| Code | DS/UK/2082 |
| Name | Ackland; Essie (1896-1975); Australian contralto singer |
| Variations of Name | Essie Adele Ackland |
| Dates | 27 March 1896-14 February 1975 |
| Gender | Female (cisgender) |
| Place of Birth/Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (born) |
| Relationships | Spouse of Reginald Morphew (baritone singer) |
| Biography | Essie Ackland was an Australian contralto who performed ballads, songs and in oratorio and concerts. At one time her recordings were more in demand than those of any other female singer in the world. She recorded Gilbert and Sullivan with Sir Malcolm Sargent.
She became a prominent oratorio and concert performer. Her friend Browning Mummery arranged for her to make some 40 recordings with the Gramophone Company, mainly of ballads. She was last singer to perform at The Crystal Palace before it was destroyed by fire in 1936.
During World War II she sang over 1,300 times in hospitals, air raid shelters, army camps and factories throughout Great Britain, and entertained Australian soldiers at her London home. |