Vera Lynn's audition records to be released 90 years after they were recorded
Dame Vera's audition records, which were found when her daughter moved home (Carsten Windhorst/PA)
Recorded after trumpeter Baker invited Dame Vera to join his band in 1933, the first record is one of just 100 copies pressed.
Lewis-Jones said: 'It's so wonderful to hear ma's voice from those early days, right at the start of her career.
'I always had the feeling these would be worth exploring so I am absolutely thrilled that the audition tapes we've never heard can now be brought to life, and add significantly to what we already know about ma.'
A medley features on the records, including a section of the song I Hate Myself (For Being So Mean To You), and a piano-only version of debut single It's Home.
On one of the tracks an unknown voice joins Dame Vera and the piano cuts off at the end, as all that needed to be heard for the audition was her voice.
Dame Vera's daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones with the new album (Carsten Windhorst/PA)
Karoline Engelhardt, curator of popular music recordings at the British Library, said: 'We are honoured that Virginia Lewis-Jones has chosen to donate her mother's fascinating audio collection to the British Library, including Dame Vera Lynn's very first recordings.
'The Vera Lynn collection is a key addition to the British Library's Sound Archive and these previously unreleased early discs capture a special moment in music history, when Dame Vera Lynn was still in the early stages of her career and was yet to become the voice of a generation.
'Our role in preserving and digitising these recordings will enable them to be enjoyed for generations to come.'
The audition discs will be released by Decca, with What A Difference A Day Makes released as a single on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.
Further previously unheard and rare tracks from them will feature on a new album called Hidden Treasures, which will be released on November 7.
Dame Vera made her name during the Second World War, when her rousing songs such as We'll Meet Again, (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover and There'll Always Be An England, earned her the affectionate name Forces' Sweetheart.
During the war she gave outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA.
Her final studio album, Unforgettable, was released in 2010.
She died in June 2020, aged 103, after she became the oldest artist to have a top 40 album in the UK, in May that year, with her greatest hits album 100.
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The late singer's first records were found when Dame Vera's daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones, donated her mother's record collection to the British Library's Sound Archive, after she moved out of her home in East Sussex, where Dame Vera Lynn had lived with her husband Harry Lewis for 40 years. Along with the three silver aluminium audition records, which are labelled by hand with the song titles What A Difference A Day Makes and Spring Don't Mean A Thing To Me, a copy of Dame Vera's first record, It's Home, recorded in 1935 with bandleader Howard Baker, was also found. Recorded after trumpeter Baker invited Dame Vera to join his band in 1933, the first record is one of just 100 copies pressed. Lewis-Jones said: 'It's so wonderful to hear ma's voice from those early days, right at the start of her career. 'I always had the feeling these would be worth exploring so I am absolutely thrilled that the audition tapes we've never heard can now be brought to life, and add significantly to what we already know about ma.' A medley features on the records, including a section of the song I Hate Myself (For Being So Mean To You), and a piano-only version of debut single It's Home. On one of the tracks an unknown voice joins Dame Vera and the piano cuts off at the end, as all that needed to be heard for the audition was her voice. Karoline Engelhardt, curator of popular music recordings at the British Library, said: 'We are honoured that Virginia Lewis-Jones has chosen to donate her mother's fascinating audio collection to the British Library, including Dame Vera Lynn's very first recordings. 'The Vera Lynn collection is a key addition to the British Library's Sound Archive and these previously unreleased early discs capture a special moment in music history, when Dame Vera Lynn was still in the early stages of her career and was yet to become the voice of a generation. 'Our role in preserving and digitising these recordings will enable them to be enjoyed for generations to come.' The audition discs will be released by Decca, with What A Difference A Day Makes released as a single on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day. Further previously unheard and rare tracks from them will feature on a new album called Hidden Treasures, which will be released on November 7. Dame Vera made her name during the Second World War, when her rousing songs such as We'll Meet Again, (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover and There'll Always Be An England, earned her the affectionate name Forces' Sweetheart. During the war she gave outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, India and Burma as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA. Her final studio album, Unforgettable, was released in 2010. She died in June 2020, aged 103, after she became the oldest artist to have a top 40 album in the UK, in May that year, with her greatest hits album 100.
