Helen McKay

Helen McKay singing at BBC Alexandra Palace television studio during a test transmission, August 26th 1936.

Helen McKay was a dance band singer, active during the 1930s and 1940s. She was the first person to sing on the then high-definition standard (405 lines) in test transmissions by the BBC for the RadiOlympia Exhibition on the 26th August 1936.[1] During the transmission, McKay sang Here's Looking At You, written especially for the transmission by Ronnie Hill.[2] McKay gave an interview to The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in 1986, in which she spoke about her experience.[3]

During the 1930s, McKay was a vocalist in the Lew Stone dance band. In the 1940s McKay was a contributor to the war effort with ENSA concerts on the forces programme.[4] McKay was a member of the Debonaires,[5] a quartet, including Alex Dore, Nadia Dore and Harry Brooker.[6] The Debonaires sang with the Ambrose Orchestra, Felix Mendelssohn's Hawaiian Serenaders, Eric Winstone and his band, and also had a late night radio show.

In the 1950s, the personnel of the Debonaires changed to Nadia Dore, Bob Brown, Helen McKay and Bob Winette. McKay was to marry Bob Winnette, a singer, musician and songwriter. Together, they formed The Song Pedlars quartet.

References

  1. ↑ "History of the BBC - The Story of the BBC - Television As We Know It". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "TV Technology 4. Here's Looking at You". BFI Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  3. ↑ "Television Comes to Bradford". YouTube. National Media Museum. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "12.30 Break For Music". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Debonaires". BBC Genome. BBC. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  6. ↑ Whitehouse, comp. for This England by Edmund (2001). This England's second book of British dance bands : the singers and smaller bands (1st ed.). Cheltenham: This England Books. ISBN 978-0906324370.



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