Singer with the Beverley Sisters
Born: May 5, 1927;
Died: October 28, 2018
BABS Beverley, who has died aged 91, was a singer and one of the Beverley Sisters, a trio that became one of the biggest groups of the 1950s. Their hits included I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Bye Bye Love and Always and Forever, although their theme song, written for them by Irving Berlin, was Sisters with its famous refrain "Lord help the mister who comes between me and my sister".
From an early age, the trio (Babs performed with her sisters Teddie and Joy) seemed destined to have a career in music. All three were born born in Bethnal Green and their parents, George and Victoria Beverley, performed as music-hall duo Coram and Miles. During the Second World War, the girls landed a deal to star as Bonnie Babies in adverts for Ovaltine.
A BBC producer Cecil Madden saw their audition for the advert and became their manager. From there, their status as celebrities blossomed and they began to appear regularly on radio before landing their own BBC television show in 1947 Three Little Girls on View, which was later renamed as Those Beverley Sisters and ran for seven years.
They also recorded prolifically during the 1950s after being signed to Columbia Records; their contract led to them becoming the highest paid female act of their time. Many of their hits were cover versions, but they also become known for seasonal songs. Although their success in America was limited (they had one hit with Greensleeves in 1956), they also performed with Glenn Miller's orchestra in the United States and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.
At their peak in the 50s, the sisters were appearing at the London Palladium with some of the biggest stars of the day including Bob Hope and Danny Kaye. It is surprising to think of it now, but they also became know for slightly risque songs such as We Like to Do Things Like That and We Have to Be So Careful.
The sisters continued to have a successful career, appearing in summer tours and pantomime and became particularly known for the Berlin song Sisters, which they would inevitably perform at all their concerts. At first, though, they were not taken with the song. "In 1954 Irving took us out for lunch," Joy once said. "He told us he had a song for us. We thought, 'Oh good, it will have a lovely harmony.' But when he played Sisters to us, we didn't know where to look. We didn't fancy it."
In 2002 recreated their 1952 Royal Variety Performance for the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations and were popular at gay pride events. They were made MBEs in 2006.
Babs Beverley married a Scottish dentist James Mitchell in 1963 but they divorced after four years. She had no children.
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