Mary O'Rourke (singer)

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]

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]

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]