Lita Roza

Liverpool's first no.1 chart topper 1953, 'How Much Is That Doggie In The Window' sung by the first British girl singer to reach no.1 Lita Roza.
Liverpool girl Lita went on to sing with Ted Heath's band.

The first Liverpudlian to have a number one. Lita Roza who topped the charts with 'How Much is that Doggie in the Window?' in 1953 talks to BBC Liverpool about her career and the growing up in Liverpool. more

British singer LITA ROZA has died, aged 82.

Roza became the first female star to score a number one hit in the U.K. with her single (How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window? - which topped the charts in March 1953.

But she refused to sing the novelty song ever again - saying in a 2004 interview: "I sang it once - just one take - and vowed I would never sing it again. It just wasn't my style."

She was also known for her ballad performances with jazz group The Ted Heath Band in the 1950s.

She gave her last public performance on 28 November 2002, when she sang for a station in her native Liverpool, England; Radio Merseyside.

Roza passed away on Thursday (14Aug08). Further details about her death have yet to be disclosed.

http://www.showbizspy.com/news/08152...nger-roza-dies

How very sad:tear:

I remember Lita very well and especially her No. 1 Hit.....who doesn't remember that catchy little song? Even now people still sing it. I visited the Liverpool World Museum on Wednesday and was fascinated by the exhibition centered around Liverpool's music. Lita was featured of course.
Condolences to her family.

How many males over the age of 60 remember Lita Rosa? Dark eyed ,black haired and sensuous, she was a beautiful singer who embodied class,that Doggy in the Window was but a small part in her repertoire and for me she will always be remembered as singer who promised much . She will be missed.
BrianD

sad news. my late dad and grandad knew her from when they did gang shows at the labour clubs in the 50's

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window singer Lita Roza leaves ?190,000 to animals
Mar 9 2009
Liverpool Echo

LIVERPOOL-BORN singer Lita Roza ? who topped the charts with How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? ? left ?190,000 in her will to animals.

Ms Roza, who became the first woman to top the UK charts, died aged 82 last August, leaving a total of ?992,836 in her will.

A proportion was left to charities connected to dogs and other animals, despite the fact she loathed her best-known hit.

Ms Roza was a vocalist with The Ted Heath jazz band group, in the 1950s.

Famed for her glamour, the twice-divorced singer once described her 1953 hit as ?rubbish? and never sang it after the recording.

When later told it was Margaret Thatcher?s favourite song, she said: ?Well I suppose she had to like something.?

In 2004 she told an interviewer she never wanted to record it, adding: ?I sang it once, just one take, and vowed I would never sing it again. When it reached number one, there was enormous pressure to perform it but I always refused. It just wasn't my style.?

Probate records show Ms Rosa left around ?300,000 to 11 charities including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, the Blue Cross, and the Cinnamon Trust.

Source: Liverpool Echo

Hi All,
I could be wrong but I'm sure Lita Roza sang with Ted Heath's at the Winter Gardens Blackpool.She was great and brought back lots off memories.What a great Lady.Best Regards Ken:PDT11:handclap:

I remember the song woof, woof :nod:

It's a small world,I learned from Fred Billingsley (the Landlord of the Liverpool Bar) that Lita Rosa is from their family. Her exotic looks are derived from her Spanish /Filipino ancestry. A true scouser!! Look at the picture of Freds mum and you can see the likeness,
BrianD

Lita had a brother called Vinny, he was Second Cook and Tabnabs on a ship I was on in the fifties.
In the book, `The Autobiography of a Liverpool Irish Slummy` her Dad is mentioned a few times by the author, Pat O` Mara, they were living around Warwick Street at the time. He is refered to in the book as, quote,....
"Frankie Roza, a half caste Protestant Manilla boy who played the concertina and was a favourite of the gang." page 57.
The original book was published in 1933, I was very forunate in being able to read the original. out of print for many many years. It has been reproduced and edited, so it is not as good as the original. But having said that, it is still a fascinating book and history of Liverpool`s South End and the Scotland Road areas. of the real characters and the appauling conditions that these people had to endure in the second richest city in Britain. It is now titled " The Autobiography of a Liverpool Slummy". the ISBN number is 1 872568 15 7.
BUY IT AND KNOW THE HISTORY OF YOUR CITY.

iff you think she was a looker Brian you should have seen her sister Maureen she was in Peggy Downes dance classes and i used to drool over her (and i was only about 6 ha! and her dad used to stand in the street and play an accordion,jimbo

Cant argue with that,they went to college in Devonshire road,St.Edmunds,I think.Lita,in a higher class to my sister.Lita and her younger sister both good lookers.