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Marjorie Finlay

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Marjorie Finlay
Finlay in 1949
Born
Marjorie Moehlenkamp

(1928-10-05)October 5, 1928
Memphis, Tennessee, US
DiedJune 1, 2003(2003-06-01) (aged 74)
Reading, Pennsylvania, US
Alma materLindenwood College
Occupation(s)Opera singer and dancer
Spouse
Robert Finlay
​
(m. 1952)​
Children2
Relatives

Marjorie Moehlenkamp Finlay (October 5, 1928 – June 1, 2003) was an American opera singer and television personality. A coloratura soprano, Finlay performed concert and opera singing. After winning a talent contest in 1950, she toured on the ABC radio network show Music With the Girls. Finlay later had her own television program and served as an MC for El Show Pan-Americano in Puerto Rico. She toured South America and released an album in Mexico.[1] She is the maternal grandmother of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who dedicated her songs "Marjorie" and "Timeless" to her.[2]

Early life

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Marjorie Moehlenkamp was born on October 5, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Elmer Henry Moehlenkamp (1897–1972) of St. Charles, Missouri, and Cora Lee Morrow (1900–1962) of Arkansas.[3][4][5] She was raised in St. Charles. Three of her paternal great-grandparents were from Germany.[6] The Moehlenkamp family were practicing and devout Catholics.[7]

In 1948, Finlay performed at Mexico Senior High School as a soloist in the Lindenwood Vesper Choir.[8] She earned her Bachelor of Music from Lindenwood University in 1949.[9] Finlay was in Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity.[10]

Career

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Finlay with Hal Friedricks in February 1950 after winning the ABC Music With the Girls talent contest.

Finlay was a singer in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's pop concert at Kiel Auditorium.[11] She was also a singer at the San Juan supper club.[12] In 1950, Finlay was working as a receptionist at Boatmen's National Bank in St. Louis. She won a talent contest on the ABC network show Music With the Girls.[5] This awarded her a radio spot and she toured on the network radio show for 15 months.[5] During the summer of 1951, Finlay studied at the Berkshire Music Center and then in New York City on the advice of musician Edwin McArthur.[11][10] Moving to Puerto Rico, Finlay had her own television program and performed in concerts, operas, and supper clubs, including a two-week stint at the Caribe Hilton Hotel.[13]

Finlay was the mistress of ceremonies for El Show Pan-Americano on APA-TV in Santurce, Puerto Rico.[11][13] She was active in the Pro Arte Societies, a civic music organization. Her Spanish was reportedly "bad" enough to be funny to her audiences. Her television show ran six nights a week for 17 months.[11] In 1962, Finlay performed at a Kiel Auditorium Pop Concert. Her performance included "Fanciulla È Sbocciato L'Amore" from La rondine and "Jewel song" in addition to pop songs.[14]

Personal life

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She married Robert Finlay, president of Raymond Construction Company, on March 22, 1952, in Palm Beach, Florida.[10] Finlay was the son of Lancelot George Finlay, of Scottish descent, and Eleanor Mayer.[15] After her marriage, Finlay and her husband moved to Havana, Cuba, where his office was located before relocating to Puerto Rico due to political unrest. They moved to Caracas before returning to Santurce, Puerto Rico with their children. Finlay gave birth to Alison Finlay in 1957,[16] and then to Andrea Gardner Finlay in 1958,[17] who later became the mother of Taylor Swift.[18]

Finlay's granddaughter, Taylor Swift, on her Speak Now World Tour in 2011. Swift has credited Finlay for inspiring her to pursue a music career.[1]

In the 1960s, the Finlay family moved to Singapore for Robert's work, and lived there for a few years. In November 1968, Marjorie performed for five nights as the soprano lead in the opera "The Bartered Bride" (by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana) at the Victoria Theatre in Singapore.[19]

Death and legacy

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Finlay died from undisclosed causes on June 1, 2003, in Reading, Pennsylvania, at the age of 74.[20]

Taylor Swift, her granddaughter, cited Finlay for inspiring her to pursue a career in music.[4] The character Swift portrayed in the 2015 music video "Wildest Dreams" was inspired by Finlay.[1][21] In 2020, Swift released the song "Marjorie" from her ninth studio album Evermore; Swift credited her grandmother with backing vocals which were sampled in the track.[4][22] The lyric video includes photos and videos of Finlay, some of which depict Finlay with a young Swift.[23] In 2022, Swift included a photograph of Finlay in the music video of "Anti-Hero".[24]

When Swift re-recorded her third studio album, Speak Now, she released a vault track (a song not published on the original album) called "Timeless". The lyric video included various photos of Finlay and her husband, along with photos of Swift's paternal grandparents, Rose and Archie Dean Swift.[25]

Swift sings a shortened version of "Marjorie" during The Eras Tour. Swifties have made it tradition to turn their phones' flashlights on while Swift sings the song in tribute to Finlay,[26] and they often hold photographs of Finlay as well.[2]

Awards and honors

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Year Title Notes Ref
1949 $200 scholarship (equivalent to $2,561 in 2023) National music contest hosted by the magazine Music News and the Metropolitan School of Music in Chicago [27][9]
1950 Talent contest on the ABC network show Music With the Girls Winner [5]
1961 Outstanding graduate with a certificate of merit Given by her alma mater Lindenwood College [28][13]
1962 Honorary captain in the Puerto Rico Air National Guard Guardsmen nicknamed her "madrina" (godmother) [11][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Taylor, Deb (December 28, 2020). "How Taylor Swift's Grandma Marjorie Finlay Inspired Her Music Career". Suggest. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Iasimone, Ashley (May 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift in Awe of What Fans Did During 'Marjorie' in Nashville: 'So Meaningful and So Special'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "United States Social Security Death Index". Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2020 – via FamilySearch.org.
  4. ^ a b c O'Connor, Roisin (December 11, 2020). "Taylor Swift song 'Marjorie' is a tribute to her late grandmother". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "St. Charles Soprano Wins 1st 'Music With The Girls' Trials". The St. Louis Star and Times. February 27, 1950. p. 5. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "United States Census, 1930". 1930. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2020 – via FamilySearch.org.
  7. ^ Govan, Chloe (2012). Taylor Swift: The Rise Of The Nashville Teen. Omnibus Press. p. 14. ISBN 9781780383545. Together with her award-winning former opera-singer grandmother, Taylor had an opportunity to show off her singing skills in church too. The pair - devout Catholics, like the rest of the family - turned heads every Sunday when they out sang the choir. "I can remember [my grandmother] singing, the thrill of it", Taylor recalled of their times at church together. "She was one of my first inspirations". In addition to Sunday school, Taylor would take an occasional Bible retreat course in the summer too, where she would reflect on God's teachings in rural parts of Pennsylvania. However, even there, she never missed an opportunity to sing, leading the hymns from time to time.
  8. ^ "Concert Given By Lindenwood Vesper Choir". Mexico Ledger. April 17, 1948. p. 5. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Marjorie Moehlenkamp Wins Music Scholarship". The St. Louis Star and Times. June 10, 1949. p. 36. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Moehlenkamp, Finlay Wedding in South Mar. 22". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. February 24, 1952. p. 35. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e Brink, Margaret J. "She's a star in Puerto Rico". Globe-Democrat. St. Louis, Missouri.
  12. ^ Sheffield, Rob (April 25, 2024). "All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Goddard, Bob (January 9, 1962). "In Our Town". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 30. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Pop Concert Sunday At Kiel". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. January 13, 1962. p. 26. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ McKay, Gabriel (July 6, 2023). "Taylor Swift Edinburgh: Is star the real queen of Scotland?". The Herald.
  16. ^ "Does Andrea swift have a sister?". Answers. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  17. ^ "Who are Andrea and Scott Swift? Meet Taylor Swift's parents". TODAY.com. October 19, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  18. ^ "Andrea Swift". Taylor Swift Switzerland. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  19. ^ The Straits Times, Singapore. November 21, 1968. "The Bartered Bride, with Marjorie in the Lead".
  20. ^ "Who Was Marjorie Finlay? Everything About Taylor Swift's Maternal Grandmother - OtakuKart". otakukart.com. May 16, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  21. ^ "Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video Will Premiere During The VMA Pre-Show". MTV. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  22. ^ Andaloro, Angela (December 11, 2020). "What Taylor Swift's Marjorie Is Really About". The List. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  23. ^ Sim, Sherlyn. The Straits Times. March 5, 2024. "Superstar's Mum in 1960s Singapore school yearbook".
  24. ^ Olson, Samantha (October 21, 2022). "All the Easter Eggs In Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" Music Video". Seventeen. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  25. ^ "Taylor Swift pays homage to her grandparents' love in 'Timeless' video". EW.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  26. ^ King, Allie Daisy. "An Unabridged Guide To The Chants & Rituals To Know For The Eras Tour". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  27. ^ "Marjorie Moehlenkamp is finalist in music contest" (PDF). Lindenwood College Bulletin. June 1949. p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  28. ^ "180 Lindenwood Graduates Will Attend Reunion". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. October 26, 1961. p. 16. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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