Lady June

Born: 3rd June 1931, Plymouth, England, UK. Died: 7th June 1999, Deià, Mallorca, Spain. British experimental artist, avant-garde musician, poet and 'wild-child' of the 60s & 70s. Later an activist and Spanish resident, supportive of the propagation of the 'Canterbury Scene'. Cramer, having studied at art school in the '50s, spent much of her teenage years in and around the Spanish hideout of Deià, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous in the bohemian lifestyle of the sixties. She became the catalyst to the meeting of Texan millionaire Wes Brunson and island inhabitants Daevid Allen and Kevin Ayers who were visitors to Robert Graves' home, which led to the eventual formation of Soft Machine. Cramer, following an art career as 'June Onion' began exhibiting in the UK and her work gradually began to develop a multimedia form of presentation. Many of the retinue that became known as 'The Canterbury Scene' could be found lodging at her London residence in Maida Vale, or involved in her gigs in the early '70s. Now known as 'Lady June' she had a residency at London's 'Electric Cinema', performed at The Roundhouse in the International Festival Of Experimental Sound and appeared at The Paradiso in Amsterdam among the Henry Cow & Captain Beefheart gigs. Her avant-garde style was fused with works by a wide variety of artists such as Steve Hillage, David Bedford, Ivor Cutler and Ron Geesin. Her experimental tapes were employed in a BBC Radiophone Workshop performance and she featured in other BBC appearances. It was at Gilli Smyth's birthday party in Lady June's flat in 1973 that Robert Wyatt suffered his paralyzing fall from a window. As 'Lady Jane', Cramer continued her contributions to music and art and involvement with members of Gong, working primarily from her Spanish home. Her work was part of a 'Fifty Years Of Deyan Art' broadcast on Spanish TV and arts festival in 1987. She died suddenly, in the midst of a long-term creation of work entitled 'Rebela' which, it is hoped, will emerge with the aid of musician Mark Hewins.