Stranger no more

Miss X released two numbers ~ S-E-X and Christine ~ both banned by the BBC in 1963. Who was she?
The better known record dealers in Kolkata’s Wellington area always suggest Miss X. Well, the 45 rpm doesn’t come in a sleeve and contains no information about the singer or the pianist. The two tracks on the vinyl are S-E-X and Christine, both numbers reminding one of records like Music for Making Love, etc. All you would gather from the label are the record company’s name and year of release ~ Ember (S175) and 1963.
This is the same decade when Pepe Jaramillo was going strong and his LPs flooded the market. The pianist heard on Christine sounds quite alike Jaramillo. Years of searching has finally provided a result.
Miss X was the nom de guerre of actress Joyce Blair, sister of Lionel Blair. Christine was banned by the BBC because authorities thought it referred to the John Profumo/ Stephen Ward case. This 45 rpm is available on the Internet for not less than 10 pounds and in makeshift shops (in Kolkata) for Rs 100 (don’t go by the price. Champs’ LPs sell for Rs 25). Christine made it to the charts in 1963.
But who was Joyce Blair (Ogus after marriage)? She was an actress singer and dancer, born in 1932 and died in August 2006. At a young age she lost her father and to support the family the brother-sister duo appeared in stage plays.
Blair had a small role to play in the London productions of South Pacific and Guys and Dolls. Among her better known works are Little Mary Sunshine and Dames at Sea. Besides films ~ Yield to the Night and The Wild Affair ~ she worked on numerous TV shows. In 1977 the two parted ways and it was years before there was any reconciliation.
If you get a CD featuring Miss X’s tracks, buy it. These are two superb numbers and would be a hit if a remix version appears in the market.
-- Mathures Paul