Joan Regan is a popular singer and actress, born 19 January 1928 in Romford, Essex, England of Anglo-Irish descent.

Before becoming a singer she worked at a number of jobs, including retouching photographs. According to Pete Townshend, she sang with the popular military dance band The Squadronaires.

The beginning of her post-war singing career in 1953 resulted from her making a demo record of "Too Young" and "I’ll Walk Alone." The record came to the attention of Bernard Delfont, leading to her signing a contract with UK Decca Records. She had a number of Top 20 hits for that label, many of them cover versions of American hits by singers such as Teresa Brewer (Ricochet, Till I Waltz Again with You and Jilted), Doris Day (If I Give My Heart to You) and Jill Corey (Cleo and Me-O and Love Me to Pieces). She appeared in the film Six-Five Special and was given her own BBC television series, Be My Guest.

On leaving Decca in 1958 she signed with EMI's HMV label, where she had a Top Ten hit with a cover version of the McGuire Sisters' May You Always. Two years later, she left EMI for Pye Records and two minor record successes (Happy Anniversary and Papa Loves Mama), but the advent of the British "beat boom" effectively killed any chance she had of consolidating her position in the Top 20.

She went to America where she recorded two singles for Columbia (one of which went on to become a Northern Soul classic).

It was whilst she was living in America that she suffered a serious brain injury, leading to severe memory loss. It took many months of treatment before she regained the ability to sing.

She returned to Britain in the 1990s and, with the help and encouragement of her good friend, Russ Conway (who, incidentally, had been her rehearsal pianist in the early 1950s) she resumed her stage appearances. She signed to Nectar Records in 1992, for whom she made a single (You Needed Me) and an album (Remember I Love You).

Joan lives in Kent and continues to make stage appearances.

Biggest hits

• "May You Always" (1959) (cover of The McGuire Sisters)
• "Happy Anniversary" (1960) (cover of Jane Morgan)
• "If I Give My Heart to You" (1954) (cover of Doris Day)
• "Open Up Your Heart" (1955) (cover of the Cowboy Church Sunday School)
• "Papa Loves Mama" (1960)
• "Prize of Gold" (1955) (used in main credits of the film)
• "Ricochet" (with the Squadronaires) 1953) (cover of Teresa Brewer)
• "Someone Else's Roses" (1954) (cover of Doris Day)
• "Wait For Me Darling" (with the Johnston Brothers) 1954)

References

1. http://www.petetownshendwhohe.blogspot.com

External links

• biography
• Another biography
• Joan Regan on the IMDb site