Shirley Abicair (born 26 October 1930) is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n-born singer, musician, TV personality, actress and author.
Shirley Abicair was born in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
, Australia. Some sources show her year of birth as 1935, however a contemporary account shows she was 23 or 24 on arrival in England and, as she had completed tertiary studies in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, the earlier date seems more likely. She was the only daughter of a
Wing CommanderWing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Squadron Leader and immediately below Group Captain...
in the RAAF.
Prior to pursuing studies at the
Sydney Conservatorium of MusicThe Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
and/or (as with her year of birth, accounts differ)
Sydney UniversityThe University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia. It was established in Sydney in 1850. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" universities that are highly ranked in terms of their research performance...
(where she took Philosophy, Languages and the Arts), she resided in
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
.
While studying in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
she began singing at parties and private functions to support her studies, accompanying herself on the
zitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
.
Shirley Abicair (born 26 October 1930) is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n-born singer, musician, TV personality, actress and author.
Early life
Shirley Abicair was born in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital city and most populous city of the State of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne city centre is the anchor of the larger geographical area and statistical division known as the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area – of which Melbourne is...
, Australia. Some sources show her year of birth as 1935, however a contemporary account shows she was 23 or 24 on arrival in England and, as she had completed tertiary studies in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, the earlier date seems more likely. She was the only daughter of a
Wing CommanderWing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Squadron Leader and immediately below Group Captain...
in the RAAF.
Education
Prior to pursuing studies at the
Sydney Conservatorium of MusicThe Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
and/or (as with her year of birth, accounts differ)
Sydney UniversityThe University of Sydney is the oldest university in Australia. It was established in Sydney in 1850. It is a member of Australia's "Group of Eight" universities that are highly ranked in terms of their research performance...
(where she took Philosophy, Languages and the Arts), she resided in
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of more than 1.1 million. It is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St. Vincent, on the Adelaide Plains, north of the Fleurieu...
.
Career
While studying in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
she began singing at parties and private functions to support her studies, accompanying herself on the
zitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
. Self-taught, she is said to have found the zither whilst rummaging in a cupboard as a small child. She then entered and won a
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
radio talent quest. This led to offers of engagements on radio and in theatre and cabaret.
In 1953, she left Sydney for
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. She was photographed by a newspaper photographer looking for pretty faces whilst disembarking at London airport. Her photo was spotted by a radio producer in the newspaper and within weeks this led to her appearing on
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
television. Not much later that year she had her own programme in which she sang and played the
zitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
. The
zitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
was, along with her Australian-ness, to become her trademark. She released her first record "
Careless Love" that year. During 1954 she co-starred with comedian
Norman WisdomSir Norman Wisdom OBE is a mostly retired English comedian, singer, songwriter, actor and musician.-Early years:Norman Wisdom was born in the Marylebone district of London. His parents were Frederick, a chauffeur, and Maud Wisdom , a dressmaker who often worked for West End theatres. The couple...
in the film, "One Good Turn".
In 1956 she recorded (with
George MartinSir George Henry Martin CBE is a British record producer, arranger and composer. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"—a title that he owes to his work as producer of all but one of The Beatles' original records, as well as playing piano on some of The Beatles tracks—and is...
producing) the title song for the soundtrack of the classic Australian movie "
SmileySmiley is an Australian film made in 1956. It was produced and directed by Anthony Kimmins. It starred Ralph Richardson, Chips Rafferty, and Colin Petersen as Smiley. It tells the story of a young Australian boy who is determined to buy a bicycle for four pounds...
". Through the middle/late 1950s she hosted (with help from her puppet friends, Australian indigenous children, Tea Cup and Clothespeg), a series called
Children's HourChildren's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
, a children's TV show. In the process she became an unofficial ambassador and promoter of Australia to a generation of British children. This Australian image was reinforced by her release of records with titles such as "
(I Love You) Fair Dinkum" & "
Botany Bay". During 1959 she returned to Australia briefly to record a series of television documentary films she had conceived, based on Australian folk songs, entitled "
Shirley Abicair in Australia", for the
Australian Broadcasting CommissionThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
(ABC) TV network.
In 1962 she toured the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, and in the same year she gave a recital at the Festival Hall in London. Later that year in October she visited the USA for performances. It was in 1962 as well that her children's book, "
Tales of Tumbarumba" was published. In June 1963 she returned to the US and appeared on the "
Smothers BrothersThe Smothers Brothers are an American music-and-comedy team, consisting of the brothers Tom and Dick Smothers. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
" TV show. 1965 saw her put out an EP, "
On the Nursey Beat", which was a number of nursery rhymes put to a
Mersey beatMersey Sound or Merseybeat or may refer to*Merseybeat , a television series*Mersey Beat , a music magazine*Beat music, a musical genre also known as the Mersey Sound or Merseybeat...
. During 1965 she did a tour with British comedian
Frankie HowerdFrankie Howerd OBE , was a distinctive English comedian and comic actor whose career spanned six decades.-Biography:...
to entertain British forces stationed in the
Malay PeninsulaThe Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a major peninsula located in Southeast Asia, with its narrowest point at the Isthmus of Kra. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its teminus, is the most southern point of the Asian mainland...
and Sarawak, Borneo during the unrest there. This tour was filmed and later released as a TV special "
East of Howerd". During 1966 - 1967 she released a number of more mature songs on record including her version of the
Gerry GoffinGerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
-
Carole KingCarole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. While she has been a successful songwriter for decades, her singing career and fame peaked during the first half of the 1970s....
song, "
So Goes Love" and
Paul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
's, "
Flowers Never Bend with the Rainfall". She had previously, in the early 1960s, released three albums of folk songs.
She joined up with harmonica player
Larry AdlerLawrence "Larry" Cecil Adler was an American musician, widely acknowledged as one of the world's most skilled harmonica players. Composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Benjamin composed works for him...
in 1968 to do a children's theatre show. She began her own one-woman theatre show in 1969 at the
Arts TheatreThe Arts Theatre is a club theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. It reopened in February 2009 following a refurbishment.-History:...
in London.
In 1971 she moved to the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
), where she appeared in a series of college concerts with the famed American writer
Ken KeseyKenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s...
. Shirley Abicair currently lives in London and divides her time between Britain, the USA and Australia.
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