Our celebrity interviewer delves into the fascinating life of Tiger Sue to talk famous faces, fundraising, strip clubs and having her cigarette lit by Princess Margaret
Long before Posh, Scary, Sporty, Ginger and Baby there were Copper, Spyder and Tiger, otherwise known as the Paper Dolls and in 1968, the three girls were storming the charts with Something Here In My Heart.
Susie was Tiger and her distinctive voice wasn’t only to be reserved for singing as she went on to have a hugely successful career as a radio DJ and presenter in the 1980s and '90s before embarking on a career as an event organiser and then prolific fundraiser.
Tell me about your childhood
It is a real mixture of memories. I was born in 1947 and the family moved from London to Buckinghamshire where my grandparents ran a glorious public house called The Olde Wharfe Inn, which was on the banks of the Grand Union Canal, with the fairylights reflected in the water.
My dad worked on the M1 motorway and mum behind the bar until she embarked on a dangerous affair with one of the regulars. This led to a tragic tangle and our family life ended.
I was bought up in a very posh stage school in Northampton, the Pitt Draffen Academy of Dance and Dramatic Art, paid for by Betty Pitt-Draffen. I was very lucky to be given those years, learning every type of song and dance, losing myself in everything from modern musical routines to Elvis’s Rock-A-Hula Baby to the Royal Academy of Dance – ballet twirling in my pointe shoes to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I left the schooling part at the age of 13 to go into repertory theatre.
When did you realise you had a ‘voice’?
I was always quite loud; I had to be to get noticed. I was desperate to please everyone and worked very hard to win at auditions just to prove I was worth something.
The best feelings are when you know you’ve hit the mark, my earliest memory of that was after singing Lullaby of Ragtime to Anthony Newley, he carried on singing the song long after I finished and I knew I had that audition in the bag.
My chaperone rang Betty Pitt-Draffen to tell her I had won through, and when we got back Betty treated me to a fried egg sandwich. That was a real treat as you can imagine – we never had ‘fried’ anything as dance students.
Were you torn between which creative direction to go in your career?
I wanted to be a ballet dancer but in those days, the Royal Ballet School measured your limbs and at 4ft 9ins at the time I was deemed to be too short, so I concentrated on musicals but I had realised by then that although I loved my time on stage, I struggled with saying goodbye at the end of a long run.
How were the Paper Dolls created?
The Paper Dolls were born out of my will to carry a family of friends with me, Betty got us our first job at the City Varieties Leeds, which she thought was a music hall venue – it turned out to be a strip club. At the top of the bill were the strippers and we were at the bottom – excuse the pun – we were fully clothed I hasten to add. In fact we became quite a characterful act bringing routines to the theatre such as Working in a Coal Mine wearing pit hats with miner's lamps and Yellow Submarine in galoshes.
Eighteen months later we topped the bill at the same theatre.
How did you all get your nicknames Tiger, Spyder and Copper?
Spyder hated Spiders, Copper had red hair and me Tiger – an endangered species – ha ha.
Your 21st birthday had quite the guest list. Tell us more
We were living at the Winton Hotel in Bayswater, where we originally planned the party, but the dates changed as our PR company wanted a grander occasion in Mayfair. Two of the Beatles – John Lennon and George Harrison – turned up at the hotel for the original date. I was behind the bar serving drinks and nearly passed out when they arrived. As luck wouldn’t have it they couldn't make the new date, but so many bands and artists of the day shared my evening: Keith Moon, Dave Dee, Move, Reg Presley, Malcolm Roberts with his then girlfriend Susan George... I remember cartwheeling down Mayfair with Gene Pitney. It's so hard thinking about those days now as many of my peers are no longer cartwheeling.
What kind of venues were you playing and did you build friendships with other artists on the road?
The ’60s was the most exciting time to be in the pop world. To appear on Top of the Pops, performing on the same bill as the greats of the day, was exhilarating.
The reason the Dolls came to Manchester was for the clubs. There were at least 50 listed in the MEN and all the great cabaret venues were in the North. The first time we saw our name in lights was at the entrance of the Golden Garter Wythenshawe. The clubs included The Cabaret Club, Fagin's, The Piccadilly, Mr Smiths and The Talk of the North in Eccles, where the owner didn’t allow women into his club if they were wearing trousers.
Our itinerary was amazing with TV appearances across Europe and we spent three months in South Africa.
Scott Walker topped the bill on one of the 60s' tours, with Herman's Hermits. Scott was charisma personified and I watched his set every night. I met my long-time friend Frank Allen from The Searchers on a tour date. We would love to meet traveling bands at the Watford Gap Motorway Services.
Your big hit was Something Here In My Heart, what happened after that with the group? I believe that you missed out on recording Build Me Up Buttercup?
It's all a very long time ago but my memory is that we recorded Build Me Up Buttercup for single release, then the writer/producer Tony Macauley put it on our album and gave it to the Foundations. We had several other records released but none as big as 'Buttercup ' and the group broke up, as most girl groups do. I tried replacing a member if one left but in the end realised we had come to the end.
How did the transition from pop star to radio DJ come about?
After giving up on trying to keep three girls together, I went solo for a time, recording under the name Tiger Sue, and while playing Pretty Polly Perkins in pantomime at The Davenport Theatre Stockport with the Grumbleweeds I met Stuart Littlewood who was a prolific manager at the time. He casually mentioned he thought I should be on the radio, he pursued the idea and contacted the MD of Piccadilly Radio, Colin Waters, and the rest was a blessing. I loved those early days at Piccadilly.
Winning the prestigious Sony Radio Award for Personality of the Year twice in the 1980s must have been a highlight of your career but you’ve also interviewed some fascinating celebrities. Who are your favourites and why?
To win a Sony once was amazing but twice was extraordinary. Meeting Princess Margaret and having her light cigarette gave an unforgettable headline: Susie, By Royal Appointment.
I chatted with so many people on my programmes: Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Rachel Welch and Sophia Loren, but my favourites were Jackie Collins and Michael Crawford. Both stayed in touch, Michael later invited me to the opening night of The Phantom of the Opera. I took with me my dearest old friend, the one and only Frank Lammar.
I was been lucky to be interviewed by you in the late 1990s when we would chat with your listeners about their beauty dilemmas. One thing that struck me was your razor-sharp wit and your generosity with your guests and callers. Do you miss live radio and presenting?
Yes, yes, yes of course I do. Radio is my first love; the intimacy is overwhelming and although I loved the interviews it was the way that live radio can change lives and do so much good that introduced me to charity work. It is possible to furnish a women’s hostel or arrange a Disney trip for deserving children during a two-hour programme.
You ventured into event organising everything from celebrity weddings to charity events. Do you have a favourite event from that period?
I actually started the events side of my life in the early ’80s at that time raising money for the Neil Cliffe Cancer Centre in Wythenshawe. Pat Phoenix allowed me to use her name for the buy a brick appeal.
Later on, with my then business partner Philip Taylor, I arranged many celebrity weddings and celebrations for Hello! magazine. My favourites have been the ones for my friend Sue Johnston.
The Kirsty Appeal was your brainchild. Tell us about this wonderful charity
The appeal was for Francis House Children's Hospice in Didsbury. The wonderful Sister Aloysius rang me one day for an urgent meeting as they had to raise £5million. The annual fundraising target had become impossible to meet and they needed a safety net and an initiative the public would respond to. Very soon after that I met Kirsty Howard, the little girl who would go on to inspire a nation as the face of the campaign. Kirsty was attached to oxygen 24 hours a day after being born with her heart back to front. She had been given just a few months to live but live she did and won the hearts of everyone she met, from Queen Elizabeth at the Commonwealth Games, to David Beckham, Chris De Burgh, Ronan Keating and the astronaut Neil Armstrong.
She was named Child of Courage at the Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards and was the first winner of the Helen Rollason award for courage against adversity at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
She outlived that prognosis and raised more than £7million for the hospice. We lost Kirsty when she passed away in 2015, at the age of 20 but she filled her years and achieved more than most do in 80 years.
The appeal struck a chord with the entire nation and especially the former Harrods owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed who was a huge supporter. Tell us about the work you did for him
I ran Mohammad’s charity foundation which was a privilege. He is the most generous person I have ever met. I began while he still owned Harrods, continuing after he sold the store. Mohammad wanted me to learn about charities across the world and arranged for me to visit Mongolia to look at the work being done there for orphaned children and to learn how we could help the street children in Egypt. We would arrange Lawnfest, a music festival in the grounds of West Heath School in Sevenoaks, Kent. Mohammad bought the school, which was attended by Princess Diana, to help children rebuild their lives through education.
I also worked alongside his lovely daughter Camilla and those years of my life were enhanced by knowing them.
How do you look after yourself?
I walk my little one-eared dachshund Gertie three times a day. I am going to make more of an effort this year, as usually I do my own nails, very rarely go to hairdressers and I have a phobia about gyms.
What are your favourite beauty products?
Skin care: ZO Skin Health by Zein Obagi.
Hair products: Aveda.
Foundation: Jane Iredale.
For a bit of glam, I use Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk products, especially the mascara.
What are your goals for the rest of this year?
I have written my memoir and would love to find a publisher. To find a happy home. To find a no-pressure job and arrange personal events.
What are your favourite places in Cheshire?
Curzon Cinema Knutsford. I am a member and I adore the Curzon and a good film.
Dafferns, King Street, Knutsford. It's an eclectic florals and interior shop.
My favourite seat at the Rose and Crown Knutsford
If you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?
I've got lots: get a financial adviser; if you lose your sense of humour in whatever you do or whoever you are with, get out; don’t marry someone poorer than yourself, as when the money's gone, so are the.
