Mary O'Rourke
Born26 July 1913
Died24 December 1964
Other namesMaster Joe Petersen, Mary Lethbridge

Mary O'Rourke (26 July 1913 - 24 December 1964)[1] was a Boy Soprano singer, operating under the stage name Master Joe Petersen.[2] She was billed as 'The Phenomenal Boy Singer' and produced over 59 records for Rex Records.[3]

Early life

As the twelfth child of Hannah Irvine and James O'Rourke in Gallowgate,[1][4] O'Rourke and her elder brother Joe were frequent winners of talent shows, with O'Rourke creating a name for herself in Scottish music halls.[3]

Master Joe Petersen

In 1930, aged 17, O'Rourke moved to Islington to live with her aunt and uncle, Minnie Irvine and Edward 'Ted' Stebbings.[1][4] Stebbings was an entertainer and was training his son to become a choirboy.[1] When his son's voice broke, Stebbings convinced an initially reluctant O'Rourke to masquerade as a boy soprano.[4] Under the stage name Master Joe Petersen, she took radio and recording contracts, being presented as 'The Phenomenal Boy Singer' [5] From 1934 to 1942, she produced 59 records for Rex Records.[4] She also recorded under the names Wilfred Eaton and Michael Dawnay.[5] She became an international star, although she was barred from performing on the BBC due to notions of impropriety.[4]

Later life

O'Rourke married violinist George Lethbridge in 1933, and their daughter Margaret was born in 1934, though it was not a happy marriage.[4][3] O'Rourke developed a drinking problem, which was worsened by the deaths of her father and brother Joe in 1944 and 1945 respectively.[4] Her marriage collapsed in 1952 and she returned to Glasgow. She still performed as Master Joe throughout the 1940s and 50s, together with artists such as Chic Murray.[4] She died of bronchitis on Christmas Eve 1964, age 51.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The new biographical dictionary of Scottish women. Elizabeth Ewan. Edinburgh. 2018. ISBN 978-1-4744-3629-8. OCLC 1057237368.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. ↑ "Joe Petersen". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Entertainment – Mary O'Rourke – Heroes Centre". www.heroescentre.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Helensburgh Heritage Trust". www.helensburgh-heritage.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  5. 1 2 "Joe Petersen | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
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