Jeannie Bradbury (born Jessie Lorenza Jean Bradbury; 30 October 1917 – 15 June 1967), sometimes referred to as Jean Bradbury, was a British

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 and ...

singer, best known for her appearances on

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

during the later years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and into the 1950s, and for her association with the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

clarinetist The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodw ...

and band leader

Harry Parry Harry Owen Parry (22 January 1912 – 18 October 1956) was a Welsh jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Biography Parry was born in Bangor, Wales. He played cornet, tenor horn, flugelhorn, drums, and violin as a child, and began on clarinet and s ...

, whom she married in 1945.

Biography

Jeannie was born in

Wandsworth, London Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, the daughter of

Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

performer George Bradbury (known by the stage name George Sanford of the comedy team Sanford and Lyons) and his second wife Lorenza MacLennan. Bradbury's first recorded broadcast for the BBC was in a General Forces Programme called ''I'll Play To You'' on Tuesday 9 August 1944, alongside Stéphane Grappelly and

Robin Richmond Robin Richmond (21 April 1912 – 27 July 1998) was an English cinema organist and BBC Radio presenter and performer. History Richmond was born on 21 April 1912 in Kensington, London, England, UK. His father was a doctor. William Stephenso ...

, but got a break on the BBC feature ''Songs From The Shows'' while deputizing for

Anne Ziegler Anne Ziegler (born Irené Frances Eastwood; 22 June 1910 – 13 October 2003) was an English singer, known for her light operatic duets with her husband Webster Booth. The pair were known as the "Sweethearts in Song" and were among the most famo ...

. The musician Harry Parry, who was present for the broadcast, thought her to be a potential vocalist for his sextet. Harry_Parry_and_Jeannie_Bradbury_divorce_scandal

Harry_Parry_and_Jeannie_Bradbury_divorce_scandal

Bradbury subsequently appeared with Parry on a series of shows throughout the 1940s on BBC radio broadcasts including ''Late Night Dancing'', ''Dancing Til Midnight'', and ''Harry Parry''. She was sometimes billed simply as Jean Bradbury in radio listings and on recordings. In addition to a long-term residency at the London nightclub and restaurant Potomac at 40 Jermyn Street (today the location of

Tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...

), Bradbury sang with the Harry Parry Sextet in

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

at the

London Hippodrome The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survi ...

, the Metropolitan Music Hall and throughout the English

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

. The couple toured the world, playing venues in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

and beyond. In 1955 Parry filed for divorce in a highly publicized case, citing Bradbury's infidelity with the left-wing writer

Frederic Mullally Frederic Mullally (25 February 1918 – 7 September 2014) was a British journalist, public relations executive, and novelist. He was born in London. Career Mullally's journalism career began in India where, from 1937 to 1949, he was sub-editor ...

—a prominent member of the inner-circle of

Stephen Ward Stephen Thomas Ward (19 October 1912 – 3 August 1963) was an English osteopath and artist who was one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British political scandal which brought about the resignation of John Profumo, the Sec ...

, a central figure in the

Profumo scandal The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model Ch ...

which brought down the British government in 1963. Harry Parry died alone in his

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

flat in October 1956, a few months after their divorce was finalized. The marriage produced no children. Jeannie, whose career never recovered following the divorce scandal, married the shipbroker Michael Misroch in 1966, but died a year later from various forms of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradbury, Jeannie 1917 births 1967 deaths