[2] Reading performed on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, had a residency at New York City's Copacabana nightclub and toured with Duke Ellington.

Reading is of Australian Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, English, Irish, Jamaican, Afghan and Scottish ancestry.

[6] Wilma was born in Cairns, Queensland, to an English-Irish father and a mother of Kalkatungu and Erub Islander heritage.

Her family was involved in musical theatre and jazz, and would often sing together, artists like The Mills Brothers and Nat King Cole.

They performed together at family gatherings and birthday parties before entering the radio talent show Australia's Amateur Hour.

[7] After the early success of The Reading Sisters, Wilma decided to leave music so she could focus more of her time on Softball.

Two weeks later a letter arrived from bandleader Lali Hegi, asking Wilma’s parents if the 17 year old could move to Brisbane and front his seventeen piece band at the Ritz Ballroom.

During this period, Reading was offered a job overseas - a month-long residency at the Singapore's prestigious Goodwood Hotel.

From a young age, Wilma had been determined to follow in the footsteps of her Aunt, legendary jazz singer Georgia Lee, and become a world-renowned performer.

Her residency was extended twice and developed into a series across Asia, which saw her visit Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Calcutta (now Kolkata).

[7] One evening Wilma was performing at the Tokyo Hilton Hotel when she was spotted by an American talent agent who loved her show and offered her and her dancers the opportunity to tour America.

But it was great because we could meet other people – other artists.”[11] During this period, legendary pianist, singer and actor Liberace frequently came to see her show, and she met other stars of the day, including Tony Bennett, Louis Bellson, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Dave Brubeck, and her idol Ella Fitzgerald.

Off the back of her successful residency at The Riviera Hotel, Wilma was invited to audition for the great American jazz musician and bandleader, Duke Ellington; who composed popular songs ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing’ and ‘Mood Indigo’.

Three minutes passed and then he turned to me and said: “Thank you for singing the song the way I wrote it.”[12] She was hired immediately, and joined ‘The Duke’ and his orchestra on the road, appearing in Philadelphia and New York.

After just a few months of touring, however, she made the difficult decision to leave – she wanted to progress her career and felt she wasn't able to while remaining in Ellington's shadow.

Wilma’s popular television appearances made her a star, enabling her to headline her own show across the United Kingdom.

[7] At this time, Reading successfully auditioned to replace Cleo Laine in the role of Julie La Verne in Show Boat at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End.