 When Gracie (Stansfield) Fields made her last visit to Rochdale in 19778 and opened the Gracie Fields Theatre, Lisa Stansfield was just 12 years old. Unlike Gracie, Lisa was not a Rochdale girl by birth. She was born in Manchester on April 11th, 1966, but her family moved first to Haywood and then when Lisa was 11 to Rochdale. Like Gracie Stansfield, Lisa's singing career also got a start at a singing contest. At age 14 she entered a Manchester Evening News talent contest at the "Talk-of-the-Town" club, and she took first place. Lisa's recording career began at the age of 15 and soon after she gained more national exposure through appearances on the television program "Razzamatazz". Along with friends Andy Morris and Ian Devaney, Lisa formed the group known as Blue Zone. In 1989 the group issued "People Hold On" and the recording went to 11th on the U.K. charts. On the strength of this success Arista signed Lisa as a solo performer. Her recording of "All
Around the World" went to number one in 1989, and the
album entitled "Affection" sold 4.5 million copies
world-wide. In the years that followed, Lisa's work
garnered her numerous awards, beginning with the 1990
Brit Award for "Most Promising Newcomer". Along the way
there were Grammy nominations and awards for "Best
British Artist" and "Writer of the Most Performed Song".
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