Rose Brennan


Rose Brennan is an Irish singer. She is best known for a long spell with the Joe Loss orchestra in the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life

Rose Brennan was born in Cabra West, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. At age sixteen she started singing with the Neil Kearns Orchestra at Dublin's Olympic Ballroom, Johnny Devlin's De Luxe Orchestra at the Crystal Ballroom, and the Pavilion in Salthill, County Galway. Roy Fox booked her in 1949 for his stage show at the Theatre Royal in Dublin. When Fox moved on, Rose joined the Billy Watson Band at Clery's Ballroom. She was also a regular voice on Radio Éireann's Happy Days and Beginners Please series.

In the UK

In April 1951, Elizabeth Batey, a vocalist with Joe Loss, fell and broke her jaw. Joe was badly in need of a replacement and remembered hearing Rose Brennan on radio during a visit to Ireland. Within days he had located her and, before a week was out, she was in Manchester rehearsing with the band. She stayed with Loss for fifteen years, before giving up show-business in the mid 1960s. In 1954, she was awarded third place by the New Musical Express for the best recording of the year; this was her cover of Leo Maguire's "The Whistling Gypsy". Her co-vocalists with the orchestra from 1955 were Ross MacManus and Larry Gretton.
It was not until 1961, now on the Philips label, that she reached the UK Singles Chart when "Tall Dark Stranger" made it to No. 31. One of her next recordings included a number she wrote herself, "My Wedding Day". Her own wedding day was 7 May 1956 when she married George Hirst, son of a Yorkshire businessman, at Wakefield Registry Office.
She sang until 1966 with the Joe Loss Orchestra for weekly programs on the BBC and nightly at the Hammersmith Palais. She gave up show business and retired to run a public house, the Norland Arms in West London, with her husband John Lamb, an ex-policeman.
She wrote many of the songs she recorded under the name Marella, and co-wrote songs with John Harris.

Select discography

Singles