Pepi Lemer

Born on 25 May 1944 in Ilfracombe, Devon, England, Lemer grew up in a musical household and began classical singing lessons at the age of five. After attending stage school she performed in cabaret and theatre productions throughout the UK and overseas. Her voice spanned every register from abstract improvisation to popular song, which led to session appearances with Alan Price and Mike Oldfield. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s she appeared with John Stevens’ Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Peter Lemer’s E, Keith Tippett’s Centipede, Mike Gibbs and Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia. She subsequently co-led Turning Point with Jeff Clyne; the group completed an Arts Council UK tour in 1976 that included guests Allan Holdsworth and Neil Ardley. The latter later issued The Harmony Of The Spheres (Decca 1978), scored for a nine-piece ensemble that featured the voices of both Lemer and Norma Winstone.