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Dame Vera Lynn (born March 20, 1917) is a British singer whose career flourished during World War II, when she was nicknamed "The Forces' Sweetheart".

Brief biography

Early years

Dame Vera Lynn was born Vera Margaret Welch (Lynn was her grandmother's maiden name), in East Ham, London. She began singing at the age of seven.

First broadcast

Vera Lynn's first radio broadcast, with the Joe Loss Orchestra, was made in 1935. At this point she was being featured on records released by dance bands including Loss's and Charlie Kunz. In 1936 she made her first solo record on the Crown label, "Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire". This label was soon swallowed up by Decca.

World War II

She married clarinettist and saxophonist Harry Lewis in 1939, the same year that World War II broke out. In 1940 she began her own radio series, Sincerely Yours, sending messages to British troops stationed abroad. She toured Burma and gave outdoor concerts for soldiers.

International star

Her "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" became the first record by a UK artist to top the US charts, doing so for 9 weeks, and she appeared regularly on Tallulah Bankhead's US radio programme The Big Show.

Big hits

"Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not" gave Vera a remarkable three entries on the first UK Singles chart, a top 12 (which contained 15 songs due to tied positions). Vera's career flourished in the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son", a number one hit in 1954. It was co-written by 'The Man With the Golden Trumpet' Eddie Calvert.

In early 1960, Vera departed Decca Records, whom she had been with for nearly 25 years, and joined EMI. There, she recorded for EMI's Columbia, MGM and HMV subsidiaries.

Awards

She was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1969 and a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1975.

Last public performance

She sang outside Buckingham Palace in 1995 in a ceremony that marked 50 years since VE Day. Vera, then 78, decided to go out on a high and this is her last known appearance singing in public to date.

Recordings by Vera Lynn

• 1935

• "The General's Fast Asleep"; "No Regrets"; "When the Poppies Bloom Again"; "I'm in the Mood for Love" (Rex Records); "Sailing Home With The Tide" (Rex Records); "Thanks A Million" (Rex Records)

• 1936

• "Heart Of Gold" (Rex Records); "A Star Fell Out Of Heaven" (Rex Records); "Crying My Heart Out For You" (Rex Records); "It's Love Again" (Rex Records); "Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?" (Rex Records): "Have You Forgotten So Soon?" (Rex Records); "Everything Is Rhythm" (Rex Records)

• 1937

• "When My Dream Boat Comes Home" (Rex Records); "Goodnight, My Love" (Rex Records); "All Alone In Vienna" (Rex Records)

• 1940

• "Careless"; *"Until You Fall in Love"; "It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow"; "When You Wish upon a Star"; "Memories Live Longer Than Dreams"; "There'll Come Another Day"; "{There'll Be Bluebirds Over} The White Cliffs of Dover".

• 1941

• "Smilin' through"; "When They Sound the Last All Clear"; "Yours"; "My Sister and I"; "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire".

• 1942

• "We'll Meet Again" (from the 1942 film of the same name); "You're in my Arms".

• 1948

• "You Can't Be True, Dear" (1948); "Again".

• 1952

• "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart"; "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)".

• 1954 onwards

• "My Son, My Son" (UK number 1, 1954); "The Homing Waltz"; "Forget Me Not"; "Windsor Waltz"; "Who Are We"; "A House With Love In It"; "The Faithful Hussar (Don't Cry My Love)"; "Travellin' Home"; Hits Of The Sixties (album); "By the Time I Get To Phoenix"; "Everybody's Talking"; "The Fool On The Hill".

Films

• We'll Meet Again (1942)
• Rhythm Serenade (1943)
• One Exciting Night (1944)

References

• Vera Lynn, Vocal Refrain, 1975, W.H. Allen, London.
• R. Cross, We'll Meet Again
• The Wall, by Pink Floyd, 1979 (The song 'Vera' on this album is named after her, and about her)
• In Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, her song We'll Meet again, with visual effects of nuclear explosions, is the closing title.
• List of British pop musicians of the 1940s

• 1917 births
• Female singers
• British singers
• Traditional pop music singers