Georgia Lee
The only thing more remarkable than the voice of Georgia Lee is the fact that its so little known.
The musicality and warmth. The persuasive force of Georgia's voice, with her unhurried sophisticated phrasing, was the product of natural talent, hard work, self belief and determination.
It was a voice that carried her far from her childhood home in Cairns. Born into a large Torres Strait Islander family in 1921, Georgia was christened Dulcie Pitt. The whole family was musical, and on tropical nights, sitting on the porch at Grannie Pitt's house in Cairns with her father playing concertina, her brother Walter on guitar, Dulcie and her sisters, Sophie and Heather, literally stopped the traffic. People gathered to hear them sing. It was local, family, friends just making music.
But in the early 1940s World War II burst in on Cairns, flooding it with Australian and American servicemen. By day the girls packed parachutes, by night the harmony sisters entertained the troops. Their talent took them down south to Melbourne and Sydney where Dulcie took flight.
Young, beautiful and black, she became Georgia Lee, sang swing, the blues and jazz, and cut a figure in the world of the arts. In London she sang with the renowned Geraldo's Orchestra at the Dorchester, recorded for the BBC and toured Europe. She was at her peak, her voice, her style had taken her a long way from her starting point, and she felt it. She missed Australia. Georgia returned to live and work in Melbourne, bringing a new level of experience to Australian cabaret, blues and jazz.
Geogia was "the voice." She toured Australia with the legendary Nat King Cole, and in 1962 became the first known indigenous artist to record a full-length studio album, and the first Australian singer captured in stereo. Dulcie died quietly in Cairns in 2010. Earlier that year she was added to the Sounds of Australia register. It was an appreciated National acknowledgement.
Transcript from Bush TV: Untold Stories Youtube presentation
‘Georgia Lee Sings the Blues Down Under’– is a beautiful record of Dulcie Pitt’s voice at the height of its maturity. It certainly was a voice that carried her far from her childhood home in Cairns! Produced by Tom Hearn at BushTV and narrated by Ernie Dingo for Recognise appearing on the ABC and NITV.
qja@live.com.au
