Kerrie Agnes Biddell born 8 February 1947 was an Australian jazz and session singer, as well as a pianist and teacher. Born in Kings Cross, New South Wales, to alcoholic parents, Biddell was sent to St Vincent's Convent in Potts Point at a young age, soon after her father left her mother. In 1962, Biddell suffered a collapsed lung and rheumatoid arthritis, the latter of which affected her piano playing. She stated "My lung collapsed, and I got rheumatoid arthritis. My sense of humour went really black. I was a piano player, but what was the first thing the arthritis attacked? I thought, 'Well, where does my life go now?' " She turned to singing, learning to sustain a note for over a minute, a near Guinness Book of Records achievement for anyone with two lungs.
Her first live performance was a backing vocalist on Dusty Springfield's 1967 Australian tour. Springfield was astonished and delighted by Biddell's tone and control and became a lifelong friend. "You should be a lead vocalist," she told her. Biddell joined local band The Echoes, and in 1968, The Affair. Affair guitarist Jim Kelly called Biddell "a world-class vocalist". With her voice, the group could do various musical styles, such as Aretha Franklin-type soul, Sly Stone funk, and Jimmy Webb compositions. In 1969, the national competition Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds added a vocal-group category to its main pop/rock category. Kelly stated that The Affair was not a vocal group, but Biddell "rehearsed us till we were".
The group won the category, with its prize being a trip to London, where the group relocated in mid-1970, only to disband months later. Before disbanding, they recorded Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song", which would become one of Biddell's signature songs. Kerrie Biddell returned from London in 1970 and joined the Daly Wilson Big Band, an ambitious, high-volume, rock energy reimagining of '40s big band swing. Daly Wilson was a cause celebre in Australian music and Kerrie was celebrated as its star. "Kerrie excelled at every genre we threw at her," said trombonist Ed Wilson, "rock, jazz-rock, funk, torch..."
Between stints with Daly-Wilson, she toured with Dudley Moore, Cilla Black and Buddy Rich. In 1972 she married David Glyde, formerly tenor saxophonist for Sounds Incorporated, The Beatles' touring support act. Glyde had contacts in Canada, and he and Biddell moved there. Her career as a session singer began soon after. She and her husband toured in the United States, including clubs in Las Vegas. She was offered a three-year six-figure USD contract with the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and despite being desperate to be a star, she discovered she did not care for the business side of Vegas. "I started to see that the amount they wanted to take away from me was too much," she stated, and moved back to Australia in 1972, enrolling in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Biddell became a solo singer, and her first album won two Australian Record awards. She and Glyde divorced in 1977.
She sang on hundreds of jingles, film scores and television shows, including the theme from Sons and Daughters (1982-87). In 1983, she joined the faculty of the Jazz Diploma course at the Conservatorium, where she periodically taught into her later years. In 1992, she wrote a one-woman show, Legends, which later included June Bronhill, Lorrae Desmond, Toni Lamond, and Jeanne Little. In 1997, aged 50, Biddell went into semi-retirement. By 2001 she had left the stage. "She would not perform if she thought she was not capable of her best," said Cassandra Darvall. In 2007 she sang with the Ed Wilson Big Band at a benefit for David Glyde, then suffering from prostate cancer. It was her last public performance. She continued as a vocal coach till her sudden death from a stroke. She died on 5 September 2014. She was 67.
SINGLES
''Go Anywhere / Look (Every Day)'' [with Terry Kaff] 1971 Philips
''Hail All Hail [with Neil Williams] / My Boy's Different'' 1972 HMV
''If I Be Your Lady / Back To California'' 1973 Bootleg
''Together / May It Well Be You'' 1974 Warner Bros.
''Sinner Man (Don't Let Him Catch You) / Parenthesis'' 1975 EMI
''Scobie Malone (Title Song)'' 1975 EMI
''Here We Go Again'' [with Mick Leyton] 1981 Infinity
''Sons And Daughters (3/4 Version) (#88) / Sons And Daughters (4/4 Version)'' [with Mick Leyton'' 1982 RCA
The group won the category, with its prize being a trip to London, where the group relocated in mid-1970, only to disband months later. Before disbanding, they recorded Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song", which would become one of Biddell's signature songs. Kerrie Biddell returned from London in 1970 and joined the Daly Wilson Big Band, an ambitious, high-volume, rock energy reimagining of '40s big band swing. Daly Wilson was a cause celebre in Australian music and Kerrie was celebrated as its star. "Kerrie excelled at every genre we threw at her," said trombonist Ed Wilson, "rock, jazz-rock, funk, torch..."
Between stints with Daly-Wilson, she toured with Dudley Moore, Cilla Black and Buddy Rich. In 1972 she married David Glyde, formerly tenor saxophonist for Sounds Incorporated, The Beatles' touring support act. Glyde had contacts in Canada, and he and Biddell moved there. Her career as a session singer began soon after. She and her husband toured in the United States, including clubs in Las Vegas. She was offered a three-year six-figure USD contract with the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and despite being desperate to be a star, she discovered she did not care for the business side of Vegas. "I started to see that the amount they wanted to take away from me was too much," she stated, and moved back to Australia in 1972, enrolling in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Biddell became a solo singer, and her first album won two Australian Record awards. She and Glyde divorced in 1977.
She sang on hundreds of jingles, film scores and television shows, including the theme from Sons and Daughters (1982-87). In 1983, she joined the faculty of the Jazz Diploma course at the Conservatorium, where she periodically taught into her later years. In 1992, she wrote a one-woman show, Legends, which later included June Bronhill, Lorrae Desmond, Toni Lamond, and Jeanne Little. In 1997, aged 50, Biddell went into semi-retirement. By 2001 she had left the stage. "She would not perform if she thought she was not capable of her best," said Cassandra Darvall. In 2007 she sang with the Ed Wilson Big Band at a benefit for David Glyde, then suffering from prostate cancer. It was her last public performance. She continued as a vocal coach till her sudden death from a stroke. She died on 5 September 2014. She was 67.
''Go Anywhere / Look (Every Day)'' [with Terry Kaff] 1971 Philips
''Hail All Hail [with Neil Williams] / My Boy's Different'' 1972 HMV
''If I Be Your Lady / Back To California'' 1973 Bootleg
''Together / May It Well Be You'' 1974 Warner Bros.
''Sinner Man (Don't Let Him Catch You) / Parenthesis'' 1975 EMI
''Scobie Malone (Title Song)'' 1975 EMI
''Here We Go Again'' [with Mick Leyton] 1981 Infinity
''Sons And Daughters (3/4 Version) (#88) / Sons And Daughters (4/4 Version)'' [with Mick Leyton'' 1982 RCA
ALBUMS
'Daly-Wilson Big Band Featuring Kerrie Biddell – The Exciting Daly-Wilson Big Band' 1972 Festival
'Kerrie Biddell' 1973 Bootleg
'Only The Beginning' 1975 EMI
'Compared To What Featuring Kerrie Biddell' 1979 EMI
'Harbour Crossing' [with David Fennell, Wendy Grose] 1983 Larrikin Records
'There Will Never Be Another You' [with The Julian Lee Trio, Les Crosby] 1992 North Supply
'The Singer' 1995 ORIGiN
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrie_Biddell
http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/
'Daly-Wilson Big Band Featuring Kerrie Biddell – The Exciting Daly-Wilson Big Band' 1972 Festival
'Kerrie Biddell' 1973 Bootleg
'Only The Beginning' 1975 EMI
'Compared To What Featuring Kerrie Biddell' 1979 EMI
'Harbour Crossing' [with David Fennell, Wendy Grose] 1983 Larrikin Records
'There Will Never Be Another You' [with The Julian Lee Trio, Les Crosby] 1992 North Supply
'The Singer' 1995 ORIGiN
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrie_Biddell
http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/
Hi there. I am trying to untangle a mystery about an early recording of Kerry that my mothers best friend Billy Huybers compose and was recorded by Kerry but we are having trouble and losts of dead ends. She is nearly 100 now and she has heard it being played on the radio but hasn't had the cognitive function to work out where it came from. I can give a bit more info but I will see if I get a response first. Thanks Justin Brown. Justin@browndog.com.au is my email if that help.
ReplyDeleteI've done an extensive search and nothing comes up. This recording may have been a custom job or demo.
ReplyDelete