She may have spent most of her later life on the isle of Capri in Italy, but
there was something distinctly English about the singer/actress/comedienne and
music hall star Gracie Fields. Born in the north of England over a Rochdale fish
and chip shop owned by her grandmother, Gracie was a natural show-person, making
her first stage appearances with children's repertory theatre groups at a young
age. Her sisters Edith and Betty and brother Tommy all pursued careers on stage,
but Gracie was far more successful, making her professional debut in a variety
show at Rochdale Hippodrome ...