Robie Lester was a talented American actress, voice artist, and record producer born in 1925 in Megargel, Texas. This small town was established in 1910 by the Gulf, Texas and Western Railroad, named after railroad executive Roy C. Megargel. However, Lester spent most of her childhood in northern Ontario, Canada.
Lester's early life was marked by her service in the United States Army Air Corps from 1926 to 1947. After her military service, she pursued her passion for music at the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, where she majored in music. She subsequently worked in Hollywood, singing demos for renowned songwriters like Henry Mancini and Herb Alpert.
Throughout her career, Lester provided vocals for various record labels, including Liberty Records, Warner Brothers, and A&M Records. She even sang in Spanish for the 1966 recording of "Guantanamera" by the Sandpipers. In the early 1960s, Disney songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman recommended Lester to Disney's in-house record label, and she went on to narrate and sing on numerous children's records, including "The Story and Song of the Haunted Mansion" and "Peter Cottontail and Other Funny Bunnies".
In 1965, Lester became the first "Disneyland Story Reader", reading aloud stories, acting out parts, and reminding listeners to "turn the page" in their accompanying booklet. Her iconic voice became familiar to an entire generation of young listeners.
