Renee Delafonte was an entertainer who was employed in the Rovers Return Inn by relief manager Glyn Thomas for musical evenings in the Select, where he hoped to attract more patrons who would be willing to pay the extra 1p for their drinks. He had first tried a pop group but their loud playing only attracted complaints. Glyn asked agent Bernard Fox to find someone more suitable for him and Renee was the result.
Somewhat vacant and drippy, Renee arrived with Bernard, wearing a large white bow in her hair and immediately asking for a gin as Bernard told a perplexed Bet Lynch that the organ would be delivered that evening. A few hours later Renee demonstrated her obvious and demonstrable talents on the instrument, boasting when prompted by Bernard that there was hardly a tune she couldn't play and the public couldn't get enough of her. Bernard went to say that she was like a walking musical memory bank and waxed lyrically that pubs she had played at that seemed derelict had been turned into pagan temples with people standing on each others' heads. The regulars, with the exception of Minnie Caldwell, didn't seem impressed, not liking the changes to their regular drinking establishment but Glyn was more than happy to talk money with Bernard and offer a contract for her to appear, even forgoing one function of the organ which was that it could play back any of its recorded tunes, without having to employ the expensive musician to operate it.
Renee made her debut the following evening, with some mixed expectations as Ken Barlow sarcastically commented that he expected scenes of debauchery with someone drinking best bitter out of her slipper. Minnie looked forward to the concert but was upset that an entry fee of 12 1/2p was being charged which mean she couldn't afford to attend. A kind-hearted Hilda Ogden stepped in and asked her to join her and Stan as their guest. Despite the high prices, the Select was nicely filled as the regulars enjoyed singing along to standards such as My Way, The White Cliffs of Dover, I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire and Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite. Renee was also allowed customers who wanted to sing to the audience while she accompanied them to do so and Lucille Hewitt belted out her version of Downtown. Glyn was well pleased with the record takings, though Betty Turpin complained that she had never worked so hard in her life.
With Annie Walker back as landlady, a major evening that Renee played at was a reverse-drag show that the women put on as a forfeit for losing a bowls match against the men of the street. Her exact role was to appear as "the King of Blackpool", organist Reginald Dixon playing I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside and accompanying Rita Littlewood, who appeared as Danny La Rue singing On Mother Kelly's Doorstep and The Party's Over, and Bet and Betty as Laurel and Hardy singing A Couple of Swells.
At the end of the year, Renee played at the Rovers' New Year's Eve party. Rita was employed to be the singer and wasn't pleased to see Len Fairclough snuggling up to Renee on the player's seat before she sang Nevertheless I'm in Love with You. The two later performed Fly Me to the Moon for their appreciative audience as they awaited the countdown to midnight when Renee naturally played Auld Lang Syne and finished with standards like We'll Meet Again.
List of appearances[]
1973
1974