Kathie Kay (born Kathleen Thornhill; 20 November 1918 – 9 March 2005) was a singer from

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

, known for her radio and television appearances in the '' Billy Cotton Band Show'' during the 1950s and 1960s. Her best known recordings are "We Will Make Love" and " A House With Love in It".

Biography

Kathie Kay was born Kathleen Thornhill in Gainsborough,

. She began her career as a toddler with the famous Corona Babes Stage School as Connie Wood, then moved on to appear with Hughie Green as head girl in his gang show; he was later best man at her wedding. She was spotted by Billy Cotton, and first performed with him on radio in 1949, making the move to television and remaining until the show ended in 1968. She also worked with

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

and

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961), was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he ...

.Thedeadrockstarsclub.com
– accessed February 2011 For many years she presented her own programme on

Scottish Television Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchisee for Central Belt, Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation si ...

, where she was dubbed 'the Fireside Girl'. She was married to the Scottish impresario Archie McCulloch, who died in September 1997. She died from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

, in

Largs Largs () is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town markets itself on its histor ...

, Scotland, at the age of 86, and was survived by three sons: Stewart McCulloch OBE, Donald McCulloch and Ken McCulloch.

References

External links

* 1918 births 2005 deaths Billy Cotton Band Show Deaths from dementia in Scotland Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in the United Kingdom 20th-century Scottish women singers {{UK-tv-bio-stub