Nigella Lawson - Wonderful Woman No. 101

Nigella Lawson - Born 1960
British Cookery Writer, Television Personality and Business Woman

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

Filth on a plate. Love her.
Lee, A Wonderful Man

Similarly to Courtney Love (Wonderful Woman No. 13), when Nigella's name was suggested as an addition to the Wonderful Woman album there was some protest to her inclusion.

The person who made the comment has since removed it from the internet, though she made some good points that were interesting to read. I think what is wonderful about all of the women in this album is that they have meant something to someone else. We are all influenced, inspired and in admiration of different people at different times in our lives. This album is really a celebration of those women who have been able to somehow positively impact on

someone else.

Her recipes are fantastic - I know my onions on that score. Plus, she's over 50 and looks like that! Bring on the butter!
Sarah

Despite not being a trained chef, Nigella has published nine cook books to date, many of which have received literary awards in culinary categories. Since 2000, Nigella has appeared on television in the United Kingdom presenting cookery programmes. She has also appeared on television in Australia and America. Her presenting style is provocative and often comments are as much about her seductive presenting style as they are about her food.

In addition to her writing and television career, Nigella founded her own cookware range Living Kitchen which is hugely successful, with an estimated market value of £7 Million.

Though she has her critics, Nigella is a hard-working woman who has forged out success for herself. She is passionate about her business and works with her own style and panache, I'd say that qualifies her to be included here.

I'm not someone who's endlessly patient and wonderful.
Nigella Lawson

Pauline Pearce - Wonderful Woman No. 100

Pauline Pearce - Born 1966 (Unconfirmed)
"The Hackney Heroine"

I wish this lady was in politics.
Lee, A Wonderful Man

Last year, while I still lived in my native United Kingdom, England withstood a terrible spurt of rioting in cities across the country. Most violently in London, Birmingham and my beloved Manchester. The nation watched as hoards of people ransacked our cities, destroyed businesses, set fire to buildings and terrorised neighbourhoods.

The original reason for the riots was the death of a young man in London. Though like many, I believe that the subsequent days a wreckage and violence had little to do with that event and were rather acts of organised criminalism by the forgotten under-classes. I was fixated with the rolling

BBC news channel and Twitter. In my lifetime, in my country, I had never seen anything like those riots before.

After five days, the streets were reclaimed, the post-mortem by newspapers and television began and then ended when the next big story came along.

Through these events, some remarkable people came to the public's attention. Not politicians, who were slow to respond and ineffectual when they did, spouting rhetoric about "broken society" and blaming social media, but ordinary people who did extraordinary things. The people who organised mass clean-ups in the area's where the chaotic events had taken place, the huge display of compassion and dignity from Tariq Jahan whose 21 year old son was one of three young men killed whilst attempting to protect their neighbourhood, and the bravery of a woman with a walking stick by the name of Pauline Pearce.

Pauline stood in the midst of rioters and looters in Hackney wielding the stick she uses to walk with because of severe arthritis, shouting words of disgust at their actions, chastising their greed and thuggery. An ordinary woman who felt the need to raise her voice and say that what was happening was wrong, as I write this, I am reminded of Rosa Parks (Wonderful Woman No. 12), another extraordinary woman who felt the power in her soul to raise her voice and be heard. Despite the personal danger these women faced, they still spoke up and said that what was happening was immoral and wrong.

Undoubtably, a Wonderful Woman.

The problem here is that you are born and you come out of hospital and you are brought to the estate and you hardly ever leave it after that. Not for christenings, not for birthdays, not for weddings, not for funerals. People turn inwards and can't see a way out.
Pauline Pearce

>>>> That's 100 women in the blog. There are already more than a hundred more in the album who will appear here in time. A huge thank you to everyone who has made suggestions, to all those who have shared the link to the blog, for all the positive comments and thanks to everyone for reading. The experience of celebrating these women is truly wonderful. <<<<<

Dawn French - Wonderful Woman No. 99

Dawn French - Born 1957
British Comedienne, Actress and Screenwriter

After my wonderful friend, Sarah added Jennifer Saunders (Wonderful Woman No. 92) to the album, it seemed unfair not to have Dawn French in there too, especially given that she is also a woman I have liked and admired for a very long time.

Like Jennifer, Dawn is a woman who has worked her way into the hearts of the British public and is an integral part of modern British comedy.

I wrote about the early career of the comedy duo and how they had met while studying to be drama teachers in the post about Jennifer. I won't go through the catalogue of achievements the fantastic pair have accomplished for a second time but it is worth reaffirming the greatness of French and Saunders, their joint career in it's fourth decade and as popular as ever.

Aside from working with Jennifer, Dawn has separately appeared on television in many guises, both in comedies such

as; The Vicar of Dibley, Ted and Alice, Murder Most Horrid and Psychoville and in dramas like; Lark Rise to Candleford and Marple. She has also appeared in a number of feature films, including one of the Harry Potter series. In theatre, she has appeared in plays including Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and a role in the Donizetti opera La Fille du Régiment. Her talent is widely acclaimed and adorned with numerous awards, including no less than three BAFTAs.

In addition to her industry awards, Dawn was once voted the most admired female celebrity amongst women in Britain.

And that last part is unsurprising to me. Though clearly very talented, intelligent and funny, somehow through the screen Dawn has this way of making you feel like you are her friend. She isn't afraid of herself, she says things many of us would like to say but embarrassment stops us, she throws herself into things, laughs like a loon and isn't afraid to look silly. I have a lot of warmth towards this woman, though we never met, I feel like I have known her my whole life. This woman I know so well is very, very wonderful.

Turn up your radio. Watch lots of telly and eat loads of choc. Feel guilty. Stay up all night. Learn everything in six hours that has taken you two years to compile. That's how I did it.
Dawn French

Jeanette Winterson - Wonderful Woman No. 98

Jeanette Winterson - Born 1959
British Author

As first novels go, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson takes some beating. The book is based on Jeanette's own life experiences and won the Whitbread Prize for a First Novel in 1985. It was later adapted into a BAFTA award winning television series by the BBC.

Jeanette was raised by an adoptive family in Lancashire, England, as in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, the family had strict religious faith and were often cruel and cold towards her. As a sixteen year old lesbian, Jeanette's adoptive mother had a priest perform an exorcism on Jeanette to release her sexual demons before throwing her out of the family home. She supported herself with part-time jobs through college and through university, reading English at St Catherine's College, Oxford. She was a determined and ambitious young woman, who did not allow her personal situation and finances stand in the way of her goal.

Following Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Jeanette has since written a further 20+ published books to date. Her other publications have been rewarded with many literary prizes and have reached the best-sellers lists on several occasions. She has also written for the stage and had other work adapted for screen.

A strong supporter in charity, Jeanette donated all proceeds from her 2009 book, Dog Days to Oxfam.

Jeanette has spoken publicly in support of adoption, drawing on her own experiences and knowledge (even though her experience was not an altogether positive one, she still believes that having a family was important). Last year she appeared in the press discussing the lack of successful adoptions taking place in England - it is reported that in 2011, only 60 took place.

To me, Jeanette is wonderful because of the stories she tells but to have lived through her tormented childhood, to have dragged herself through financial hardship to educate herself and then to go on with a positive direction, help others and tell those stories is more than wonderful.

I always would have been my own woman.
Jeanette Winterson

Gina Lollobrigida - Wonderful Woman No. 97

Gina Lollobrigida - Born 1927
Italian Actress, Photographer, Sculptor and Political Activist

Added to the album by Sandy, A Wonderful Woman

As I sit writing from my Sicilian balcony about this wonderful Italian woman, I find myself reflecting once again on the role women have in this society. As I wrote in the entry on Sophia Loren (Wonderful Woman No. 88), the importance of the female in Italy is clear. Indeed, on March 8th, I enjoyed my first Festa Della Donna, the Italian day of celebrating the female in society. I suspect a better historian than I could explain in depth the importance of the female in ancient Rome and tell you all about goddesses and how this history has filtered through into modern life... I can only presume to know a little about this but there certainly seems to be a more clearly defined appreciation for women here than I have experienced in some other countries.

In her youth, beautiful Gina won a number of beauty pageants which lead to her getting acting work in a number of Italian films. She appeared in European films from the mid 1940s and made her Hollywood debut in 1953.

She made numerous films throughout the 1950s and '60s, appearing alongside some of the film industry's most recognisable leading men, including; Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson and Sean Connery, to name just a few. Though her acting career slowed down from the 1970s, she continued to make films in both America and Europe until the 1990s. She also appeared in a number of television programmes. Her talent was acknowledged by numerous awards in Europe and a Golden Globe in the USA.

During the 1970s, alongside her acting career, Gina embarked on a career as a photographer, picturing stars such as Salvador Dalí, Henry Kissinger and fellow Wonderful Women; Audrey Hepburn (Wonderful Woman No. 30) and Ella Fitzgerald (yet to be blogged). Through her photojournalism, she interviewed and photographed the notoriously elusive Cuban Prime Minister, Fidel Castro.

Gina is also a celebrated sculptress, her work has been show in exhibitions worldwide.

She has a keen interest in politics, with liberal views. She previously ran to be elected as a European Member of Parliament in Italy and was a Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

A Wonderful Woman of many talents, who has busied herself with involvement in the arts and the politics of her home nation and the world.

All my life, I've had too many admirers.
Gina Lollobrigida

Beatrix Potter - Wonderful Woman No. 96

Beatrix Potter - 1866–1943
British Children's Author, Illustrator, Natural Scientist and Conservationist

Added to the album by Kate, A Wonderful Woman

The lovely Beatrix Potter? [I] have all her books, loved her as a child and still love her today.
Kate

When we were children, our mother would read to my siblings and I every night. It was part of the routine; supper, bath, pyjamas, bed, book, goodnight. My sister, my brother and I all developed a love of books, which has stayed with us to this day. Not that I have had any children of my own but, as a teacher, I really feel this practise is so important to young lives, it opens up new worlds and a form of escapism. If children learn to love books, that's one of the greatest things they can love.

When we were young, my wonderful sister, Emma's favourite books were always the tales of Beatrix Potter.

In 1902, Beatrix's first story was published, The Tale of Peter Rabbit remains the most popular of thirty-three published books. Her stories usually centre around creatures of Beatrix's native British countryside; Mrs Tiggywinkle the hedgehog, Squirrel Nutkin and Jemima Puddle-Duck to name but a few. The stories were accompanied by wonderfully accurate drawings of the creatures, a skill Beatrix had learned while being home-schooled by governesses and then, unusually for a young woman of the time, studying natural sciences at college.

While studying science, Beatrix further developed a love of the natural world. She was interested in astronomy, studying archaeological findings and particularly in mycology. She spent much of her time as a student analysing and studying by microscope various fungi, interested in their germination and spores.

Drawings she created of fungi at this time can still be viewed in two British museums and though her career as a scientist never flourished, her drawings and findings are considered accurate and relevant, indeed in 1997 the Linnean Society issued a posthumous apology to Potter for the sexism displayed in its handling of her research - perhaps this sexism (not unlike that received by Gertrude Elion - Wonderful Woman No. 86 and Rosalind Franklin - Wonderful Woman No. 69) the reason her career took another path.

Beatrix was also a keen conservationist, with a particular passion for the preservation of The Lake District, where she bought, restored and preserved a number of farms. She also worked hard at preserving Herdwick Sheep, an indigenous species to the fells and because of this she was named President-elect of The Herdwick Sheepbreeders’ Association in 1942, the first time a woman had ever been elected to the position, she sadly died before being able to take the post.

An incredibly interesting and unique woman. A wonderful combination of science and art, a person who has brought joy into the lives of children and adults alike and one who loved and respected the world into which she was born.

Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.
Beatrix Potter

Marianne Faithfull - Wonderful Woman No. 95

Marianne Faithfull - Born 1946
British Singer, Songwriter and Actress

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

In my native Britain, certain footage of London in the 1960s gets shown on television again and again. There are certain people that always appear, so much so that they seem to stop being people and are just a part of those images, part of that piece of cultural history and Marianne Faithfull has always been that for me... just a part of the swinging '60s, not a person at all. Until now of course, following Vicky's suggestion and reading about the life of this woman, forming an understanding of how she is wonderful, interesting and human.

Marianne began her singing career in 1964 and soon became a regular face on the London social scene. She met various celebrities and sexual relationships with a number, before becoming the girlfriend of Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones. In the 60's she released a number of singles and also co-wrote some tracks with Mick and the band.

Her music career has spanned six decades. In total she has released twenty albums and a number of additional compilations. She is noted for her raspy voice and melancholic lyrics. She has recorded with a plethora of major artists from everywhere in the musical spectrum, including; Metallica, Blur and PJ Harvey (Another Wonderful Woman). Additionally to her own music career, she has also been the inspiration for a number of songs, not just by The Rolling Stones but also by The Beatles and Graham Nash, amongst others.

Faithfull's gritty alto is a cracked and halting rasp, the voice of a woman who's been to hell and back on the excursion fare which, of course, she has.
Dr. John. Nash, Pianist and Reviewer

As well as a career in music, Marianne has had a long and successful acting career. Appearing in theatre productions such as The Threepenny Opera, Three Sisters and The Rocky Horror Show. She has acted in films such as I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name (with Orson Wells) and Irina Palm, for which she received a Best Actress nomination for the 2007 European Film Awards. Marianne has appeared on television in Britain, France and the USA many times, including twice playing god in Jennifer Saunder's (Wonderful Woman No. 92) Absolutely Fabulous.

Though these career achievements are really very wonderful, Marianne's life has been overshadowed by turbulence and crisis. Marianne is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, she spent much of the 1970s homeless, had her first child taken into care, miscarried another and suffered from anorexia. She has had periods of acute depression, attempting suicide at one point. She is diagnosed as having Hepatitis C and throughout her life has had a number of health problems, including breast cancer (for which she received treatment in the '00s).

Next time I am in the UK and they show the black and white footage of London's swinging '60s on TV, I'll remember to think about the human and not just see the iconography. To think about how a woman went into the very deepest part of despair and came back wonderful.

The establishment didn't manage to destroy me.
Marianne Faithfull

Tina Weymouth - Wonderful Woman No. 94

Tina Weymouth - Born 1950
American Musician and Music Producer

Added to the album by Gavin, A Wonderful Man

Another excellent suggestion from Gavin and one I did not know too much about before the suggestion. Finding out more about the women suggested to the album is a real pleasure, thank you again to Gavin and all those of you who have made suggestions so far.

As a student, Tina was one of the founding members of the band Talking Heads. She played bass guitar with the visionary rock band who took influences from soul, reggae, funk and world music. With the band, Tina recorded ten studio albums, four of which appeared on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Aside from Talking Heads, Tina formed and played bass with The Tom Tom Club and released five studio albums. She has also produced records for the likes of The Happy Mondays and has played with the virtual band The Goralliaz.

Another Wonderful Woman who rocks.

Make it, not make it? What's the difference? Music is a language, it's a dance of life, and it can be a part of your life without being something that earns.
Tina Weymouth

Loleatta Holloway - Wonderful Woman No. 93

Loleatta Holloway - 1946-2011
American Singer

Added to the album by Lee, A Wonderful Man

Like me, Lee, the man who added Loleatta Holloway to the Wonderful Women album is a little bit obsessed by disco and the disco era. If ever there was a person who personified the word disco, Loleatta is it. And if ever there was an artist whose records I could listen to all day and all night, Loleatta is it.

You may remember in the entry for Gwen McRae (Wonderful Woman No. 89), I wrote about how her music reminded me of the club night Out of the Gloom which I ran in Manchester, England for five years... well, the same can be said of Loleatta, mixed in with a host of other great memories such as The Southport Weekender, Body & Soul and Lee's own night Northern Disco (with which I also had some involvement). Her music is ingrained in the happiest section of my memory bank, a very wonderful place indeed.

Put her right up at the top as one of the greatest voices in the world.
Carol Williams, Singer and Friend

After a childhood filled with singing in gospel choirs, Loleatta first signed a recording contract at the beginning of the 1970s. Her first release was an emotional, deep, soul-filled cover of the Curtis Mayfield track Rainbow, retitled Rainbow '71 to determine it's year of release. Throughout the 1970s, she released a string of soul and disco records, including a number with the Salsoul Orchestra. Notable releases include Hit & Run, Love Sensation, Runaway and Re-light My Fire with Dan Hartman (all of the above are firm favourites of mine).

The soul, the emotion, the disco - everything about Loleatta Holloway.
Gilles Peterson, DJ and Record Label Owner

During the 1980s, Loleatta's career continued, as she moved into recording house tracks. And then in 1989, the dance group Black Box had a massive hit with Ride On Time, which heavily used sampling from Love Sensation (though Loleatta was not credited on the release). She went on to have another dance hit with the band Capella's release Take Me Away. And in 1991, she appeared on the single Good Vibrations with Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

Her career spanned into the 2000s, giving her four great decades in the music industry. She released nine albums, as well as her amazing discography of singles. She was adored by disco lovers the world over and her records remain in the bags of DJs every Friday and Saturday night, a few bars of Runaway and the dance floor is full of arms raised in the air - a truly wonderful sight!

I was genuinely saddened when I heard of her death last year, we did a spotlight tribute night on the radio show I presented at the time, it seemed right that we marked the passing of someone whose records we played consistently and someone who had been another part of the soundtrack of our lives. The thing is with a voice like hers, they never really die, they go on living through music and the happiness, the shared joy and the expression of emotion the music brings into our lives... and that is incredibly wonderful.

I would always put myself in the situation of the song: if this was me in this situation, what would I do? What would I say? So when it started I’d just go straight from the top of my head whatever I felt from the moment. In ‘Dreamin’’, for example, that is the stuff I would’ve said to another woman.
Loleatta Holloway

Jennifer Saunders - Wonderful Woman No. 92

Jennifer Saunders - Born 1958
British Comedienne, Actress and Screenwriter

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

It seems like a very long time ago that I wrote about Victoria Wood (Wonderful Woman No. 21), the only other Comedienne in the blog so far (though there are others in the album, who will follow). My wonderful friend, Sarah's suggestion of Jennifer Saunders was most welcome and I am in complete agreement about the wonderfulness of this woman.

There are many moments of television that I fondly remember and am thankful to Jennifer Saunders for, most notably her hillarious sketchs with Dawn French (Another Wonderful Woman) and the brilliance of the series Absolutely Fabulous.

After graduating as Drama Teachers, Jennifer and her fellow student and housemate Dawn began to perform their comic act together under the name The Menopause Sisters, in various theatres. In the early 1980s, the duo were signed up to become members of the stage and television crew The Comic Strip, their femininity playing a part in their acception as until that point, the group had consisted entirely of men.

In 1985, Jennifer co-wrote and starred in the British sit-com Girls On Top, the show ran for two series and was a ratings success. Jennifer has appeared in a great many sit-coms since Girls On Top, including Happy Families, The Young One's and American shows such as Friends and Roseanne.

The sketch show French and Saunders began in 1987 and has reappeared on British television at various times ever since, an integeral part of the BBC and a show ingrained on the British public's mindset. As is, Absolutely Fabulous, created by Jennifer in 1992, hugely popular in the United Kingdom and America, the show ran for thirteen years and was recently revisited, Jennifer's character Edina and Joanna Lumley's (Another Wonderful Woman) Patsy both cult icons and instantly recognisable.

In addition to her comedic work, Jennifer has written a number of screen plays and shows, starring in some. She also appears in acting roles in a number of feature films including; In the Bleak Midwinter, Muppet Treasure Island and the voice of the deranged Fairy Godmother in Shrek.

She is twice a BAFTA winner, an International Emmy Award Winner, a Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award winner, as well as being acknowledged with a plethora of other industry awards. She is a great among her peers and loved by both the British and American public.

She is wonderfully funny, wonderfully talented and wonderfully womanly.

Men would find it much harder because men have such odd personal relationships with each other. They don't really emotionally connect, whereas women do. I think women become very close.
Jennifer Saunders

Nina Hagen - Wonderful Woman No. 91

Nina Hagen - Born 1955
German Singer, Songwriter and Actress

Added to the album by Sandy, A Wonderful Woman

A reoccurring theme in this album is women who are completely unique, incomparable with any other female, women who have carved an entirely new way of existing out for themselves. Since reading more about and listening to the music of Nina Hagen following Sandy's suggestion, it is clear that Nina Hagen is another prime example of women who have not followed the female protocol, who are themselves and like no-one else. And again, I find myself acknowledging how truly wonderful the ability to do this is.

Nina was born in the former communist East Germany, from which she escaped following the dramatic expulsion of her step-father in 1976. Indeed, some of her early recordings make reference to the communist regime and sterility of living within.

In the 1970s, Nina fronted the German punk group Automobil. After two albums with the band, she went solo under the moniker Spliff and then later using her own name. Nina has released 16 studio albums, the latest in 2011. In addition, she released two E.P.s and a number of compilations. Her performance style has always been edgy and provocative, in the late 1970s she was heavily critised for a televised performance in which she demonstrated female masturbation (though fully clothed), her performances are highly charged, aggressive and filled with a message of female sexual liberation.

In addition to her music career, Nina has appeared in a number of feature films and has presented television shows both in Germany and other countries, including Britain.

A woman with her own style, her own attitude and her own way of living... definitely wonderful.

You have to see my show to believe that I'm the only unique Nina Hagen on this planet.
Nina Hagen

Judy Blume - Wonderful Woman No. 90

Judy Blume - Born 1938
American Author

Added to the album by Natalie, A Wonderful Woman

Her books taught me a lot when I was growing up... every girl (and boy) growing up should read Judy Blume books.
Natalie

Good call!
Gemma, Another Wonderful Woman

I must admit that I have never read a Judy Blume book myself, though I have heard many women of my generation speak of her and of how her books played a significant educational narrative to their teenage years. In particular, my wonderful friend Andrea has mentioned on many occasions how these stories were of importance in the transition from childhood to womanhood.

In total, Judy wrote almost thirty books over five decades. Her stories tackled controversial issues, in particular those affecting teenagers. She wrote about the troubles of adolescence, menstration and masturbation, about sex, relationships and love, there were stories about racism and other prejudices, about divorce, bullying and religion.

Her books were often critisised due to their content and suitability for young readers. They created discussion and debate and faced censorship a number of times. This censorship lead to Judy joining the National Coalition Against Censorship, believing that there must always be freedom in literature.

Her books have been successful internationally and she has won many awards for her writing, including the Library of Congress Living Legends award in the Writers and Artists category for her significant contributions to America's cultural heritage.

For her services to anxious teenagers everywhere, Judy really is a wonderful woman.

It's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.
Judy Blume

Gwen McRae - Wonderful Woman No. 89

Gwen McRae - Born 1943
American Singer

I once said on a radio show I was presenting that I thought Gwen McRae was my all-time favourite female vocalist. That is a bold statement and since I started writing this blog, I have written at length how I have been moved by great singers from Billie Holiday (Wonderful Woman No. 4) to Sharon Redd (Wonderful Woman No. 76), well, Gwen is right up there with them for me.

And when I hear her music, happy memories come flooding back; A boyfriend I adored presenting me with a CD of her music; DJs at the club night I ran for five years dropping one of her tracks into their sets. She reminds me of the good times and, I know I have written this about singers before, her voice is like an old friend, instantly recognisable, always welcome.

Gwen grew up singing in church and then from a young age was performing in clubs in her home state of Florida in the United States. In 1963, aged just twenty, she met and married a sailor named George McRae. It was with her husband that she first began a recording career. The couple enjoyed some chart success with their duos but it was separately that they both were catapulted to fame, George with Rock Your Baby and Gwen with Rockin' Chair. Gwen has released fourteen albums, including one with George, between 1974 and 2006.

Her voice is an inspiration and influence on many artists and she has been sampled extensively, most notably (to my ears, anyway) by the amazing French House producers Cassius on their 1999 track Feeling For You which sampled All This Love That I'm Giving.

With soul music lovers everywhere, the name Gwen McRae brings a smile to our faces. Bringing such happiness to the lives of music lovers is magnificently wonderful, I am privileged to have her music in my life.

I touch a lot of souls and speak of love when I sing.
Gwen McRae