Marjorie Finlay Explained

Marjorie Finlay
Birth Name:Marjorie Moehlenkamp
Birth Date:5 October 1928
Birth Place:Memphis, Tennessee, US
Death Place:Reading, Pennsylvania, US
Alma Mater:Lindenwood College
Occupation:Opera singer and dancer
Children:2
Relatives:

Marjorie Moehlenkamp Finlay (October 5, 1928June 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 and education

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] She was raised in St. Charles. Three of her paternal great-grandparents were from Germany.[5] The Moehlenkamp family were practicing and devout Catholics.[6]

In 1948, Finlay performed at Mexico Senior High School as a soloist in the Lindenwood Vesper Choir.[7] She earned her Bachelor of Music from Lindenwood University in 1949.[8] Finlay was in Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity.[9]

Career

Finlay was a singer in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's pop concert at Kiel Auditorium.[10] She was also a singer at the San Juan supper club.[11] 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.[12] This awarded her a radio spot and she toured on the network radio show for 15 months. 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. 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. 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. 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

She married Robert Finlay, president of Raymond Construction Company, on March 22, 1952, in Palm Beach, Florida. 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] 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

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. The character Swift portrayed in the 2015 music video "Wildest Dreams" was inspired by Finlay.[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.[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.

Awards and honors

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Taylor . Deb . 2020-12-28 . How Taylor Swift's Grandma Marjorie Finlay Inspired Her Music Career . 2023-05-09 . Suggest . en-US . May 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230509032230/https://www.suggest.com/taylor-swift-grandma-marjorie-finlay/649/ . live .
  2. Iasimone . Ashley . 2023-05-06 . Taylor Swift in Awe of What Fans Did During 'Marjorie' in Nashville: 'So Meaningful and So Special' . 2023-05-09 . Billboard . May 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230509032313/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-marjorie-nashville-video-1235323118/ . live .
  3. Web site: United States Social Security Death Index. registration. FamilySearch.org. December 12, 2020. April 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403184550/https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V9K3-C4M. live.
  4. Web site: O'Connor. Roisin. December 11, 2020. Taylor Swift song 'Marjorie' is a tribute to her late grandmother. December 11, 2020. The Independent. en. December 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201222181849/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/taylor-swift-marjorie-who-grandmother-b1769792.html. live.
  5. Web site: 1930. United States Census, 1930. registration. FamilySearch.org. December 12, 2020. April 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403184550/https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHJG-X7L. live.
  6. Book: Govan, Chloe. 2012. Taylor Swift: The Rise Of The Nashville Teen. 9781780383545. Omnibus Press. 14. 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..
  7. News: April 17, 1948. Concert Given By Lindenwood Vesper Choir. 5. Mexico Ledger. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. April 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220424103406/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065380/mexico-ledger/. live.
  8. News: June 10, 1949. Marjorie Moehlenkamp Wins Music Scholarship. 36. The St. Louis Star and Times. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. April 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220424103059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065409/the-st-louis-star-and-times/. live.
  9. News: February 24, 1952. Moehlenkamp, Finlay Wedding in South Mar. 22. 35. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. April 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220424103101/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065290/st-louis-globe-democrat/. live.
  10. News: Brink. Margaret J.. She's a star in Puerto Rico. Globe-Democrat. St. Louis, Missouri.
  11. Sheffield . Rob . 2024-04-25 . All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked . 2024-06-24 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  12. News: February 27, 1950. St. Charles Soprano Wins 1st 'Music With The Girls' Trials. 5. The St. Louis Star and Times. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. April 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220403184632/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065349/the-st-louis-star-and-times/. live.
  13. News: Goddard. Bob. January 9, 1962. In Our Town. 30. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. April 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220424103101/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065321/st-louis-globe-democrat/. live.
  14. News: January 13, 1962. Pop Concert Sunday At Kiel. 26. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. February 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210203083819/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065243/st-louis-globe-democrat/. live.
  15. News: Gabriel . McKay . Taylor Swift Edinburgh: Is star the real queen of Scotland? . The Herald. July 6, 2023 .
  16. Web site: Does Andrea swift have a sister? . 2023-11-19 . Answers . en.
  17. Web site: 2023-10-19 . Who are Andrea and Scott Swift? Meet Taylor Swift's parents . 2023-11-04 . TODAY.com . en.
  18. Web site: Andrea Swift . 2023-11-04 . Taylor Swift Switzerland . en-CA.
  19. The Straits Times, Singapore. November 21, 1968. "The Bartered Bride, with Marjorie in the Lead".
  20. Web site: 2023-05-16 . Who Was Marjorie Finlay? Everything About Taylor Swift's Maternal Grandmother - OtakuKart . 2023-11-20 . otakukart.com . en-US.
  21. Web site: Taylor Swift's 'Wildest Dreams' Video Will Premiere During The VMA Pre-Show . https://web.archive.org/web/20220808084057/https://www.mtv.com/news/6jo3tu/taylor-swift-wildest-dreams-vmas . dead . August 8, 2022 . 2023-12-06 . MTV . en.
  22. Web site: Andaloro. Angela. December 11, 2020. What Taylor Swift's Marjorie Is Really About. December 11, 2020. The List. en-US. December 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201212030057/https://www.thelist.com/293871/what-taylor-swifts-marjorie-is-really-about/. live.
  23. Sim, Sherlyn. The Straits Times. March 5, 2024. "Superstar's Mum in 1960s Singapore school yearbook".
  24. Web site: Olson . Samantha . 2022-10-21 . All the Easter Eggs In Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" Music Video . 2022-10-28 . Seventeen . en-us . October 28, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221028172358/https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/music/a41735499/taylor-swift-anti-hero-midnights-easter-eggs/ . live .
  25. Web site: Taylor Swift pays homage to her grandparents' love in 'Timeless' video . 2023-11-04 . EW.com . en.
  26. Web site: King . Allie Daisy . An Unabridged Guide To The Chants & Rituals To Know For The Eras Tour . 2024-06-24 . www.refinery29.com . en.
  27. News: June 1949. Marjorie Moehlenkamp is finalist in music contest. 13. Lindenwood College Bulletin. December 11, 2020. February 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210203015252/https://www.lindenwood.edu/files/resources/1949-06.pdf. live.
  28. News: October 26, 1961. 180 Lindenwood Graduates Will Attend Reunion. 16. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. December 11, 2020. Newspapers.com. April 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220424103100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65065428/st-louis-globe-democrat/. live.

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