The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #95669   Message #1868236
Posted By: Scrump
25-Oct-06 - 10:16 AM
Thread Name: George Formby
Subject: RE: George Formby
Yes, she did, and I always assumed she was related to Gracie (whose real surname was Stansfield), until I read somewhere she was 'no relation'.

Seems difficult to believe, as they're from the same town, unless Stansfield is a common name there? Unless Lisa was trying to distance herself from Gracie for reasons of 'street-cred' or something?

Gracie is also sneered at by many, in a similar way to those who scoff at George, but she was another formidable talent and was recognised as such by millions of people in her staggeringly long and successful career. I guess I would consider some of her output (the Lancashire accent/dialect and comic stuff) vaguely in the 'folk' arena, but some definitely wasn't.

My theory is that the two GFs became passe because people wanted to forget the hard times of the 1920s and 30s in later decades, especially from the 1960s onwards, and these two artists were a reminder of those times. Just my theory, which is mine.