Gracie Cole
Encyclopedia
Grace Elizabeth Agnes Annie "Gracie" Cole (8 September 1924 – 28 December 2006) was an English
trumpet
er and bandleader
. She was lead soloist in Ivy Benson
's all-girls band during the 1940s, going on to form her own all-female band in the 1950s.
, County Durham
. Her father Albert moved to Yorkshire
in search of work as a miner
when Gracie was two years old. Albert played cornet
in colliery bands, and taught Gracie to play the cornet at the age of 12. Gracie played with local brass bands in her teens, including the Firbeck Colliery Band alongside her father. In 1939 aged 15, she made her first broadcast on BBC Radio
for Children's Hour
.
in two concerts with the Besses o' th' Barn brass band, and played with various other bands including the Grimethorpe Colliery Band
. In 1942 she became the first woman to compete for the Alexander Owen memorial scholarship, and won by an unprecedented 21-point margin.
Later in 1942 Cole switched to being a dance band
trumpeter, initially joining Gloria Gaye's All Girls Band, who toured playing theatres and forces
entertainment shows organised by the Entertainments National Service Association
(ENSA). She then joined Rudy Starlita's All-American band, entertaining American G.I.s. In November 1945 she joined Ivy Benson
's band as lead trumpet and soloist, and toured with them for the next five years, headlining at variety theatres in Britain and touring Europe and the Middle East with ENSA. The band also featured on television and radio, including their own radio series Ladies Night, and on Christmas Day 1945 Cole was the featured soloist on a live broadcast from Hamburg
immediately after the King's speech
.
In 1951 she married Bill Geldard, a trombonist
with the George Evans Band, and accepted an invitation to join the previously all-male band. After 18 months she and Geldard left to join the Squadronaires, the most influential big band
of the time, where she was again the only woman. However Cole found the male prejudice she experienced there made life uncomfortable, and she left to form her own all-female band, which she fronted between 1952 and 1956. The band performed jazz
and pop
, and broadcast with guest singers including Cleo Laine
. In 1958 she led an all-male band at Mecca Ballrooms.
From the 1960s Cole concentrated on bringing up her two daughters and played on a freelance basis. She was active in encouraging local brass bands, and was made a freeman of the City of London
in 1990.
towards the end of the 1990s. She died on 28 December 2006 in Westcott, Surrey
aged 82.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
. She was lead soloist in Ivy Benson
Ivy Benson
Ivy Benson was an English musician and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson and her band rose to fame in the 1940s, headlining variety theatres and topping the bill at the London Palladium, and became the BBC's resident house band.-Early years:Benson was born on 11 November 1913 in...
's all-girls band during the 1940s, going on to form her own all-female band in the 1950s.
Early life
Gracie Cole was born on 8 September 1924 in Rowlands GillRowlands Gill
Rowlands Gill is a village situated along the A694, between Winlaton Mill and Blackhall Mill, on the north bank of the River Derwent, Tyne and Wear, England. With the coming of the Derwent Valley Railway in 1867, Rowlands Gill became both a coal mining village, and during the early part of the...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
. Her father Albert moved to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in search of work as a miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
when Gracie was two years old. Albert played cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
in colliery bands, and taught Gracie to play the cornet at the age of 12. Gracie played with local brass bands in her teens, including the Firbeck Colliery Band alongside her father. In 1939 aged 15, she made her first broadcast on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
for Children's Hour
Children's Hour
Children's Hour—at first: "The Children's Hour", from a verse by Longfellow—was the name of the BBC's principal recreational service for children during the period when radio dominated broadcasting....
.
Career
From 1940, Cole appeared as a guest soloistSolo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
in two concerts with the Besses o' th' Barn brass band, and played with various other bands including the Grimethorpe Colliery Band
Grimethorpe Colliery Band
The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band...
. In 1942 she became the first woman to compete for the Alexander Owen memorial scholarship, and won by an unprecedented 21-point margin.
Later in 1942 Cole switched to being a dance band
British dance band
British dance bands developed a unique style of popular jazz and dance music during the 1920s and 1930s that developed in British dance halls and hotel ballrooms thousands of miles away from the true origins of jazz...
trumpeter, initially joining Gloria Gaye's All Girls Band, who toured playing theatres and forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
entertainment shows organised by the Entertainments National Service Association
Entertainments National Service Association
The Entertainments National Service Association or ENSA was an organisation set up in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes...
(ENSA). She then joined Rudy Starlita's All-American band, entertaining American G.I.s. In November 1945 she joined Ivy Benson
Ivy Benson
Ivy Benson was an English musician and bandleader, who led an all-female swing band. Benson and her band rose to fame in the 1940s, headlining variety theatres and topping the bill at the London Palladium, and became the BBC's resident house band.-Early years:Benson was born on 11 November 1913 in...
's band as lead trumpet and soloist, and toured with them for the next five years, headlining at variety theatres in Britain and touring Europe and the Middle East with ENSA. The band also featured on television and radio, including their own radio series Ladies Night, and on Christmas Day 1945 Cole was the featured soloist on a live broadcast from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
immediately after the King's speech
Royal Christmas Message
The Queen's Christmas Message is a broadcast made by the sovereign of the Commonwealth realms to the Commonwealth of Nations each Christmas. The tradition began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by George V on the British Broadcasting Corporation Empire Service...
.
In 1951 she married Bill Geldard, a trombonist
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
with the George Evans Band, and accepted an invitation to join the previously all-male band. After 18 months she and Geldard left to join the Squadronaires, the most influential big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
of the time, where she was again the only woman. However Cole found the male prejudice she experienced there made life uncomfortable, and she left to form her own all-female band, which she fronted between 1952 and 1956. The band performed jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and broadcast with guest singers including Cleo Laine
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
. In 1958 she led an all-male band at Mecca Ballrooms.
From the 1960s Cole concentrated on bringing up her two daughters and played on a freelance basis. She was active in encouraging local brass bands, and was made a freeman of the City of London
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
in 1990.
Later life
Cole developed Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
towards the end of the 1990s. She died on 28 December 2006 in Westcott, Surrey
Westcott, Surrey
Westcott is a village situated on the A25 between Dorking and Guildford in Surrey, England. Neighbouring villages include Friday Street, Wotton, Abinger Common and Abinger Hammer. It was the nearest village for the John Evelyn's Wotton Estate, and was well known by the diarist in the mid to late...
aged 82.