Richard Davis on Dame Nellie Melba: ”A Wonderful Queen of Song”

2025-03-19

How does a singer become famous enough to feature on the $100 note? On Afternoon Light #190 Georgina Downer speaks with Richard David about Dame Nellie Melba. Australia's first global superstar who sang for Kings, Queens & Tsars, her stage name paid tribute to marvelous Melbourne, helping to put it and Australia on the map. Richard Davis is an internationally acclaimed writer specialising in biographies. He's written a series devoted to the lives of famous Australian musicians, including Close to...

How does a singer become famous enough to feature on the $100 note?

On Afternoon Light #190 Georgina Downer speaks with Richard David about Dame Nellie Melba. Australia's first global superstar who sang for Kings, Queens & Tsars, her stage name paid tribute to marvelous Melbourne, helping to put it and Australia on the map.

Richard Davis is an internationally acclaimed writer specialising in biographies. He's written a series devoted to the lives of famous Australian musicians, including Close to the Flame: The life of Stuart Challender and Wotan's Daughter: The life of Marjorie Lawrence, published by Wakefield Press, as well as biographies of pianists Geoffrey Parsons and Eileen Joyce. These have enjoyed international critical success and earned Richard the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Award for the Arts. His latest book is Nellie Melba: The Legend Lives.

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