Unheard audition recordings of Dame Vera Lynn are set for release, 90 years after their initial recording.
The late singer’s earliest recordings were discovered when her daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, generously donated her mother’s extensive record collection to the British Library’s Sound Archive.
The donation occurred following Ms. Lewis-Jones’ move from her family home in East Sussex, where Dame Vera resided with her husband, Harry Lewis, for four decades.
Alongside the three meticulously hand-labelled silver aluminum audition records, a copy of Dame Vera’s inaugural recording, “It’s Home,” which was recorded in 1935 with bandleader Howard Baker, was also unearthed.
Recorded after trumpeter Baker extended an invitation to Dame Vera to join his ensemble in 1933, the initial record represents one of only 100 copies ever pressed.
Virginia Lewis-Jones remarked, “It’s truly wonderful to hear my mother’s voice from those formative years, right at the genesis of her illustrious career.”
She added, “I always suspected these recordings held significant value, and I am absolutely thrilled that these previously unheard audition tapes can now be brought to life, enriching our understanding of my mother’s remarkable journey.”
Decca will release the audition discs, with “What A Difference A Day Makes” debuting as a single on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
Further rare and previously unreleased tracks from these sessions will be featured on a new album entitled “Hidden Treasures,” slated for release on November 7.
Dame Vera Lynn achieved prominence during the Second World War, where her stirring anthems, including “We’ll Meet Again,” “(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover,” and “There’ll Always Be An England,” earned her the endearing title of “Forces’ Sweetheart.”
Her final studio album, “Unforgettable,” was released in 2010.
Dame Vera Lynn passed away in June 2020 at the age of 103, having previously become the oldest artist to have a Top 40 album in the UK, a feat achieved in May of that year with her greatest hits compilation, “100.”
Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Get our flagship newsletter with all the headlines you need to start the day. Sign up here.
Festival organisers say the news is “encouraging” but “even one incident is too many”.
Ken Cooke leads a two-minute silence at a railway heritage centre in memory of fallen comrades.
The King and Queen join veterans at a service to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two.
Crowds gather in the centre of Hull to pay tribute to those who served in World War Two.
A lone piper played in Edinburgh ahead of a silence at noon to pay tribute to those who served in the Far East and Pacific.