DODD, Dorothy

Dorothy Dodd was an Australian popular song composer and lyricist of the mid-twentieth century. Born in Burwood, she was a pianist as well as a songwriter. Dorothy first came to attention as a regular member of The Youth Show radio broadcasts which featured the talents of young Australian performers. Although she also worked as a private secretary, by 1943 the electoral roll listed her occupation as composer.

Dodd studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and had her first song published, "Rainbow of Dreams", at age 20 in 1942 and later she was the President of the Fellowship of Australian Composers and she wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films.

In 1950 her musical comedy was performed at Ashfield Town Hall for the first time by a company of amateurs. Although not entirely complimentary, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the entertainment ‘shows that Miss Dodd has a rare facility in turning out tunes that could quite easily take the popular fancy. Hers is a noteworthy talent.’ She was the only female songwriter who was a full member of Australasian Performing Rights Association in Australia during 1950.

Dorothy was best known for writing the English lyrics to the popular song, Granada, first written by Mexican composer Agustin Lara in 1932. Bing Crosby recorded the song with Dorothy’s lyrics in 1951. Her famous song has been recorded by many other artists including Frank Sinatra. Dorothy was suddenly in great demand with journalists keen to learn the inspiration behind her prolific songwriting.

In 1966 Dorothy was interviewed for the Australian Women’s Weekly under the title ‘Composing is no goldmine’ she spoke about the challenges of combining a career with marriage and raising children – while trying to work from home. ‘I don’t know where the solution lies. But I suppose if you want to do something badly enough, as I need to write songs, somehow you muddle through.’

Granada continues to be Dorothy’s best known song, recorded by many famous singers over many years. Her compositions can be found in the collections of the National Library of Australia as well as the State Library of NSW.