Wilma Reading facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wilma Reading
Wilma Reading (1972)
Background information
Occupation(s)	musician

Wilma Reading is a talented singer from Cairns, Queensland, Australia. She has performed all over the world.

Wilma started her singing journey in 1959. She sang for friends at a jazz club in Brisbane, and her career took off from there.

She has appeared on famous TV shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She also performed regularly at the New York City Copacabana nightclub. Wilma even toured with the legendary musician Duke Ellington. She was also a frequent guest on The Morecambe & Wise Show in the UK. Wilma played the role of Julie in a West End play called Show Boat. She has sung with national orchestras in many countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Germany. She also toured with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. Wilma appeared in the film Pacific Inferno with Jim Brown.

Wilma Reading has a diverse family background. Her ancestors come from Australian Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, English, Irish, Jamaican, Afghan, and Scottish cultures. She is also the niece of two other singers, Heather Pitt and Georgia Lee.

In August 2019, Wilma was honored by being added to the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame. On November 2, 2019, she opened the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival.

Wilma's Early Life

Wilma was born in Cairns, Queensland. Her father was English-Irish, and her mother had Kalkatungu and Erub Islander heritage. Music was a big part of her family. They often sang together, enjoying artists like The Mills Brothers and Nat King Cole.

In 1957, Wilma began performing with her sisters, Phronsie and Dulcie. They called themselves The Reading Sisters. They sang at family events and parties. Later, they entered a radio talent show called Australia's Amateur Hour. In 1957, they won the state championship. They then traveled to Sydney for the finals, where they placed second.

Wilma's Amazing Career

After her early success with The Reading Sisters, Wilma decided to take a break from music. She wanted to focus more on playing softball. In 1959, her softball team went to Brisbane for a state competition. One evening, Wilma sang for a teammate's birthday.

She remembers, "So I went up to the piano and did three songs. After ten minutes or so, a gentleman came to our table. He said he liked my singing and asked if I would like a job with his band?"

Wilma told him he needed to ask her parents for permission. Two weeks later, a letter arrived from bandleader Lali Hegi. He asked Wilma's parents if the 17-year-old could move to Brisbane. He wanted her to be the lead singer for his seventeen-piece band at the Ritz Ballroom. Her dad agreed, but with a condition. She could try for six months. If she couldn't make a living from music by then, she had to come home.

It was with this band that Wilma learned to sing jazz. They performed songs by famous jazz legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Frank Sinatra. Wilma sang a few nights a week. She also performed show tunes at jazz clubs. She sang with a trio at the Primitif Coffee Lounge too.

Moving to Sydney and Asia

In 1960, Wilma moved to Sydney to find new opportunities. She recorded two songs, 'In My Little Corner of the World' and 'If I Were a Bell', with Festival Records. This led to her becoming a regular on Brian Henderson's TV variety show, Bandstand. On this show, she worked with many top Australian performers. These included Col Joye, Dig Richards, and Judy Stone.

During this time, Wilma was offered a job overseas. It was a month-long singing job at the fancy Goodwood Hotel in Singapore. From a young age, Wilma wanted to follow her Aunt, the famous jazz singer Georgia Lee. She dreamed of becoming a world-renowned performer.

Wilma took a big chance. She left Bandstand and Sydney. She moved to Singapore. Her job there was extended twice. This led to a series of performances across Asia. She visited cities like Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Calcutta (now Kolkata). While in Manila, Wilma met her husband, Ray Lehr. He also became her manager.

Performing in America

One evening, Wilma was singing at the Tokyo Hilton Hotel. An American talent agent saw her. He loved her show and offered her and her dancers a chance to tour America. They moved in 1964. Her first job was at The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.

Wilma said, "Las Vegas was hectic for me. It was nothing like what I had engaged with before. The whole way of life was turned around. We lived by night and slept by day. We had to do that because of the timetable. But it was great because we could meet other people – other artists.”

During this time, the famous pianist Liberace often came to see her show. She met other stars like Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, and her idol Ella Fitzgerald. After her successful time at The Riviera Hotel, Wilma was asked to audition for the great American jazz musician and bandleader, Duke Ellington. He wrote popular songs like ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing’.

Wilma shared her audition story: "He sent me to Billy Strayhorn. So I’m at his place, he sits at the piano. I could have chosen one of the easier songs, ‘Satin Doll’. But I didn’t think of that. I auditioned with ‘Lush Life’. Three minutes passed and then he turned to me and said: 'Thank you for singing the song the way I wrote it'."

She was hired right away. She joined Duke Ellington and his orchestra on tour. They performed in Philadelphia and New York. Wilma is the only Australian to have performed on stage with Ellington. After only a few months of touring, she decided to leave. She wanted to grow her own career and felt she couldn't while staying in Ellington's shadow.

Success in the United Kingdom

In 1973, Wilma left America and moved to the United Kingdom. She recorded an album called 'Wilma Reading' at EMI’s studios at Abbey Road. She also worked with composer John Barry. They recorded the theme song for the film The Tamarind Seed.

During this time, she was a regular guest on over 30 British variety shows. These included The Harry Secombe Show and The Morecambe & Wise Show. Wilma's popular TV appearances made her a star. This allowed her to headline her own shows across the United Kingdom.

At this time, Wilma successfully auditioned for a big role. She replaced Cleo Laine as Julie La Verne in Show Boat. This play was at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End.

She said about the role, "I just decided not to be scared. After all, what did I have to lose? I went into the [musical] numbers my own way. I made no attempt to copy Cleo’s very personal style. Nobody could get away with that. I took it on the full throat without the mike. I gave it my full range.”

Touring the World Again

In 1977, Wilma returned to New York. She had another season performing at the Copacabana nightclub. During this time, she took on another acting job. She starred with Jim Brown in the film Pacific Inferno.

In 1979, Russian diplomats saw her perform at a London nightclub. They were so impressed that they invited her to tour with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. At that time, Russia was behind the Iron Curtain. This meant it was a closed country. Popular music was not common until recordings of The Beatles became known. Russia then fell in love with popular music. They wanted to hear more jazz, blues, and pop music from the west.

So, in late 1978, famous artists like B.B. King and Elton John were invited to perform in Russia. Wilma Reading followed them. In 1979, she was the third western artist invited to perform behind the Iron Curtain. She performed 33 shows across the Soviet Union. She sang in Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and Kiev.

In 1990, Wilma performed at a special event. It was the reunification of East and West Germany in Berlin.

Despite her successful career on the world stage, Wilma remained less known in Australia. She explained, "The only problem is I was gone for so long. I built up my career overseas. I would just come home to see my mum and dad and brothers and sisters. For me to get established in Australia, I'd be leaving too much behind. It takes a while to get yourself established."

In 2003, she returned home to Cairns after her husband passed away. She began teaching singing at the local TAFE college. She shared her vocal skills with new generations of singers. In the 2010s, Wilma returned to the stage. She made several appearances at jazz festivals across Australia. In August 2019, Wilma was inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame.

In 2008, Wilma recorded an album called Now You See Me. It was about her life, and she wrote the lyrics and music herself.

Wilma's Family Connections

Wilma Reading is the niece of the singer Georgia Lee.

Wilma's Recorded Songs

Here are some of the songs Wilma Reading released as singles:

• 1960: "In My Little Corner Of The World" / "If I Were A Bell" (Rex)
• 1960: "Nature Boy/Fool Fool Fool" (Rex)
• 1961: "I Only Came To Say Goodbye" / "That's How I Go For You" (Rex)