Julia Strother, musician and artist

Julia Strother, who has died at 65, was a watercolour artist and a talented blues and rock singer and musician who toured the north of England with her own band in the 1980s.
Julia StrotherJulia Strother
Julia Strother

Born in Leeds to Patricia Robinson, she was adopted and grew up in Armley with her new parents, the late Margery and Alfred Hubbard.

Her childhood was impoverished but her natural creative talent flourished, and she became accomplished both as an artist and musician.

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They were talents she shared with her biological siblings, whom she met in her mid 50s. Her brother was a principal member of the National Ballet and her sister ran a dance school in Wakefield.

She met her husband while working at Leeds City Fire Brigade in the 1970s. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Canada, starting a family in the north Toronto suburbs, returning after eight years with their two boys.

Through the years, art - predominantly watercolour painting - and music and singing featured heavily in her life.

As a painter, she enjoyed recreating the picturesque scenes of the people, wildlife and scenery of Yorkshire coast, especially Filey, where she had a second home. She earned a membership of the Yorkshire Watercolour Society and sold works across the country.

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In the 1980s, she formed the Julia Strother Band, which performed across the region.

Her powerful voice and accomplished musicianship put across original blues and rock music, and the band performed on television, recorded several albums, and played at Ronnie Scott’s club in Soho, London.

She died after a long illness and is survived by her husband, two sons and two grandchildren.