'Girl with a Golden Voice' Celebrates 100th Birthday

'Girl with a Golden Voice' Celebrates 100th Birthday


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Carole Mikita ReportingCelebrating her 100th birthday is accomplishment in itself, but Annette Dinwoodey has plenty of memories to share with us about her days as a singer for KSL Radio.

Mrs. Dinwoodey performed in the days when radio stations all over the country had their own contract singers and musicians. She was sought after here; her vocal instructor in Chicago called her 'the girl with the golden voice from the golden west."

'Girl with a Golden Voice' Celebrates 100th Birthday

Radio: "This is 'Music from the West', a late evening CBS feature, coming to you from Salt Lake City. The second of our ten melodies tonight brings the mood in retrospect, Annette Dinwoodey sings 'Yesterdays'..."

Her rich contralto voice entertained radio audiences across the country.

Annette Richardson Dinwoodey: "I first sang on KSL Radio from 1930 to 1945, and that's when the war ended. I was always doing a 'first' on KSL for some reason."

It was that voice. Annette Richardson was born and raised in Farmington, Utah into a musical family. She learned to perform in high school operettas. In 1926, she traveled to Chicago to study.

Annette Dinwoodey: "It was a wonderful time to grow up, Iwant you to know that. I had the most happy life in my home, my father loved music."

Annette Dinwoodey performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, and for community and church groups. She had many fans, including the president of CBS.

Annette Dinwoodey: "He became a fan of mine. He'd call up and say 'Have Dinwoodey do this and do this,' and we've have to change the program for the night."

She considers her voice a gift from God and whenever she has a hard time sleeping, she replays in her mind the 'girl with the golden voice'.

Annette Richardson Dinwoodey received visitors this afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00. She may be from Farmington, Utah but her father is related to General Robert E. Lee and she considers herself a 'Southern Lady'.

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