Sheila Bromberg

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Sheila Bromberg
Born(1928-09-02)2 September 1928
London, England
Died17 August 2021(2021-08-17) (aged 92)
Aylesbury, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationMusician
Known forHarp

Sheila Bromberg (1928-2021) was a British harpist who performed in both classical and popular settings. She is best known for her important participation on the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, thus becoming the first female to ever record on a Beatles album.[1][2][3]

Early life[]

Sheila Zelda Patricia Bromberg was born on September 2, 1928 in London, England, the daughter of Michael Bromberg and Rose Lyons. Her father was an orchestral viola player who at one time played with the Scottish National Orchestra, and her mother was a seamstress. Her family was Jewish.[1][2]

Education[]

Bromberg studied the piano from an early age, becoming an accomplished pianist, and later she studied the harp at London’s Royal College of Music where she graduated in 1949. At age 70 she received a degree from the University of Greenwich in music therapy.[1]

Career[]

Bromberg played harp in the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. She also performed in the orchestra for the London run of the musical Phantom of the Opera, and she played harp on two James Bond films in the 1960s, Dr. No and Goldfinger. In addition, she earned regular wages as a session musician for popular artists such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, the Bee Gees, Dusty Springfield, and Sammy Davis Jr.[1][4]

In March 1967 Bromberg was hired to play the harp on the Abbey Road studio recording of She's Leaving Home, one of the songs on the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Her music on this haunting and poignant song is said to “define the piece.”[4][5]

She was a member of the BBC’s Top of the Pops orchestra in the 1960s and 1970s, considered to be England’s most popular music television program during that time period. She also played the signature introduction on the recording of ‘’Boogie Nights’’, a hit single in 1976 by the disco band Heatwave.[1]

Bromberg was an orchestra regular on the highly rated British television show Morecambe and Wise, and she also appeared in many commercials as well as in a Monty Python’s Flying Circus sketch where she played the harp in a wheelbarrow.[1]

Personal life[]

Bromberg married Sydney Laurence in 1949, but was later divorced. She had two children, Naomi Venables and David Laurence, and five grandchildren.[3] Her cousin is the American musician and songwriter David Bromberg.[1]

Death[]

Bromberg died on August 17, 2021, in Aylesbury, England.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Davison, Phil (September 10, 2021). "Sheila Bromberg, harpist on Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,' dies at 92". Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Kampeas, Ron (September 20, 2021). "Sheila Bromberg, Jewish harpist who was first woman to play on a Beatles album, dies at 92". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Sheila Bromberg; Consummate harpist who unexpectedly found herself becoming a member of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". The Times. London, U.K. September 7, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Howe, Alan (September 18, 2021). "Sgt Pepper's harpist who plucked at the heartstrings". Weekend Australian.
  5. ^ Gormely, Ian (September 23, 2015). "Famous pop songs that are all harped up". Toronto Star.
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