Popular Culture
The Merseyside region has rich associations with popular culture; the area has produced and inspired poets, writers, actors, artists and musicians.
In contrast to the continued emphasis on and recognition for the male artists involved in, for example, The Mersey Sound and Merseybeat, Sisters of Mersey offers an important opportunity to catalogue the significant contributions that women have made to the local and national arts.
Download our app (on the App Store and Google Play) to discover more about the women who pushed artistic and social boundaries.
Dr Samantha Caslin
Meet one of the Sisters from our Sisters of Mersey app:
Lita Roza: Granby Street School, Liverpool Wall of Fame on Mathew Street and 13 Upper Pitt Street
Lita Roza was born Lilian Patricia Lita Roza in Liverpool on March 14, 1926. Lita spent her childhood living with her siblings and her mother, Elizabeth, and her father, Frances Vincent, at 13 Upper Pitt Street, where she was the eldest of seven children. At Granby Street school her classmates included Jean Alexander, later to play Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street.
After an early career as a dancer, including at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lita became the celebrated singer of the Ted Heath Orchestra. She was also the first Liverpool born artist to have a number one hit single, (How Much is) that Doggie in the Window in 1953. Lita was not a fan of the song. On the 18th May 1954 she was quoted in the Daily Mirror as having said 'Actually I thought it was a rather silly song. I didn't want to sing it'. Fortunately, Lita had a successful entertainment career beyond her novelty song, releasing over 50 singles and appearing on her own TV specials, as well as on shows such as the Six-Five Special.
In 2001 Roza was added to the Liverpool Wall of Fame opposite the Cavern Club on Mathew Street in Liverpool, recognizing her place in the City’s musical heritage.
Dr Christopher Williams and Dr Samantha Caslin
University of Liverpool