Welch was more successful in Europe than in the US. After starting her career in New York, Welch performed in popular clubs in Paris and London, and later, in British films. Before her journey in Europe she had made her Broadway debut in the 1923 musical Runnin' Wild. Back in the United Kingdom she enjoyed a long and varied career including work in theatre, on the radio and in films. She died in 2003 at the age of 99.At the same time, it is a second homage to Ivor Novello (see my Dorothy Dickson posting). This British composer and actor unfortunately is largely unknown outside his homeland. He first became known as a result of the song, Keep the Home Fires Burning, which he composed during World War I. His 1917 show, Theodore & Co was a wartime hit. After the war, he began a film career, and also appeared on stage in the West End, in musical shows of his own devising; the best known of these was The Dancing Years (1939). Novello starred in two early films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. He later went to Hollywood and appeared in numerous successful films. Novello wrote his superb musical shows in the style of operetta, and was one of the last major composers in this form. He generally composed his music to the librettos of Christopher Hassall.In the present recording, featuring an excerpt of his stage work "Glamorous Night", truly a masterpiece, Welch proved she was even more than a brilliant jazz singer, as her moving rendition in this classical piece is no less than unforgettable. It was made in 1935. Miss Welch was accompanied by Charles Prentice and the Drury Lane Theatre Orchestra.
