Marion Ryan

Marion Ryan entered the world on 4 February 1931 in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England, and passed away on 15 January 1999 in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. An energetic vocalist whose lively approach endeared her to audiences, she enjoyed considerable success across records, radio, and television throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. Her connection to the British hit parade technically dates back to 1948, the year she delivered twins Paul and Barry Ryan; the brothers later scored their own successes, with Barry’s “Eloise” climbing to number 2—three positions above his mother’s peak placement. Ryan first surfaced on the British music circuit in 1953 following a period performing alongside Edmundo Ros, quickly becoming a regular presence on television showcases that included Off The Record, Music Shop, Festival Of British Song, Jack Jackson’s Record Roundup, Gerry’s Inn, Sunday Night At Blackpool, 6.5 Special, Oh Boy! and Two’s Company. She headlined four seasons of Spot The Tune opposite Canadian vocalist-comedian Jackie Rae, maintained a steady partnership with the Ray Ellington Quartet, and joined them for an appearance in the 1956 film Eric Winstone’s Stagecoach. During the latter half of the decade she recorded covers of major releases such as Perry Como’s “Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom),” Peggy Lee’s “Mr Wonderful” and Rosemary Clooney’s “Mangos.” Her own chart entry arrived in 1958 with “Love Me Forever,” which outperformed Eydie Gorme’s rendition and reached number 5. Additional releases took the form of EPs titled That Ryan Gal and Hit Parade. In 1963 she appeared in the Tommy Steele feature It’s All Happening alongside Russ Conway, Danny Williams, John Barry and Shane Fenton. Following her marriage to impresario Harold Davison in the late 1960s, Ryan stepped away from performing; the couple relocated to Florida, where she succumbed to a heart attack.