Yvonne Page, known professionally as Jill Day (5 December 1930 – 16 November 1990) was an English
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
singer and actress in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Career
She was born in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
,
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
, England, and found fame in film, radio and television.
By 1954, as the former lead singer for
Geraldo's Orchestra, she had topped the bill at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...
, and co-starred in the
West End production of ''The Talk of the Town''.
A Jill Day comic strip drawn by
Denis Gifford
Denis Gifford (26 December 1927 – 18 May 2000)Holland, Steve, Obituaries: Denis Gifford', ''The Guardian'', 26 May 2000. was a British writer, broadcaster, journalist, comic artist and historian of film, comics, television and radio. In h ...
was published in Star Comics (1954), edited by Gifford and
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan Monkhouse (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English comedian, television presenter, writer and actor. He was the host of television game shows including '' The Golden Shot'', '' Celebrity Squares'', '' Family Fortunes'' and ' ...
. Day also appeared in the 1955
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
, ''
All for Mary
''All for Mary'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Wendy Toye and starring Nigel Patrick, David Tomlinson, Jill Day and Kathleen Harrison. It was written by Peter Blackmore, Paul Soskin and Alan Melville based on the successful ...
''.
She also sang on the soundtrack of ''
The Good Companions
''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley.
Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a Concert Party (entertainment), concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established hi ...
'' and ''
Doctor at Sea''. In 1957, she competed in the heats of the contest to represent the
United Kingdom in the 1957 Eurovision Song Contest, eventually losing out to
Patricia Bredin
Patricia Bredin (14 February 1935 – 13 August 2023) was an English actress and one-time singer. She is best known as the first representative of the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957.
Career
In 1957 Bredin took the part ...
. Day was known for her long slim dresses with stiff petticoat under the below-the-knee hem which she wore in numerous television appearances.
In the early 1960s, Day had her own
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
sketch show on
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
, ''The Jill Day Show''. She also appeared on ''
Dee Time''.
She faded from public view as public taste for
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
changed through the late 1950s and 1960s, eventually retiring from show business to reside in London. She later owned racehorses and had a number of business ventures including a theatrical agency and a baby clothes company.
She died from cancer in November 1990 in
Kingston-Upon-Thames
Kingston upon Thames, colloquially known as Kingston, is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is situated on the River Thames, south-west of Charing Cross. It is an ancient market town, notable as ...
, Greater London, England, at the age of 59.
Discography
In March 2003, a compilation album of her best-known songs was released, ''The Very Best of Jill Day'':
# "Sincerely"
# "Happiness Street"
# "I'm Old Fashioned"
# "Holiday Affair"
# "Quiet Man"
# "Mangos"
# "Tear Fell"
# "Little Johnny Rainbow"
# "I Dreamed"
# "Cinco Robles"
# "Give Her My Love When You Meet Her"
# "I'll Think About You"
# "I Hear You Knocking"
# "Hold Me In Your Arms"
# "Wherever You May Be"
# "Far Away From Everybody"
# "Snowy Snowy Mountain"
# "Somewhere In The Great Beyond"
# "Oh Daddy Can I Be Your Dolly Forever"
# "
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a popular song copyrighted in 1937 by its composer, Irving Berlin, and first recorded by (i) Ray Noble (January 5, 1937), Howard Barrie, vocalist; (ii) Red Norvo (January 8, 1937), Mildred Bailey, vocalist; (i ...
"
# "Ding Dong"
# "Lonely Nightingale"
# "Promises"
# "Way Of Love"
# "Chee Chee Oo Chee"
# "Whistlin' Willie"
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Jill
1930 births
1990 deaths
Traditional pop music singers
Musicians from Brighton
20th-century English singers