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‘She Sold a Million Records’

by naresh fernandes

temp2A few weeks ago, Christine Holmes left a note on my site that added more details to this article:

“Beryl Templeman was my mother-in-law. She died at age 62. Usually at private parties she sang for Aly Khan, Maharajah of of Cooch Behar and Nizam Hyderbad while in the East. The actor Jack Hawkins urged her to join ENSA. By then, she had already made over 100 records for HMV and had her own radio show with All India Radio.

“She was awarded the Burma Star by the Duke of Edinburgh. She also worked for the American Forces Radio Network in Germany.

“Returning from India she performed at the London Palladium with Ted Heath, toured with Roy Fox and appeared regularly with Jack Jackson at the famous Churchill’s Club in London and at that time was sharing a flat with her friend, Pearl Carr.
“In addition she worked with Joe Loss (Radio Luxembourg), Eric Winstone, Henry Hall, Harry Gold, and Eric Jupp and recorded with Frank Chacksfield. She also broadcast in BBC’s Mid-Day Music Hall, Worker’s Playtime and the Wilfred Pickles Show. During her career she billed with Vera Lynn, Anne Shelton, Sophie Tucker, and Elsie and Doris Waters.

“Following the birth of her second child she primarily chose to work in cabaret for several years. She sold more than a million records.”

A few weeks later, M Holmes wrote in with this information: “She married my Uncle Leslie Holmes in 1947 and had two sons Kim and Leslie. She died in 1987 in Solihull,Warwickshire, England.”

[These recordings of Templeman with the Ken Mac band come from the Marco Pacci collection.]

 One look at you by KEN MAC by tajmahalfoxtrot1

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3 comments

Roy Holliday December 23, 2013 - 12:11 pm

Your piece on Beryl Templeman brought back many memories. I met her at Leslie Holmes flat in South London, where I had gone to sigh a contract with his agency to play drums in a band he was forming to play in Germany. That was in March 1948 just after I had returned from service with the R.A.F. in India and Egypt. Guitarist Ike isaacs was in the flat at the time and we a long reminiscence about my time on the sub-continent.

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Doug Snedden September 22, 2014 - 9:52 pm

Ii met beryl many times in bombay and ken Mac. Also I sang with the band and dueted with beryl with white Christmas tangerine and i’ll remember you and some others of the time. I was in the raf at the time, and became friends with both ken and beryl (. I have photographs of them both with me). Please excuse the typing mistakes as I am struggling to come to terms with my new iPod!

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Andrea Carman October 8, 2019 - 8:03 pm

My Mother Marie Bance sang with the Rudy Cotton Orchestra. That’s her in the maroon gown in the picture at the top of this sites page. Marie met my dad, Captain Benjamin F Carman when she sang at the Piccadilly Ballroom in Bangalore India, when he was stationed there during WWII.
At the end of the war, my mother sailed on a working cargo ship to America to marry my dad. Such an interesting story…So glad I found this site.

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