ends My Search For My Dream", all in 1949; "The World is Mine Tonight" (his theme song) in 1950; "With These Hands", "A Beggar in Love", and "Vanity" in 1951; "At Last, At Last" and "The Man in the Black Sombrero" in 1952; "

Crying in the Chapel "Crying in the Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn and recorded by his son Darrell Glenn. The song was released in 1953 and reached number six on the ''Billboard'' chart. The song has also been recorded by many artists including the Oriole ...

" in 1953; and " Suddenly There's a Valley" in 1955. By late 1951, he was being promoted as "Britain's outstanding singing star", and topped the bill at the Shepherd's Bush Empire above radio comedian Peter Sellers and (at the foot of the bill) Morecambe and Wise. V&A Museum, Poster, Tribe Brothers Ltd
Retrieved 18 December 2012 According to the official UK Singles Chart, which started in 1953, his only chart hits were "Crying in the Chapel" (No.7 in 1953) and "Suddenly There's a Valley" (No.14 in 1955). He was a popular attraction on the British variety circuit in the early and mid 1950s, and had his own series on Radio Luxembourg in 1955. After losing popularity to rock and roll performers in Britain, and failing to have a hit with the song "Rock'n'Roll Opera" which parodied such singers as Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent and Tommy Steele, he moved in 1957 to the US, where he performed cabaret shows in the Catskills " Borscht Belt". He died in February 1961 of a heart attack at the age of 40, while touring in the West Indies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Lee 1920 births 1961 deaths English male singers English crooners Traditional pop music singers Decca Records artists 20th-century English singers 20th-century British male singers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Tank Regiment soldiers British expatriates in the United States