Lilian Patricia Lita Roza (14 March 1926 – 14 August 2008) was an English singer best known for her 1953 recording " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", which reached No. 1 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. She was the first British woman to have a No. 1 hit in the UK chart.

Early life and career

Lilian Patricia Lita Roza was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

on 14 March 1926, the eldest of seven children. She began work at an early age to support the family. She owed her sultry looks and passion to her father, an amateur accordionist and pianist of Filipino descent who played in Liverpool nightclubs. At the age of 12, she saw an advert in the local newspaper for juvenile dancers and passed the audition. She took to the stage at that age in a pantomime, and by the time she was 15, was working with the comedian and fellow Merseysider Ted Ray. When she was 16, she answered an advertisement and got a job as a singer in the "New Yorker" club in Southport for £5 per week. Soon afterwards she signed up with the

Harry Roy Harry Roy (12 January 1900 – 1 February 1971) was a British dance band leader and clarinet player from the 1920s to the 1960s. He performed several songs with suggestive lyrics, including " My Girl's Pussy" (1931), and "She Had to Go and Lose ...

Orchestra in London, moving on to work with other bands of the era, including that of Edmundo Ros. By the time she was 18, Roza had left show business, married an American and moved to Miami, Florida. However, the marriage did not last, and shortly after the Second World War, she returned to the United Kingdom. In 1950, she became the lead female singer with the

Ted Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

Band, and by 1954, had achieved enough public acclaim to leave the band and pursue a solo recording career. Roza's " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", a cover version of

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

's original, was the peak of her career, topping the

. It made her the first British woman to have a No. 1 hit in the UK chart. Further covers of "

Hey There "Hey There" is a show tune from the musical play ''The Pajama Game,'' written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It was published in 1954. It was introduced by John Raitt in the original production. In the show, Sid sings it to a recording dev ...

" and "Jimmy Unknown" gave her small hits in the mid-1950s. Roza disliked her hit single so much that she never performed it live.

Personal life and death

In 1956, she married the trumpet player Ronnie Hughes. She remained a top UK recording artist during the remainder of the 1950s and was voted the Top British Female Singer in the ''New Musical Express'' poll winners' charts from 1951 to 1955. ''Melody Maker'' readers also voted her its Top Girl Singer in the dance band section of the poll in 1951 and 1952. Roza made three appearances in UK heats for the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

selection in

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

1959 Events January * January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...

and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

. On 14 March 2001, the

Liverpool Wall of Fame The Liverpool Wall of Fame is a wall in front of the Cavern Club on Mathew Street in Liverpool, England. It features a litany of groups which played at the original Cavern Club, including acts from Liverpool who have reached No. 1 in the UK Si ...

was inaugurated opposite the Cavern Club on

Mathew Street Mathew Street is a street in Liverpool, England, notable as the location of the new Cavern Club, the Beatles having played in the original club on numerous occasions in their early career. Mathew Street is visited by thousands of tourist ...

in Liverpool with Roza's presiding at the ceremony. On 28 November 2002, she gave her last public performance on

Radio Merseyside BBC Radio Merseyside is the BBC's local radio station serving Merseyside. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds, from studios on Hanover Street in Liverpool. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 203,000 ...

. A 22 track ''The Best of Lita Roza'' was released in 2007. Roza died at her home in London on 14 August 2008 at the age of 82. In tribute,

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

said that "we just don't make singers like Lita Roza anymore".

Discography

Singles

*1951 "

Allentown Jail "Allentown Jail" is a folk-style song, written by Irving Gordon. Background it tells the story of a man who is caught stealing a diamond for his girlfriend and ends up in the Allentown jail. Recordings *In 1951, Jo Stafford recorded this song. ...

" / "I Wish I Knew" *1951 " I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" / "

A Wonderful Guy "A Wonderful Guy" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific.'' It was first introduced by Mary Martin in the original Broadway production and sung by Mitzi Gaynor in the 1958 film adaptation. In the show, Nellie ...

" *1952 "My Very Good Friend – The Milkman" / "Colonel Bogey" *1952 "

Oakie Boogie "Oakie Boogie" (sometimes "Okie Boogie") is a Western swing dance song written by Johnny Tyler in 1947. It is recognizable by its refrain: Jack Guthrie's version (Capitol 341) reached number three on the charts in 1947 and is often included in ...

" / "Raminay" *1952 "Love, Where Are You Now?" / "

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in real time, centers on a town marshal whose sense ...

" *1953 " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" / "Tell Me We'll Meet Again" – UK No. 1 *1953 "

Seven Lonely Days "Seven Lonely Days" is a song written by Earl Shuman, Alden Shuman, and Marshall Brown. It was originally recorded by American singer Georgia Gibbs with orchestra conducted by Glenn Osser and the Yale Bros. choir in December 1952 and released in ...

" / "No-one Will Ever Know" *1953 " Crazy Man, Crazy" / "Oo! What You Do to Me" *1954 "

Changing Partners "Changing Partners" is a pop song with music by Larry Coleman and lyrics by Joe Darion, published in 1953. The best-known recording was made by Patti Page. It was also recorded the same year by Dinah Shore, Kay Starr and Bing Crosby. Hit versi ...

" / "Just A Dream or Two Ago" *1954 " Make Love to Me" / " Bell Bottom Blues" *1954 " Secret Love" / " Young at Heart" *1954 "Skinnie Minnie (Fishtail)" / "My Kid Brother" *1954 "Call off the Wedding" / "The 'Mama Doll' Song" *1955 "Heartbeat" / "Leave Me Alone" *1955 " Let Me Go Lover" / "Make Yourself Comfortable" *1955 "Tomorrow" / "Foolishly" *1955 " Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)" / "Keep Me in Mind" *1955 " The Man in the Raincoat" / "Today and Ev'ry Day" *1955 "

" / " Hernando's Hideaway" – UK No. 17 *1956 "Jimmy Unknown" / "The Rose Tattoo" – UK No. 15 *1956 "Too Young to Go Steady" / "You're Not Alone" *1956 "No Time for Tears" / "But Love Me (Love but Me)" *1956 "Innismore" / "The Last Waltz" *1956 " Hey! Jealous Lover" / "Julie" *1957 " Lucky Lips" / "Tears Don't Care Who Cries Them" *1957 "Tonight My Heart She Is Crying" / "Five Oranges Four Apples" *1957 "I Need You" / " You've Changed" *1958 "Pretend You Don't See Him" / "Ha-Ha-Ha!" *1958 " I Need Somebody" / "You're the Greatest" *1958 " I Could Have Danced All Night" / "The Wonderful Season of Love" *1958 "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry" / "Hillside in Scotland" *1958 " Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" / "It's a Boy" *1959 "This Is My Town" / "Oh Dear What Can the Matter Be" *1959 "

" / " Once in a While" *1959 "Let It Rain, Let It Rain" / "

Maybe You'll Be There "Maybe You'll Be There" is a popular song composed by Rube Bloom, with lyrics written by Sammy Gallop. The song was published in 1947. The recording by Gordon Jenkins was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24403. It first reached the Billb ...

" *1965 "What Am I Supposed to Do" / "Where Do I Go from Here" *1965 "Keep Watch Over Him" / "Stranger Things Have Happened"

EPs

*1956 ''Lita Roza'' *1957 ''Lita Roza No.2'' *1958 ''Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea''

Albums

*1955 ''Listening in the After-Hours'' *1956 ''Love Is the Answer'' *1960 ''Drinka Lita Roza Day'' recorded on 4 May 1960

Film

Roza appeared in one feature film, as a singer in ''

Cast a Dark Shadow ''Cast a Dark Shadow'' is a 1955 black-and-white British suspense film noir directed by Lewis Gilbert, based on the play ''Murder Mistaken'' by Janet Green. The story concerns a husband played by Dirk Bogarde who murders his wife. Plot After a ...

'', 1955

Recorded output

In addition to those tracks listed above, Roza's recorded output included covers of songs such as "

Why Don't You Believe Me? "Why Don't You Believe Me?" is a popular song written by Lew Douglas, King Laney, and Roy Rodde and published in 1952. A recording by Joni James (MGM Records catalog number 11333) reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' charts for four weeks in S ...

", "

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

", " That Old Black Magic", "

Have You Heard? "Have You Heard?" is a popular song written by Lew Douglas, Frank LaVere and LeRoy W. Rodde and published in 1952. The biggest hit version was recorded by Joni James in 1952, charting the next year. The recording by Joni James was released ...

", " Come What May", " That Old Feeling", "

Too Marvelous for Words "Too Marvelous for Words" is a popular song written in 1937. Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics for music composed by Richard Whiting. It was introduced by Wini Shaw and Ross Alexander in the 1937 Warner Brothers film '' Ready, Willing and Able'', ...

" and " The Mama Doll Song".

References

External links

*
Obituary in ''The Independent''Obituary in ''The Guardian''Obituary in ''The Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roza, Lita 1926 births 2008 deaths Traditional pop music singers English people of Spanish descent Musicians from Liverpool 20th-century English singers 20th-century English women singers