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Vera LynnBritish singer
Date of Birth: 20.03.1917
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of Vera Lynn
- Rise to Fame
- Contribution during World War II
- Post-War Career
- Later Years and Achievements
- Personal Life
- Residence
Biography of Vera Lynn
Early LifeVera Margaret Welch was born on March 20, 1917, in London, England. She began performing at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother's maiden name, Lynn, as her stage name when she was eleven.
Rise to Fame
Vera made her first radio appearance in 1935 and released her first solo record, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire," the following year. She gained the most recognition for her pop song "We'll Meet Again" in 1939, written by Ross Parker and Hughie Charles. During the "Phoney War," the newspaper Daily Express asked servicemen to name their favorite musical performers, and Vera Lynn topped the list.
Contribution during World War II
In 1941, during the darkest days of World War II, Lynn began hosting her own radio show, "Sincerely Yours," dedicated to British troops serving overseas. Together with her quartet, she performed songs that were most in demand by soldiers. As part of "Sincerely Yours," Lynn visited hospitals, where she recorded the voices of new mothers and played them on air as "audio messages" to their fathers. Another wartime hit for Vera was the song "The White Cliffs of Dover," with lyrics by Nat Burton and music by Walter Kent. Lynn also starred in the 1943 musical film "We'll Meet Again" and entertained troops in Egypt, India, and Burma.
Post-War Career
After the war, Lynn remained popular and achieved the peak of her career with her number one hit, "My Son, My Son," written with the help of Gordon Melville Rees. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she hosted her own show on BBC1 and continued to participate in various projects. Lynn released her album "Vera Lynn in Nashville" in 1977, featuring pop songs from the 1960s and country compositions. She also made several appearances in the Royal Variety Performance and other charity shows.
Later Years and Achievements
In 2008, Lynn contributed to the launch of "The Times of My Life," a new website featuring historically significant recordings. The following year, she published her autobiography, "Some Sunny Day." In February 2009, Lynn sued the British National Party for including her ballad "The White Cliffs of Dover" in an "anti-immigration album" without her consent. In June 2016, Lynn was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 99. In February 2017, it was announced that she would release a new album titled "Vera Lynn 100" to celebrate her 100th birthday. Lynn remains the oldest British singer to have an album in the top 20.
Personal Life
In 1941, Vera married Harry Lewis, a clarinetist and saxophonist she had met two years earlier. Harry remained Lynn's manager in the post-war years, accompanied her on international concerts, and was responsible for lighting and production of her shows. The couple had one child, Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis. Harry passed away in 1998.
