Jazz Remembered
Marion (Marian) Williams
(Marie Power)
Marion Williams
Photo courtesy of Eddie Sammons
Marion / Marian /Marilyn / Marie's friends Cathy Pound and Ben Wallis, and her son, Paul, contacted us to say that Marion sadly passed away on the 13th February 2014 at the Royal Free cardiac care unit in Hampstead, London. Her funeral took place on the 13th March at Golders Green Crematorium, London, and afterwards at The Cobden, Camden High Street.
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Some years earlier, David Van De Gevel wrote to us from Greece asking if anyone could help with information about Marion who once sang with John Dankworth. Her name is sometimes confused with the American Gospel singer, a different 'Marion Williams'. David said: "Marion Williams, was a singer in the '50s with Johnny Dankworth before being supplanted by Cleo Laine. She went on to sing with the Oscar Rabin Band. The only occasion I heard her sing was back in the mid-'70s at a small pub, The Anchor, run by ex-flautist, Rod Marshall, in the Yorkshire town of Brighouse. We had a regular Thursday-night jazz session in an upstairs room with the resident pianist being the consummate Eddie Thomson. One evening he introduced Marion as making a comeback. She was a beautiful, statuesque lady with a voice to match and blew the audience away. Beyond that, I can find no trace of her on the net, no recordings, no resume, except this early photo of her. What happened to her? What was her background? Any information would be greatly appreciated."
Marion Williams was born in London in 1930 to an Irish mother and Nigerian father. She already had a high profile as a singer by the time she was eighteen, and in her twenties she was singing with Johnny Dankworth’s band.
Paul, her son, says: "As far as I know, she had worked with the Geraldo and Denny Boyce dance bands and was a regular singer at The Lyceum Ballroom in London. She also worked with Stephane Grappelli and Johnny Dankworth prior to Cleo Laine and was also resident singer at Ronnie Scott's with the house band. Musicians included bass players Ron Mathewson, Peter Ind and Dave Green, drummers Martin Drew and Brian Spring. The band also included Kenny Wheeler, trumpet, Louis Stewart, guitar, pianist Pat Smythe and possibly John Critchenson and John Taylor. If memory serves, Ronnie, Pete King and Don Weller sat in."
As far as we can see, Marion recorded Sam's Song with Johnny Dankworth on an Esquire (E) 5-005 record made in July 1950 with Jimmy Deuchar (trumpet); Eddie Harvey (trombone); Johnny Dankworth (alto saxophone); Don Rendell (tenor saxophone); Bill LeSage (piano); Eric Dawson (bass) and Tony Kinsey (drums), but unfortunately we have not been able to find a copy of this online.
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Paul continues: "During her period at Ronnie's I also saw her sit in with Dexter Gordon, the Stan Getz band and Cedar Walton. Marie also did live radio sessions with the BBC Radio Orchestra usually broadcast on Radio 2, and did one TV broadcast for a jazz programme on BBC 2, I think with trombonist George Chisholm and tenor saxophonist Kathy Stobart, with whom she had known and worked with for many years. She was a firm favourite at Ronnie's and made friends with many of the visiting American players including Al Jarrau and Dizzy Gillespie! Both vocalist Norma Winstone and writer Fran Landsman were good friends."
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Cathy Pound adds: "I believe along with other bands she reverted to her maiden or married name later in life when we knew her in Camden. She left the scene I think younger than she needed to and worked with Virgin finance department until her retirement."
Eddie Sammons in Spain wrote:
'Marion was indeed a very beautiful woman with a great voice. She sang with a variety of bands including Vic Lewis and Oscar Rabin. I know of her when she was with the Eric Delaney Band and also with his small group which he started in 1959. I spoke to her some years ago when I was compiling the book The Magnificent Eric Delaney (there is a mis-spelling in the title on Amazon). I remember Sheila Southern telling me that she had to take over from Marion in the Delaney Band and said “She (Marion) was wonderful!” and a very tough act to follow! Marion was briefly married to Derrick Francis (male singer with Delaney in the mid-1950s). They had a son, Paul, who is, I believe, a musician."
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According to an introduction to one of his recordings, Derrick Francis was of Anglo-Indian heritage. He was born in December 1930 and arrived in London from Calcutta in 1950. He sang with Ambrose and other bands as well as with Eric Delaney. He passed away in February 2012. Here is one of his recordings made for the Polygon label and introduced by Desmond Carrington on his BBC radio pragramme. The video that goes with the song includes a collage of pictures. [Note : Felix Kalnins comments below - Ed]
Eddie Sammons continues: "Marion made at least one record with Vic Lewis and may have recorded with Dankworth. She never recorded with the Delaney Band which is a great shame and I think that may have been for contractual reasons or simply that Eric did not let any of his singers perform on his recording with the only exception being Gene Williams. Luckily, when sorting through Eric’s bits and pieces, I found a number of tapes of his band and Marion is featured on some of the broadcasts. All have been transferred to CDs for my private pleasure."
"When a local radio station here in Spain – TRE – did an hour's tribute to the late Sir George Shearing, I was able to send a copy of Marion singing Lullaby of Birdland for inclusion. Apart from the obvious, it was relevant as the Delaney Band accompanied Marion. Eric and George were lifelong friends since they played together in the Ambrose Octet (1940/41)."
"Marion recorded Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell for Columbia. She appears on a 1961 set with a group featuring Brian Auger (he of Trinity fame with Julie Driscoll). Marion sings East Of The Sun and the Sarah Vaughan influence shows (they were apparently good friends). Brian, who now lives in America, included the session on a double CD he issued. He generously sent me a copy. He describes Marion as being of the cool school of jazz noting that she was a frequent broadcaster and regularly appeared at Ronnie Scott’s."
"Marion made at least one single for Decca (The Lonely One/I’ve Fallen Out Of Love) issued in 1962. Marion also cut a number of tracks for Woolworth’s Embassy label which did budget-priced cover versions of mainly, but not exclusively, pop music. The tracks I have traced and have are: Little Miss Lonely, Vacation, The Locomotion, Let’s Talk About Love and Opposites. I have heard that she made some discs for the Warner label but I have not been able to trace them.'
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'So my last disc date I have for her is a DeWolf LP Marion Williams Sings, Johnny Hawksworth Plays. It features seven compositions by the former Ted Heath bass player which he plays with a small group; Marion sings the vocal versions of the same tunes.'
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[The album is no longer available except as used copies : details are here. However, some tracks are available on YouTube - Here is I Still Want To Know You - Ed]
Eddie has shared more pictures from his Eric Delaney book:
"Marion had been singing with Vic Lewis's band until on June 1st 1952, she joined Oscar Rabin's band when Marjery Daw went on a working holiday to her native South Africa. In December 1954, Marion started singing with Eric Delaney's band. The Melody Maker reported that she would continue broadcasting with the Rabin band until the end of the year. The booking with Delaney was as a result of the prolonged illness of Eric's singer, Dawn Page, who had been suffering with glandular problems since two weeks after the debut of the Delaney band that September. Melody Maker said that Marion "who is 24, first sang with Leslie 'Jiver' Hutchinson's band seven years ago. She has worked for Stephane Grappell(y), Paul Fenoulhet, Johnny Dankworth, Vic Lewis, Don Smith and Oscar Rabin."
For the picture below, Eddie Sammons says: "I place this as 1955 as both Albert Hall and Bert Courtley are in the trumpet section of the band. Jimmy Skidmore is unmistakable on tenor sax and Derrick Francis is singing."
"By August 1959, times had changed for Eric Delaney's band and this time the Melody Maker reported that 'Drummer-leader Etic Delaney is through with pops. "They ruined my other band," said Eric when he made an introductory appearance with his new seven-piece at Brighton's Regent Ballroom. "We shall specialise in jazz, plenty of ad lib stuff. There's so much freedom in it."
"Eric opened with his re-formed group at Ramstein USAF Base last week for two months. While in Germany the group will appear on radio and television. The line-up is Colin Bradfield (alto sax),Tony Fisher (trumpet), Kenny Salmon (organ), Tony White (guitar), Peter Houchin (bass) and Gene Williams (vocals). Singer Sheila Southern has gone to Germany with Eric as featured soloist, but when the band returns, Marion Williams will rejoin, after spells with Oscar Rabin and Don Smith."
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Eddie adds: 'I’ve heard from Gene Williams, singer with the Eric Delaney late '50s /early '60s when he succeeded Cab Kaye, and thus a contemporary of Marion’s. He writes: "She was a very private and introverted person but the best singer I knew in Britain at the time. We always sang those Duos of Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstein together.” Gene, now in his eighties, has retired after a long singing career."
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Here is Marion singing Lover with David Ede and the Oscar Rabin Band on the BBC's Go Man Go radio show in 1962:
Eddie Sammons also found information on Kathy Stobart's website that tells us that Marion sang with Kathy's band between 1978-1992 '... the Kathy Stobart Quintet originally featuring Harry Beckett (trumpet); Fiachra Trench (keyboards); Dave Olney (bass); Tony Mann (drums), later on including Lenny Best (vibraphone); Johnny Burch (piano); and Harvey Weston (bass). Guest vocalists included Elizabeth Welch and Marion Williams. Appeared at the Nice Jazz Festival for the first time.'
Harry Haecker in New Zealand "I have a copy of Esquire 10-124. One side of this 78 features Marion Williams scatting with Vic Lewis on Lemon Drop. Her scatting on this recording is joyous!. The recording is from February 1951 and has Solitaire on the A-side." [The recording of Lemon Drop that Harry mentions is here. The band is not listed on the recording but I have that it was recorded in London on 27th February 1951 with Ronnie Simmonds, Stan Reynolds, Dave Usden, Terry Lewis (trumpet); Johnny Keating, Ken Goldie (trombone); Ronnie Chamberlain, Peter Howe (alto, soprano sax, clarinet); Ronnie Scott, Pater Warner (tenor sax); Jimmy Simmonds (baritone sax); Arthur Greenslade (piano); Alan MacDonald (bass); Peter Coleman (drums) Marion Williams (vocals); Vic Lewis (director, vocals).. The solos are impressive but I do not have details of the soloists - Ed]
Stuart Ralls has written to say: "I was interested in your article about Marion Williams. I am a big collector of the Woolworth Embassy label. I have the singles you mentioned and also others when her name was changed to Marian Williams and then to Marilyn Lee presumably to avoid confusion with the American Marion Williams."
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Stuart has sent a list of the all the records he has by Marion / Marian / Marilyn, including the one shown below. He says: "In terms of recording for Embassy, Marion had a short career as she competed with Joan Baxter (ex Squadronaires) for recording time but she was still with the label in 1964. The vast majority of Embassy singers all had solid dance band backgrounds, such as Ray Pilgrim, Sam Browne, Kenny Bardell, Rita Williams, Benny Lee, Patti Forbes, Bob Dale and Penny Nicholls to name just a few. I would assume Marion's name change to Marilyn Lee was inspired by her covering Brenda Lee's "All Alone Am I".
['Marilyn Lee's' recording of All Alone I is on YouTube on a 'Teeny' label (here) but there is not much in the way of explanatory notes with it - Ed]
Marion's grandson, Felix Kalnins, contacted us to say: "I was reading your article on Marion Williams and saw you wanted people to get in touch if they had information on her. I am one of Marion's grandsons and have wondered if anyone has come forwards with any information as I'd never met her. It seems like you know more about her than me. Do you know if she has any surviving family or know much about Derrick Francis? I only met her son (my father) a few times after the age of 18 and from the little information I got, her father or grandfather was a professional boxer but I'm not sure how accurate that is. We also spoke about who his father was (my grandfather) but he said he was told by Marion that he had died and never knew him either. It wasn't until last night I learned his name was Derrick Francis and I had no idea Marion was even a jazz singer in the '50s this is all new to me."
Geoffrey Chivers wrote: "A very interesting profile. During the early 1970s Marion often appeared at the Cubana Club, in Ilford, Essex, with the resident trio who played every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. The pianist was Rex Cull. Marion was a kind but nervous person even though her vocal talent was excellent. I have a personal recording of a radio broadcast with Marion accompanied by the Eddie Thompson trio. In addition, on the same broadcast, were two songs with the Radio Orchestra. The recording was approximately 1973/1975."
Please contact us if you would like to add any memories of Marion to this page. 'Our' Marion Williams should not be confused with the American Gospel singer of the same name. If anyone has any better pictures of Marion, or recordings that they are able to send us as mp3 files that we might be able to share, we'd love to hear from you.
© Sandy Brown Jazz Updated 2026.3