‘Everyone loved Doris Day’ - Ipswich singer Annika pays tribute to legendary star
Doris Day, who has died aged 97. Picture: PA Photo/Courtesy Arwin Productions. - Credit: PA
A special tribute to singer Doris Day has come from Ipswich singer Annika Rands, who performs her own solo show based around the singing legend.
Annika Rands. Picture: CONTRIBUTED - Credit: cont
"I am really sad. I think everyone loved her - people always say she was so beautiful, and she had such lovely songs," Annika said, after hearing the news that Doris had died aged 97.
The Doris Day Animal Foundation has announced that the Hollywood legend had passed away peacefully on Monday at her home in Carmel Valley, California, after suffering from pneumonia.
Former Copleston schoolgirl Annika travels all round East Anglia every weekend performing her own show, A Tribute to Doris Day, at care homes across the area.
She said: "When I perform at care homes, I always tell people about Doris Day, and I had always said that she is in her 90s and still alive. It's so sad that now I won't be able to say that any more."
Annika Rands in her show A Tribute to Doris Day. Picture: CONTRIBUTED - Credit: Archant
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"She had such a colourful life and I have so many little stories that I always tell about her."
Annika, who sings at a variety of events and venues in was inspired to take on the role of Doris Day in 2014. "I was doing a theatre tour and people came up to me, members of the older generation, and said, 'You look like a young Doris Day.' So that's when I looked into it.
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Annika produced a show that told Doris's story and included her hits. It has become very popular. "She was wonderful - I think people really love her songs," she said.
"I always finish off with Que Sera Sera, but I also love singing Secret Love. And people always ask for The Deadwood Stage from Calamity Jane, with the line "Whip-crack-away' - that is everybody's favourite."
Ipswich singer Annika Rands. Picture: CONTRIBUTED - Credit: Archant
Annika said she thinks there may now be more demand for her to perform her tribute to Doris Day in the coming weeks and months, as people remember the singer's musical legacy.
Doris Day was one of the biggest stars of her era, on stage, film and television.
She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her starring performance in Pillow Talk, while other film hits include the classics Move Over Darling and That Touch of Mink.
After her first big hit Sentimental Journey in 1945, she produced 31 albums with songs including I'll Never Stop Loving You and Bewitched. Her album My Heart entered the UK chart at number nine in 2011, making her the oldest artist to have a top 10 album featuring previously unreleased material.
