Marjorie Finlay
Marjorie Moehlenkamp Finlay (October 5, 1928 – June 1, 2003) was an American opera singer and television personality. A coloratura soprano, Finlay performed concert and opera singing. After winning a talent contest in 1950, she toured on the ABC radio network show Music With the Girls. Finlay later had her own television program and served as an MC for El Show Pan-Americano in Puerto Rico. She toured South America and released an album in Mexico.[1] She is the maternal grandmother of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who dedicated her songs "Marjorie" and "Timeless" to her.[2]
Marjorie Finlay
June 1, 2003 (aged 74)
Opera singer
2
- Taylor Swift (granddaughter)
- Austin Swift (grandson)
Early life and education[edit]
Marjorie Moehlenkamp was born on October 5, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Elmer Henry Moehlenkamp (1897–1972) of St. Charles, Missouri, and Cora Lee Morrow (1900–1962) of Arkansas.[3][4][5] She was raised in St. Charles. Three of her paternal great-grandparents were from Germany.[6] The Moehlenkamp family were practicing and devout Catholics.[7]
In 1948, Moehlenkamp performed at Mexico Senior High School as a soloist in the Lindenwood Vesper Choir.[8] She earned her Bachelor of Music from Lindenwood University in 1949.[9] Moehlenkamp was in Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity.[10]
Death and legacy[edit]
Finlay died from undisclosed causes on June 1, 2003, in Reading, Pennsylvania, at the age of 74.[20]
Taylor Swift, her granddaughter, cited Finlay for inspiring her to pursue a career in music.[4] The character Swift portrayed in the 2015 music video "Wildest Dreams" was inspired by Finlay.[21][22] In 2020, Swift released the song "Marjorie" from her ninth studio album Evermore; Swift credited her grandmother with backing vocals which were sampled in the track.[4][23] The lyric video "Marjorie" includes photos and videos of Finlay. Some of them depict Finlay with a young Swift.[24] In 2022, Swift included a photograph of Finlay in the music video of "Anti-Hero".[25] When Swift re-recorded her third studio album, Speak Now, she released a vault track (a song not published on the original album) called "Timeless". The lyric video included various photos of Finlay and her husband, along with photos of Swift's paternal grandparents, Rose and Archie Dean Swift.[26]