Margery Manners

Manners was born in 1926 in Coventry, Warwickshire. She began performing in concerts in the working men's clubs of Birmingham when she was 8 years old.^[2] She learned how to sing, as well as play the guitar and accordion.^[3]

Manners became a professional performer at 12 years old, when she joined the popular 1930s show band Billy Merrin and his Commanders.^[2] At 14, she toured the music halls singing as a "cowgirl crooner" with another show band, Big Bill Campbell and his Rocky Mountain Rhythm.^[2]

From the age of 16, Manners became a well known pantomime principal boy,^[2] topping theatre bills across the UK. She performed at venues including the London Palladium,^[4] Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton,^[5] Alhambra in Bradford,^[6] and the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.^[7] The song "Bring Me the Sunshine of Your Smile" became her signature stage tune,^[4] and she was also known for performing songs such as "Have I Told You Lately that I Love You?"^[8] and "Hop Scotch Polka".^[9]

During World War II, she worked as a radio broadcaster on the BBC lunchtime series Workers' Playtime.^[2]

In 1957, Manners starred in the last performance held at the Theatre Royal in Leeds, which was about to be pulled down.^[10] In 1969, she toured variety theatres across Britain with the double act Bob and Alf Pearson in a nostalgic bill called The Golden Years of Music Hall.^[2] During the 1970s, she toured in South Africa^[2] and New Zealand.^[11]

Manners also appeared in variety television shows including BBC Sunday-Night Play, The Passing Show and The Good Old Days. She performed as a pub singer in the 1968 film Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter.^[3]

Manners died of cancer on 27 April 1997 at St Mary's Hospital, London, aged 71.^[4][12]