Rosemary Squires

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(born Joan Rosemary Yarrow, 7 December 1928) is an English jazz,

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

, cabaret and concert singer and recording artist. Her career started in 1940 with an appearance on the

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

's ''

Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...

'', and has endured into the 21st century. Squires is also currently the president of the Studio Theatre in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

Early life

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England, Squires was the daughter of a civil servant. She took singing, guitar and piano lessons while at school at

St Edmund's Girls' School St Edmund's Girls' School was an all-girls secondary school located in Laverstock, near Salisbury, south Wiltshire, England. In 2022 the school formally merged with Wyvern College to form Wyvern St Edmund's. History There was a St Edmund's sch ...

, Wiltshire. Initially she entertained troops by singing on nearby UK and US army bases around Salisbury. With her appealing West Country burr she sang with various musical groups and with a Polish military band, all the while maintaining a job in a shop for antique books and later office work.

Career

When Squires became a professional singer she performed with big bands such as

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 ...

, Geraldo and

Cyril Stapleton Cyril Stapleton (31 December 1914 – 25 February 1974) was an English violinist and jazz bandleader. Biography Born Horace Cyril Stapleton in Mapperley, Nottingham, England, Stapleton began playing violin at the age of seven, and played on lo ...

. She also sang with the smaller jazz bands of Max Harris, Kenny Baker and appeared in the BBC Festival of Jazz at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

with the

Alan Clare Alan George Clare (born Alan George Jaycock; 31 May 1921 – 29 November 1993) was a British jazz pianist and composer. Family Singer Bloom Rose Houtman married Alan Clare in 1947. Alan and Bloom lived for most of their marriage in Holland Par ...

band. She moved from Salisbury to London in 1948 at 20 years of age. In the 1950s and 1960s, she became a regular on the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

(now

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

) on programmes such as ''Melody Time'' and '' Workers' Playtime''. Squires worked in the United States with

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

and

Sammy Davis Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

., as well as appearing on the '' Johnny Carson Show''. In 1994, Squires was part of the entertainment for Prince Edward's 30th birthday celebrations. During the 2012 Royal Diamond Jubilee year Squires undertook two countrywide tours to celebrate her own diamond jubilee in show business, including two appearances at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

Television appearances

(incomplete list) *1956 in five episodes of ''Let's Stay Home'', an

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

comedy series. *1956 as a guest on ''The Nixon Line''. *1958–59 in three episodes of ''After Hours'', a comedy series, with

Michael Bentine Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...

Benny Lee Benny Lee (11 August 1916 – 9 December 1995) was a Scottish comedy actor and singer. He started his career in stage roles, and developed a television and film career. Early life Lee was born on 11 August 1916 to a Jewish family in The G ...

and

Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...

among others. *1959 in ''Musical Playhouse'', a BBC musical series. *1962 as a guest singer on ''Muziek voor U!'', a Dutch music programme *1964 as a guest on the ''Arthur Haynes Show''. *1967 in ''Hooray for Laughter'', with Ted Ray,

John Junkin John Francis Junkin (29 January 1930 – 7 March 2006) was an English actor and scriptwriter who had a long career in radio, television and film, specialising in comedy. Early life Born in Ealing, Middlesex, the son of a policeman, he and hi ...

and

Reg Varney Reginald Alfred Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008) was an English actor, entertainer and comedian. He is best remembered for having played the lead role of bus driver Stan Butler in the LWT sitcom ''On the Buses'' (1969–73) and its thr ...

. *1976 in '' The Good Old Days''

Fairy Liquid jingle

In the 1960s, Squires recorded the ''"Now hands that do dishes …”'' jingle as part of the

Fairy Liquid Fairy is an international brand, primarily used for washing up liquid and dishwasher detergent, owned by the American multinational consumer products company, Procter & Gamble. The brand originated in the United Kingdom and is now used on a numbe ...

detergent advertisement. It continued to be used until 2000.

Awards

In 1984, Squires was awarded the Gold Badge of Merit by the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

. Squires was made a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 2004 for her services to music and charity. In 2012, she was awarded the British Music Hall Society's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Personal life

Squires returned to live in Salisbury in 1983. In 1991, she married Frank Lockyer. As of 2015, she continues to perform at local charity events.

Discography

Singles

* "Band of Gold", (1956, Decca) * "You Can't Run Away With It", (1956, Decca) * "My Love is a Wanderer" EP. (1958, MGM) * "There Goes My Lover", (1958, HMV) * "Happy is the Bride", (1958, HMV) * "Rosemary" EP, (1960, HMV) * "Our Little Doggie Ran Away", (1961, HMV) * "Frankfurter Sandwiches" (1961 Columbia) as Joanne and The Streamliners * "You Got" (1962, HMV) * "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (1962, HMV) * "Bluesette", (1964, HMV) * "Dance Mamma, Dance Pappa, Dance" (Marriage French Style) (1965, United Artists) released only in the US as Joanne and The Streamliners * "Once There Was You", (1967, Decca)

Albums

*''Everything's Coming Up Rosy'' (1963, HMV) *''Something To Remember Me By'' (1965, HMV) *''Time For Rosemary'' (1987, Sound Venture) *''My One and Only'' (1989) * ''Swing on a Star'' (Meridian Records, 1994 & 2009) * ''Second Spin'' (1999) * ''The Magic of Rosemary Squires'' (1999 Decca Gold) * ''Shine'' (2002) * ''Ella Fitzgerald Songbook'' – 15 of 30 tracks (2008 Spotlite) * ''Something to Remember Me By'' (2012, in Japan) * ''Everything's Coming Up Rosy'' (2012, in Japan)

References

External links

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Back In Your Own Backyard

Fairy Liquid Advertisements
{{DEFAULTSORT:Squires, Rosemary 1928 births Living people People from Salisbury 20th-century English singers Members of the Order of the British Empire