SHE drew an audience of 16,000, was feted like a film star, came with a personal trainer and two nurses in her retinue and put so much into her world-beating performance that she had to be taken to a nursing home to recover.

It sounds like a concert in a capital city by a star of Madonna's magnitude.

But though this was only at the Co-op rooms in Rawtenstall, the lady who shot to fame there was certainly big . . . 17 stones, in fact.

And not only did she take Rossendale by storm, she showed she was the best on earth - at playing the piano non-stop.

For, 45 years ago Musical Marie pounded the keys from Monday to Saturday in the Assembly Rooms in Queen Street to set new world record of 132 hours.

Marie - housewife Marie Ashton, of Stretford - was billed as the world's only non-stop lady marathon pianist and "17 stones of rhythm and fun."

But when she set out in 1954 to take away German holder Heinz Arntz's crown, she was actually new at the game, having begun her two previous attempts just the year before.

But what made the difference this time, she said afterwards, was the backing of Valley folk, 16,000 of whom called in as she hammered out the notes on an upright piano.

"It was their kindness in bringing gifts and messages of encouragement that helped as much as anything," she said. Certainly, Rossendale people were captivated by Marie's marathon. As she reached her target of going two hours past the old record at 11 o'clock on the Saturday, the room was packed.

The crowd, reported the Northern Daily Telegraph, joined in singing Abide With Me as Marie reached her goal.

"For good measure," it added, "she accompanied them in Now Is The Hour and She's A Lassie From Lancashire ."

The climax to this crescendo was the National Anthem - after which, said the NDT, the piano fell silent and Marie's hands had to be lifted from the keys.

"Assisted from the building, she had a reception worthy of a film star from hundreds who packed Queen Street," it reported.

"There was renewed cheering as a car rushed her to a nursing home to recuperate."

Meantime, Marie was faced with the prospect of an international career as offers came in from Norway, Denmark and America.

Five days earlier, as she started off on her musical marathon, the NDT, revealed the careful preparations - like those for a miniature D-Day, it said - that had been made for her attempt.

She found it easy to go without sleep - having, while playing for the Forces in Egypt as a member the Entertainment National Services Association, found she suffered from insomnia. She had also memorised 3,000 tunes.

To give her stamina, buttered toast, eggs and sweets would be on her diet, though her main "food" during her six days and five nights at the piano would be more than 100 bottles of fruit juice.

When going got tough, she could also call on nurses Margaret Glaze and Betty Bailes, who were on the look-out in particular for signs of Marie's wrists and ankles puffing up.

But another part of her planning would create discord with the medics today.

For the NDT revealed: "To help her along. she will smoke 100 to 150 cigarettes a day."

Apart from those that went into her finale, the newspaper did not say what other numbers were in her repertoire.

But one, surely, must have been Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.

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