Born Marie Antoinette Daly in Southend, Essex, between the ages of 13 and 15, Antoinette (later known as Toni Daly) recorded half a dozen singles, none of which were hits. But the quality of her recordings has ensured her a lasting popularity with fans of 1960s British girl pop.
She landed her first recording contract, with Decca in 1964 at the age of just 13 while she was still a student at St Bernard’s Convent School in Westcliff-on-Sea.
Her debut single, Jenny Let Him Go, was produced by Charles Blackwell, who worked with a number of gems for girl singers of the period, including French yé-yé singer Françoise Hardy and Britain’s Samantha Jones.
Antoinette switched to the Piccadilly label for her next single, There He Goes (The Boy I Love), released in September 1964.
Antoinette released a number of other singles – including Why Don’t I Run Away From You and Lullaby Of Love – but without success.
Antoinette switched labels again, this time to Columbia, for one further 45 in 1966, this time under the name Toni Daly. The single, Like The Big Man Said, was a version of Italian singer Caterina Caselli’s L’uomo d’oro.
The single flopped and Columbia cancelled her contract. By this time, she was working as a solicitor’s clerk in Southend.
She is still performing today though she now concentrates on jazz and goes by her married name, Toni Baxter.
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