Kathy Kirby's biggest and best-known hit was a dramatically overwrought cover version of Secret Love, which reached No 4 in the charts in 1963. Two years later she represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest with I Belong, coming second to Luxembourg.
Her voluptuous blonde looks led to comparisons with Marilyn Monroe; her lip gloss and powerful, pitch-perfect voice became her trademarks. In 1963 she was acclaimed Top British Female Singer in a New Musical Express poll.
With her powerful voice and stage presence, Kathy Kirby went on to become one of the highest-paid stars of the mid-1960s, appearing in the Royal Command Variety Performance and in three BBC television series.
She regularly topped the bill at the London Palladium, and starred at the Talk of the Town night spot. She had two Top 10 hits – Let Me Go, Lover followed Secret Love in 1964 – and three more in the Top 40, which earned her her own television series. She was also invited to sing the theme tune for the BBC television series Adam Adamant Lives!
In 1971 the death of Ambrose, at the age of 74 on stage in Leeds, sounded the death knell for Kathy Kirby's career. Fiercely protective of her, even when rumours about her affairs with other celebrities were circulating, he had always made it his business to burnish her public image.
In truth, though, her star was already on the wane: 12 singles and an album recorded between 1967 and 1973 all failed to chart. Her television appearances also dried up, and she later vanished from public view. She made her last major public singing appearance on a television special in the early 1980s.
The remaining 30 years of her life were blighted by misfortune and failed comebacks. Her money drained away, and at one point she was said to be sleeping in a shop doorway. She suffered a much-publicised nervous breakdown and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. A lesbian affair with a fan accompanied by scandalous tabloid headlines ended with the other woman being jailed for fraud and forgery.
As a gay icon, she continued to play the diva, and was often recognised by members of the public, even though she sought Garboesque obscurity. "Perhaps, Kathy," one of her friends used to tell her, "it's got something to do with the turban, the sunglasses and the fur coat."
Kathy Kirby was born Kathleen O'Rourke on October 20 1938 at Ilford, Essex. While at convent school she had private singing lessons, at that stage being set on an operatic career.
But in 1954, when she was 16, she saw that the famous bandleader Bert Ambrose was due to appear with his orchestra at her local dance hall, the Ilford Palais de Danse. She decided to go along, and during the show – in an episode that went down in showbusiness legend – she walked up to the maestro and asked if she could sing with his band. Ambrose agreed.
Her renditions of two standards – Love Me Or Leave Me and All Of Me – were greeted with wild applause. Ambrose, recognising a remarkable voice and talent, immediately signed her up. "I have never known anyone with everything Kathy has to offer – voice, tone, range, feeling, personality and looks. In fact this girl has it all, and nothing can stop her becoming one of the greatest stars of our time," he announced. She remained with his band for three years.
As her manager and Svengali, Ambrose guided her career, toured with her on the club circuit and secured a contract on her behalf with Decca. His protégée appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States and was courted by Hollywood film producers. Ambrose (who was born in 1896) also became her lover.
Two years ago Kathy Kirby claimed that she had had a fling with another celebrity, and that this had seriously affected her relationship with Ambrose. She claimed that Ambrose had turned down work for her because he was concerned that she might leave him.
"I think I could have played romantic leads or light comedy roles in movies, but my silly affair had inadvertently brought it all to an end," she recalled. "I could feel frustrated and bitter, but in the end I just put it down to experience. What else could I do?"
Following Ambrose's death in 1971, Kathy Kirby struggled to find direction in her career. She was declared bankrupt and suffered health problems, although she made a brief comeback in 1981 with a reworking of the Charles Aznavour song She (renamed He). But her return to the spotlight was short-lived, and she retired in her mid-40s.
In retirement she shunned publicity, and became a virtual recluse, living on state benefits. Even so, she retained a large fan base. A stage show about her life, Secret Love (based on a biography), opened in Leeds in May 2008. She had reportedly been in poor physical and mental health for some years.
In the 1970s Kathy Kirby was briefly married to a former policeman turned journalist, Fred Pye.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/8526908/Kathy-Kirby.html
The remaining 30 years of her life were blighted by misfortune and failed comebacks. Her money drained away, and at one point she was said to be sleeping in a shop doorway. She suffered a much-publicised nervous breakdown and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. A lesbian affair with a fan accompanied by scandalous tabloid headlines ended with the other woman being jailed for fraud and forgery.
As a gay icon, she continued to play the diva, and was often recognised by members of the public, even though she sought Garboesque obscurity. "Perhaps, Kathy," one of her friends used to tell her, "it's got something to do with the turban, the sunglasses and the fur coat."
Kathy Kirby was born Kathleen O'Rourke on October 20 1938 at Ilford, Essex. While at convent school she had private singing lessons, at that stage being set on an operatic career.
But in 1954, when she was 16, she saw that the famous bandleader Bert Ambrose was due to appear with his orchestra at her local dance hall, the Ilford Palais de Danse. She decided to go along, and during the show – in an episode that went down in showbusiness legend – she walked up to the maestro and asked if she could sing with his band. Ambrose agreed.
Her renditions of two standards – Love Me Or Leave Me and All Of Me – were greeted with wild applause. Ambrose, recognising a remarkable voice and talent, immediately signed her up. "I have never known anyone with everything Kathy has to offer – voice, tone, range, feeling, personality and looks. In fact this girl has it all, and nothing can stop her becoming one of the greatest stars of our time," he announced. She remained with his band for three years.
As her manager and Svengali, Ambrose guided her career, toured with her on the club circuit and secured a contract on her behalf with Decca. His protégée appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States and was courted by Hollywood film producers. Ambrose (who was born in 1896) also became her lover.
Two years ago Kathy Kirby claimed that she had had a fling with another celebrity, and that this had seriously affected her relationship with Ambrose. She claimed that Ambrose had turned down work for her because he was concerned that she might leave him.
"I think I could have played romantic leads or light comedy roles in movies, but my silly affair had inadvertently brought it all to an end," she recalled. "I could feel frustrated and bitter, but in the end I just put it down to experience. What else could I do?"
Following Ambrose's death in 1971, Kathy Kirby struggled to find direction in her career. She was declared bankrupt and suffered health problems, although she made a brief comeback in 1981 with a reworking of the Charles Aznavour song She (renamed He). But her return to the spotlight was short-lived, and she retired in her mid-40s.
In retirement she shunned publicity, and became a virtual recluse, living on state benefits. Even so, she retained a large fan base. A stage show about her life, Secret Love (based on a biography), opened in Leeds in May 2008. She had reportedly been in poor physical and mental health for some years.
In the 1970s Kathy Kirby was briefly married to a former policeman turned journalist, Fred Pye.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/8526908/Kathy-Kirby.html
No comments:
Post a Comment