Andee Silver

Several references advise that Andee Silver was born in England on May 12, 1951 and named Andrea Silverstein. Her birth was registered in the east London district of Bethnal Green, a mere mile from where I spent the first 18 years of my life. Research reveals that the public record of her birth displays her mother's maiden name as Baker which, when coupled with her official surname, highlights a Stepney marriage in 1947 of Rita Baker to Bernard Silverstein. Back in the early Sixties much coverage was given to youthful girl singers like 14 years old Helen Shapiro — another east Londoner — in 1961 when cutting her first record "Don't Treat Me Like a Child", or Lulu, making her smash hit début in 1964 with "Shout" when 15. Andee's first record, an up-temp revival of "Too Young to Go Steady" was reviewed by the New Musical Express on May 22, 1964 — the month of her 13th birthday, which suggests that she was only 12 when entering the recording studio! If these details are accurate, she was a mere 17 when embarking on a successful Italian recording career in 1968, which embraced "L'Amore Dice Ciao", the theme song of the raunchy x-rated movie 'La Matriarca' (aka 'The Libertine') and an association with Decca Records that highlighted what a fine singer she was. Marriage records advise she wed Gerald Pardo in Hampstead in 1971, when 20, but music pages advise she was married to 'David' Pardo, the producer of the first records of singer Juan Pardo', with whom Andee subsequently recorded. Her Decca period included to her impressive recording of "Love Me" which, since first hearing the original version by Danny Williams, has always been one of my favourite Les Reed-Barry Mason songs. Andee displays great passion and vocal power with her treatment, and went on to have success in Italy with an Italian version.