{{Short description|British singer (1931–1999)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} '''Marion Ryan''' (born '''Marian Ryan'''; 4 February 1931 – 15 January 1999)<ref name="Gifford"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=OZrV9LI1fRTjqE2xYRfPCA&scan=1|title=Index entry|accessdate=12 April 2026|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}}</ref> was a British singer who achieved fame in the 1950s as part of the early years of British Independent Television. An early press report labelled her "the Marilyn Monroe of popular song".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Aberdeen Evening Express |journal=Aberdeen Evening Express |date=13 October 1953 |page=2}}</ref>
==Early life== Born in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England,<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2171}}</ref> she attended Notre Dame Collegiate School for Girls in Leeds, now Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College.
==Career== Ryan was working in a hosiery shop in Leeds and broke into show business when she approached Ray Ellington, who was performing at the Locarno in Liverpool in July 1953, and asked to sing with his quartet. He agreed, and the audience reaction was so good that he signed her up to work with the quartet. She made her debut with them at the Locarno, Glasgow in September 1953.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=3 September 1953 |page=4}}</ref> Her first radio appearance took place on the show ''Stepping Out at Radio Roadhouse'' on the Light Programme on 27 October 1953, when the Ellington quartet were the guest band.<ref>{{cite web |title=bbc.co.uk |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/fccea8d90cbb489a996fadbeaf9edd5e |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171405/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/fccea8d90cbb489a996fadbeaf9edd5e |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 March 2022 |publisher=BBC |access-date=30 March 2022}}</ref> She continued to tour with Ellington until 1957, and made further radio appearances with them, including on the popular ''Goon Show''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Neath Guardian |journal=Neath Guardian |date=2 April 1954 |page=9}}</ref>
She began recording for Pye Nixa in 1955<ref>{{cite web |title=45worlds.com |url=https://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/artist/marion-ryan |website=45worlds.com |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref> and mainly made cover versions of American hits. Her version of "Love Me Forever" peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart in 1958.<ref name="Gambaccini"> {{cite book | last=Gambaccini | first=Paul | title=British Hit Singles: Every Single Hit Since 1952 | edition=8th | publisher=Billboard Books | year=1991 | page=238 | isbn=978-0823075720}}</ref> Her first LP, ''A Lady Loves'', was released in 1959.<ref>{{cite web |title=Discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/731819-Marion-Ryan-A-Lady-Loves |publisher=Discogs |access-date=2 April 2022}}</ref> Beginning in June 1956, she was the regular singer in the popular musical quiz ''Spot the Tune''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Spot_the_Tune |title=Spot the Tune |website=UKGameshows.com |date=2012-03-18 |accessdate=2015-12-28}}</ref> on Granada Television for seven years, with a total of 209 half-hour programmes, which featured several star hosts, including disc jockey Pete Murray, Canadian pop singer Jackie Rae, comedians Ken Platt and Ted Ray, also featuring Peter Knight and his orchestra.<ref name="Gifford" /> The show re-emerged in the 1970s as ''Name That Tune''.
Ryan went solo in 1957 and undertook her first variety tour,<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=15 August 1957 |page=4}}</ref> then went on tour with Cyril Stapleton and his Show Band. She made six appearances in BBC's ''Six-Five Special'' in 1957 and 1958, and she appeared in the ''Royal Variety Performance'' in 1959. Ryan appeared on ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' in 1963, and made a brief appearance as herself in the film ''It's All Happening'', with Tommy Steele, the same year.<ref name="Gifford" /> She had notable guest spots on ''The Bob Hope Show'' in 1958 and ''The Bing Crosby Show'' in 1961.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Movie Database |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0752697/ |publisher=IMDb |access-date=31 March 2022}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Her first marriage, at the age of 17, was to Lloyd George Frederick Sapherson (known as Fred) (1913–2001) in 1948. They had twin sons, Barry and Paul (born Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, 24 October 1948), a successful vocal duo in the 1960s. In 1969, she married the show business agent Harold Davison (1922–2011) and they had a daughter named Caroline.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Stage |journal=The Stage |date=28 January 1999 |page=30}}</ref> After this, she gradually eased herself into retirement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Discography |url=http://www.45-rpm.org.uk/dirm/marionr.htm|website=45-rpm.org.uk|accessdate=24 August 2008}}</ref> Ryan died from a heart attack at the age of 67 in Boca Raton, Florida, United States.<ref name="Gifford">{{cite news|last=Gifford|first=Denis|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-marion-ryan-1074857.html|title=Obituary: Marion Ryan|date=19 January 1999|newspaper=The Independent|authorlink=Denis Gifford|accessdate=9 March 2015}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/jan/18/guardianobituaries2 "Best Before the Beat"] (Obituary in ''The Guardian'', 17 January 1999) * {{NPG name|id=121844}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Marion}} Category:1931 births Category:1999 deaths Category:Musicians from Middlesbrough Category:20th-century English singers Category:English women pop singers Category:20th-century English women singers Category:Pye Nixa artists