Teddy Johnson participant of Eurovision Song Contest
Pearl Lavinia Carr (2 November 1921 – 16 February 2020) and Edward Victor "Teddy" Johnson (4 September 1919 – 6 June 2018) were English husband-and-wife entertainers who were best-known during the 1950s and early 1960s. They were the UK's Eurovision entrants at the 1959 contest with "Sing, Little Birdie", which came second.Joint success
Carr and Johnson were married in 1955 and remained so for 63 years, until their deaths. They became known professionally as "Mr. and Mrs. Music", and were frequently on British television light entertainment programmes. These included The Winifred Atwell Show, Big Night Out, Two of a Kind (with Morecambe and Wise), Sunday Night at the London Palladium, The Arthur Haynes Show, Thank Your Lucky Stars and Blackpool Night Out. They were also regulars on the children's TV show Crackerjack! with Eamonn Andrews and Ronnie Corbett. The duo were part of a record-breaking season at the London Palladium with Bruce Forsyth, and were chosen to appear in the 1960 Royal Variety Performance.
Carr and Johnson represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959, and finished second with the song "Sing, Little Birdie". The record peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.In 2011, Johnson revealed that they initially thought the contest to become the British entry was the extent of their booking. "We had never heard of the Eurovision Song Contest before and were going to be booked as solo singers, but that consummated Pearl and Teddy as a double act. As far as we were concerned it was just another gig, but it was the easiest money we had ever had. There were two heats – one on the Monday and another on the Wednesday, with the final on Saturday night. When we won, the BBC Head of Television Light Entertainment Eric Maschwitz said he was thrilled that Pearl and I would now represent our country in the Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes. I said: 'What? What do you mean?' I didn't know we had to represent the country. We had no idea whatsoever. He gave me the dates for Cannes and I just hoped we had them available. As it happened, we did. Pearl flew out with three guys from the BBC but I was doing a small show for ATV and got a later flight."
They also tried to represent the United Kingdom again in 1960, entering two songs into the pre-selection, "Pickin' Petals" and "When The Tide Turns"; the latter made the final. It was up against Johnson's own brother, Bryan. In the end, Bryan won and went on to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960. He came second, with "Looking High, High, High". Carr and Johnson had another hit single the following year, "How Wonderful to Know", which charted at No. 23 in the UK, which was frequently played on the BBC's Family Favourites programme.
Carr and Johnson continued to appear in summer seasons around the UK and on cruise ships for the Royal Viking Line. In 1986, they were the subject of an edition of This Is Your Life. After this, they appeared in the West End revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies, playing vaudeville couple Wally and Emily Whitman, singing "Rain on the Roof". It was at the conclusion of its 18-month run in 1990 that they decided to retire. Shortly afterwards, EMI issued a CD of their joint recordings, The Magic of Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson. That year, they received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Music Hall Society.