Elsie Carlisle

Who was Elsie Carlisle?

Elsie Carlisle was a popular English female singer both before and during the British dance band era of the 1920s and 1930s, showcased in her nickname of Britain's "Radio Sweetheart Number One."

Originally from Manchester, Carlisle recorded hundreds of solo records, and also recorded with many of the big dance bands of the time, including the famous Ambrose Orchestra. She sang solo with Ambrose's Orchestra and also performed duets with Sam Browne, being hailed as one of its best singers Her performance of "Home, James, and Don't Spare the Horses" with the orchestra may have helped popularise the term. Her other most well-known song may be "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."; she also performed with the Jack Hylton Orchestra. She made a number of appearances in film shorts and on television in the 1930s; two Pathé films are available on YouTube, a 1931 short with her singing "Alone and Afraid" and "My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes" and an entire reel of "Radio Parade". Carlisle recorded very little after the beginning of the Second World War, and retired from the entertainment industry in about 1950.