Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson

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Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson (1962)

Pearl Lavinia Carr (2 November 1921 – 16 February 2020)[1] and Edward Victor Johnson (4 September 1919[2] – 6 June 2018) were English husband-and-wife entertainers who gained their highest profile during the 1950s and early 1960s.[3]

Early days[]

Carr was born in Exmouth, Devon, and Johnson was born in Surbiton, Surrey. They were both successful solo singers before their marriage in 1955. Carr had been lead singer with the Keynotes,[3] who had two British hits in 1956 with Dave King: "Memories Are Made of This" (No. 5) and "You Can't Be True To Two" (No. 11).[4] She was also a radio singer and comedienne who was a regular participant in Bernard Braden's Bedtime With Braden radio show.[5] She was voted "Female Vocalist of the Year" by readers of "The Melody Maker" in 1951 and was given her own radio series, "In the blue of the evening".

Johnson had led his own teenage band, was a professional drummer and a recording artist for Columbia in the early 1950s, scoring a number of hits including "Beloved, Be Faithful", "Bridge of Sighs", "Love's Roundabout", "Domino" and "Tennessee Waltz". In total, he cut 60 sides for the Columbia label as a solo artist. He was also a DJ on Radio Luxembourg[3] and later on BBC Radio 2 as the first presenter of the popular programme "All Time Greats".

Joint success[]

Carr and Johnson were married in 1955 and remained so for 63 years. They became known professionally as "Mr. and Mrs. Music" and were frequently on British television light entertainment programmes, such as The Winifred Atwell Show as well as "Big Night Out", "Two of a kind" (with Morecambe and Wise), "Sunday night at the London Palladium", "The Arthur Haynes Show", "Thank your lucky stars", "Blackpool Night Out" and were regulars on the children's TV show "Crackerjack!" with Eamonn Andrews and Ronnie Corbett. They were part of a record breaking season at the London Palladium with Bruce Forsyth and were chosen to appear in "The Royal Variety Performance" in 1960.

Carr and Johnson represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 and finished second with the song "Sing, Little Birdie".[3] This song peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[6]

In 2011 Johnson revealed they initially thought the contest to become the British entry was the extent of their booking. "We had never heard of the Eurovision Song Contest before and were going to be booked as solo singers, but that consummated Pearl and Teddy as a double act. As far as we were concerned it was just another gig, but it was the easiest money we had ever had. There were two heats – one on the Monday and another on the Wednesday, with the final on Saturday night. When we won, the BBC Head of Television Light Entertainment Eric Maschwitz said he was thrilled that Pearl and I would now represent our country in the Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes. I said: ‘What? What do you mean?’ I didn't know we had to represent the country. We had no idea whatsoever. He gave me the dates for Cannes and I just hoped we had them available. As it happened, we did. Pearl flew out with three guys from the BBC but I was doing a small show for ATV and got a later flight."

They also tried to represent the United Kingdom again in 1960, entering two songs into the pre-selection, "Pickin' Petals" and "When The Tide Turns"; the latter made the final. It was up against Johnson's own brother, Bryan. In the end, Bryan won and went on to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960. He came second, with "Looking High, High, High".[3] Carr and Johnson released another single the following year, "How Wonderful to Know", which charted at No. 23 in the UK[3] and was frequently played on the BBC's "Family Favourites" programme.

Carr and Johnson continued to appear in summer seasons around the UK and on cruise ships for the Royal Viking Line. In 1986, they were the subject of an edition of This Is Your Life.[7] After this success, they appeared in the West End revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies,[3] playing vaudeville couple Wally and Emily Whitman and singing "Rain on the Roof". It was at the conclusion of its 18-month run in 1990 that they decided to retire. Shortly afterwards, EMI issued a CD of their joint recordings, "The Magic of Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson". That year, they received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the British Music Hall Society.

Later life[]

Following their retirement, Carr and Johnson moved into Brinsworth House, a home for retired entertainers.

Johnson appeared in a short piece to camera in a Morecambe and Wise tribute in 2018. He died on 6 June 2018, aged 98.[8] Carr died on 16 February 2020, also aged 98.[1]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Ryan, Tom (16 February 2020). "Pearl Carr passes away at the age of 98". ESCXTRA. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. ^ Laing, Dave (10 June 2018). "Teddy Johnson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson – Music Biography, Credits and Discography. AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  4. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 302. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. ^ "Pearl Carr". IMDb. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  6. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 95. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ^ "This Is Your Life – Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson". IMDb. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  8. ^ "Teddy Johnson (United Kingdom 1959) passed away at age 98 – Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018". Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved 7 June 2018.

External links[]


Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Patricia Bredin
with "All" 		United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
1959 		Succeeded by
Bryan Johnson
with "Looking High, High, High"
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