A Pop Star in the Family – Diane Marie Jacobs aka Dinah Lee
In April 2021 I was contacted by Shane Duffy regarding his grandparents, John Duffy and Rosina Amanda nee Jacobs.
In the email, Shane mentioned Diane Marie Jacobs (Dinah Lee). I took this to mean that Diane had married someone called Lee and was using Dinah instead of Diane.
However, it turns out that Dinah Lee was Diane’s stage name and that she is/was famous in Australia and New Zealand.
Apparently her parents separated and she was then fostered. She remained in touch with her father, Alfred who, whilst working in a department store during the day, promoted teen dances in his spare time. He was also a saxophonist.
Initially working under her real name, she would later release records under the name Diane Lee before finally using Dinah Lee.
Her career took off in the 1960s and she toured and performed with some of the biggest names of the era.
As far as I can tell, she has never married and has no children, but if anyone knows different please let me know.
Rather than repeat all the information about her career on this site, it is preferable to give links to where more detailed biographies can be found on the following websites: (all links open in a new tab)
Radio New Zealand (RNZ) Has a 24 minute broadcast including many of her songs.
