From the moment the great Nellie Melba took him as her protege, John Brownlee’s life was brilliant and exciting as he moved among the aristocracy and the musical greats of the time. The late Metropolitan barittone’s early years with the Paris Opera, highlighted by his marriage to one of the Italian nobility, led to the now historic first seasons at Glyndebourne and the world’s leading opera houses.
The multi-faceted story makes this not just a biography, but also a look at the times and many famous personalities in the decades from the twenties through the sixties. The singer was a virtual link between the golden age of opera and the period following. He rose from simple and humble beginnings in Australia to the front ranks of opera and, later, music education.
