The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-22
Methods Of Variety Performers in
Efecting Great Popular
Success.
Thomas Dixon, Who Sang "Sally
In Our Alley" for Twenty
Years.
Maggie Cline and Bessie Bonehill, Favor
ties ut Tony Pastor's-How They
Get New SONGS.

Dixon, the minstrel, who for quarter OF q
century sang with uninterrupted success
the song, 'Sally in Our Alley" New York
variety performer of renown said the either
day: 1.-THE Origin and the originators OF
some of the songs that catch the town, are
interesting as we'll as amusing" and he was
right.
Take the case of Dixon as an instance.
He had very sweet tenor voice, but he did
not amount to anything until he happened
to stumble upon 'Sally," who had already
celebrated her two hundredth birthday.
He made tremendous hit with it. and his
singing of that one song caused him to be
in demand by managers for over twenty
years. Take another example-"My Pretty
Red Rose" This was also instrumental in
bringing Bobby Newcomb to the front. It
was written and composed by Joseph p.
Sicily, who started in life as plumber
Frank Howard, who composed "Only Pan
sey Blossom and "When the Robins Nest
Again." previous to going into minstrelsy,
was employed by patent medicine firm to
travel through the south with one of their
wagons. The scheme was, that when they
struck a town Howard was to sing the pop
ular airs of the day, and when q sufficient
crowd had assembled about the wagon, to
exhort them to .purchace bottle of DR..
Quack's pain killer, warranted to cure
everything, from corns to consumption.
Mr.. Howard ia now the owner of large
farm, and devotes his time to the raising Of
cattle.
Two of the most popular singers on tho
variety stage to-day are Maggie Cline and
Bessie Bonehill. The former had just fin
Hin Down 5 Mc sea At Tony passo1 s
the other night, when she replied in answer
to question: "How do I get my songs?
Well, I'll tell you. Some come spontane-
ously to me, others have to be sought for.
Surrounded as we are by people always on
the lookout for something new. word
dropped here, or the accidental humming
of a bar of original melody will suggest tn 9
groundwork for story or theme for a
song. In the one case set myself to think
ing until have slowed away in my brain
sufficient for Foundations; then I go to
some versifier. give him my groundwork,
and tell him to build on it.
"After numerous consultations he gets
my idea into the proper shape, and then /
hand over my little story to some good COM
poser to set to music" she went on. by
this time have pot some idea of the kind
of music that will appropriately give ex-
preston to the story and give it to him
as to the versifier and he goes through about
the same routine. In place of story sug-
costing itself to me, it may be theme for
song; in that case my methods are re-
versed. I have songs sent me almost daily.
I read them all, and when come across one
that suits me buy it"
Miss Cline said she had been a mirth-
maker from youth. but as her home in Hav-
erhill, Mass, was decidedly puritanic, she
did not get on the stage until 1879. In 1881,
Tony Pastor saw her perform in Cincinnati
and Immediately engaged her. and she has
roSro yr,n1 mn ,nrN uls 81
continually ever since.
II find it very difficult as we'll as expen-
sive to get songs that are suitable for me IN
this country" said Miss Bonehill just be-
fore she sailed for Europe the other day.
I'm the first place will not sing song
that is trashy. 1t must have moral.
find here that the people who write songs
and compose the music are entirely separate
individuals; they don't collaborate and nat
urally it is difficult matter to get music
that Is suitable for the words, and vice
versa. Consequently you give your idea
what you want; then you must hunt up
composer, and after you have found one he
is quite likely to write 'jingley' music to
pathetic verse as he is pathetic music to
'jingley' verse. This, of course, won't do,
and then you have got to spend no little
music you want. In nine cases out of ten
neither strikes the others vein.
my method of purchasing song is like
the character of song that sing-distinctly
my own" she continued. "Once song
suits me buy it outright and it remains
unpublished until personally have ex-
hausted its usefulness as far az am con-
cerned. Then, after copyrighting it, pub
lish it, and by this means add to my rev.
enue. never sing song that has been
sung by any of my sister artists, and of
course they cannot sing mine until am
through with them. The Life Sentence
which am singing now. expect to make
great hit with in England
Miss Bonehlll, who since she arrived in
this country has become Mrs. Seeley of
Seeley and West, the musical performers,
will return to this country in time to join
Tony PASTORS annual tour of the country.
She promises to bring back lots of new songs
and some startling costumes with her.