Music Hall Songs, Singers and Song-writers, and the enduring legacy of Music Hall and Variety Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay Music Hall, its Songs, Singers and Influence Music Hall was a form of entertainment in Britain, similar to Vaudeville in America and to Cabaret in France and elsewhere in Europe. It arose initially in the mid-1800s from competition between public bars, who provided food and entertainment to attract and retain customers. Before long dedicated Music Halls were built with a stage at one end, but unlike traditional theatres the floor was filled with tables and chairs for the customers. The entertainment provided consisted mainly of singers and comedians, but included a wide range of variety acts and popular entertainment. Many singers and acts became very popular, essentially the pop stars and celebrities of the day, such that some stars became the main attraction. There was significant demand for new songs, and song-writers were busy meeting that demand. Music Hall Songs were in a sense the forerunner of "Pop Songs", a concept that emerged in the 1950s.

The Growth of London and Regional Music Halls In the early 1800s there was a wide variety of venues for people to eat and drink and socialise. These catered for various classes of customer and might be known as cyder cellars, public houses, supper rooms, taverns, saloon bars and pleasure gardens. Typically these venues provided entertainment, possibly in a separate room requiring an admission fee outwith the main public area. Demand for the entertainment increased and various entrepreneurs spotted the business opportunity and converted or built custom music halls, to which they recruited popular artists from the various Song and Supper Bars. Charles Morton was one of those men and he built the Canterbury Music Hall in 1852 which could initially seat 700 people. The hall was later extended and other similar establishments were built in London and elsewhere. The biggest Music Halls and some of the best known singers were London-based, and many well-known songs refer to London landmarks and culture. Some famous London venues included "The Eagle Tavern", "The Gaiety Theatre" in the Strand, "The London Pavilion" and "The Alhambra" in Leicester Square.

The Eagle Tavern on City Road was frequented by Charles Dickens and immortalised in the song Pop Goes the Weasel whose lyrics mention "In and Out of the Eagle". Many songs originating at the time became strongly associated with London and particularly Cockney culture. Many such examples are of the "Knees Up" variety such as "Any Old Iron" and "Boiled Beef and Carrots" (both popularised by Harry Champion), and "Knees Up Mother Brown" which later became the Sherman Brothers' inspiration for "Step in Time" sung by the Chimney Sweeps in Mary Poppins. A number of songs include local slang words including Cockney Rhyming Slang. However the phenomenon of Music Hall was not just about London which had hundreds of halls, the concept was widespread across the UK with many regional Music Halls in all the major cities. To take just one other region, the Music Hall style of entertainment was very popular in Scotland. Glasgow in particular with its denser population had a thriving music hall tradition. Comedian Stan Laurel was born in Scotland to a theatrical family, and started out in Music Hall before emigrating to the US.

His first puplic appearance was at Glasgow's Britannia Music Hall (then called the "Panopticon") in 1906. Other entertainers sang songs with a Scottish theme both on their home turf but also in various locations across the world. Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950) started out in Scottish and British theatres singing songs such as "Roamin' in the Gloamin'", "I Love a Lassie", "A Wee Deoch-an-Doris", and "Keep Right on to the End of the Road". His trademark costume consisted of a kilt, tweed jacket, "Tam o'shanter" hat and crooked walking-stick, which defined the popular international image of a Scotsman. Will Fyffe (1885-1947) may have been born in Dundee, but he also became an international star singing the song "I Belong To Glasgow". The Britannia Panopticon still holds events in Glasgow and calls itself "The World's Oldest Surviving Music Hall" since it opened in 1857 (see the Britannia Panopticon website).

Music Hall Songs and the Impact of War in Europe The Musical aspect of Music Hall entertainment was a large and far-reaching business, and in many ways it was the forerunner of what we now call the Popular Music Business. The public-facing part of that business were the entertainers and singers themselves. They were the stars and celebrities of the era, with their pictures on posters, people saw them, read about them in the papers, they spread gossip about them, and they generally had a good income. Behind the scenes were the impresarios of Music Hall, often the owners of the music halls themselves or their managers and directors who contracted and organised the entertainment. Then there were the song-writers, composers and lyricists who created the material for the stars. Music Hall started before recording techniques were commonplace, so this was quite different from today's music business. However composers and song-writers made a respectable income from sheet music sales. Most middle class homes at the time had a piano and sheet music sales were much greater than today. Reflecting that, we have used a number of images of original period sheet music to illustrate this article.

Music Halls songs covered a huge variety of subjects, though those that have stayed popular tended to be based on timeless concepts with a memorable chorus where audiences could join in. Many were simple love songs, though sometimes with a twist or an endearing metaphor such as "The Honeysuckle and the Bee", "If you were the only girl in the world" or Daisy Bell with its "Bicycle Built for Two". Some memorable songs had a certain feel-good factor such as I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside which endured far beyond its music hall origins, or Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay with its suggestion of naughty Parisian night-life, and some such as Don't Dilly Dally on the Way told an engaging narrative but included a wealth of social commentary from the period. There were also humorous songs sung by comedians such as the Harry Champion, and songs with a degree of clever innuendo such as Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow-Wow . Of course Music Hall entertainment was heavily influenced by the events of World War I (and later by World War II). Some Music Hall songs were sung by soldiers in the forces, and conversely those songs sung by the troops were included in Music Hall acts.

It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary was written in 1912 by Jack Judge (1872-1938) whose grandparents came from Tipperary in Ireland. The song became a favourite with the armed forces during the war, and remained popular in Music Halls for many years. Other war-time favourites included "Keep the Home-Fires Burning" composed in 1914 by Ivor Novello and Lena Gilbert Ford, and "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag" written by brothers George Henry and Felix Powell. Some of these same songs reappeared during World War II, but new songs were popularised by the singer Vera Lynn including "White Cliffs of Dover" and "We'll Meet Again". "Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner" was written by Hubert Gregg (1914-2004) in response to the London bombings during WWII, and even the children's song "Run Rabbit Run" was subverted by Flanagan and Allen who changed the lyrics to "Run, Adolf".

This style of song, particularly "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" and "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag", seems to have inspired the theme song for TV's "Dad's Army". This series was set during World War II but since it was not about soldiers on the front but about the Home Guard who generally consisted of older men, an older more traditional style of song seemed appropriate. Thus series co-creator Jimmy Perry wrote the lyrics for "Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler?" and composed the music with Derek Taverner. The theme song was recorded for the series by popular music hall entertainer Bud Flanagan (1896-1968) shortly before he died. The song was true to the war-time songs sung by Flanagan and Allen (Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen) who helped morale during WWII with songs such as "We're Going To Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line". Music Halls and Variety Shows The concept of the Royal Variety Performance originated in the Music Hall era.

It was initially called the Royal Command Performance, and it soon became an annual event with members of the Royal Family in attendance and the show raising funds for the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund. The first event was held in 1912 with King George V and Queen Mary in attendance at the Palace Theatre in London's West End. (The Palace Theatre had been converted from the failed Royal English Opera House 20 years earlier in 1892.) Although this is a traditional theatre (with all seating facing the stage) many of the artists performing were from a music hall tradition. The first show starred Vesta Tilley, Vesta Victoria, Harry Lauder, Gus Elen, Dan Leno and the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Notably absent was Marie Lloyd because the organisers considered her act to be too risqué for royalty. Instead she staged a rival show on the same night at a nearby theatre, billed as "By Command of the British Public". There is little real difference between the style of entertainment at a Variety Show and the entertainment provided at Music Halls.

Both are likely to feature several singers and comedians, with other performers including magicians, acrobats, dancers, male and female impersonators, ventriloquists, etc. with a master of ceremonies to introduce the acts to the audience. The only real difference between the two is the layout of the venue where the show is held. However, the concept of Variety (and the broader idea of "Light Entertainment") has lasted longer than Music Halls, perhaps because Variety translates more directly from the stage to television. Indeed TV variety shows were broadcast regularly in the latter half of the 20th century, and the Royal Variety Performance is still broadcast annually. "The Muppet Show" is a TV show using the puppet techniques of Jim Henson and Frank Oz. In many ways the show looks back to the traditions of variety and vaudeville. The series is similar to a sketch show, but is full of songs with a lot of these performed on a stage. Statler and Waldorf are the two old men in the balcony who comment on the acts on stage. Their regular heckling is probably true to life in its portrayal of such variety shows.

On the series Miss Piggy performed "Don't Dilly Dally on the Way", "Waiting at the Church" and "The Boy in the Gallery" accompanied by Rowlf on the piano, Fozzie Bear has sung (Wotcher) Knocked 'Em In The Old Kent Road dressed as a "Pearly King", and a guest puppet sang "Burlington Bertie from Bow", and many other actual or similarly-styled music hall songs have also been performed by various puppets. The Muppets also released a vinyl single called "The Muppet Show Music Hall" which included 4 music hall tracks from the series. One particular show which celebrated the days of Music Hall was "The Good Old Days" which remained on television from 1953 to 1983. The show was presented by the actor Leonard Sachs who had helped to found the "Players' Theatre" in London, and "The Good Old Days" (held in Leeds) continued the same nostalgic tradition that had become popular at the theatre. Everything about the TV show aimed to recreate the sounds and sights of the music hall era.

The entertainers wore period costume and so did the audience, since admittance was free to those dressed appropriately and people were eager to join in the spirit of the show. The acts were performed in a Victorian or Edwardian style, sometimes re-creating period acts, and many popular entertainers of the day appeared in the show including Arthur Askey, Rod Hull, Bruce Forsyth, Barry Cryer and Roy Castle. The show helped to introduce many original Music Hall songs to a new audience, with the closing song being "Down at the Old Bull and Bush". In addition to these period songs, the programme also featured a number of show tunes from musicals, particularly if these were close in style to the original songs. So audiences would hear songs like "We're a Couple of Swells" from Easter Parade, or songs from musicals with a London setting including "Half a Sixpence", "Oliver!", "Mary Poppins" or "My Fair Lady" with its Cockney favourite "Get Me To the Church on Time" sung by Stanley Holloway in both stage and film versions. The Enduring Influence of Music Hall In the 20th century Music Hall started to decline.

Although the World Wars changed the focus of Music Halls, the biggest change was competition from many other forms of entertainment. Music Halls had to compete with the Cinema, with Dance Halls and with Jazz Music, and later Radio and Television reduced audience numbers even further. By 1960 most Music Halls had closed their doors. However "Variety Shows" (essentially the same style of mixed entertainment) continued in theatres and on television. Many singers who started out in Music Halls made a successful transition into other media such as Radio and Television. Indeed for much of the 20th century there was regular cross-over of songs and artists between Music Hall/Vaudeville and stage & film musicals/shows and later with records, radio and television. Performers who started out in Music Hall include Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Arthur Askey, George Formby (with his ukelele) and Gracie Fields. All these artists and more had very successful careers beyond Music Hall. Since it is set in the East End of London where Cockney traditions arose, the TV show "EastEnders" does from time to time use music hall songs if the series has a pub or party sing-song.

Indeed the influence of Cockney Music Hall songs is particularly strong. We've already mentioned that "Knees Up Mother Brown" was the inspiration for Chimney Sweeps' "Step in Time" in Mary Poppins (1964). That song in turn was probably the model for "Me Ol' Bamboo" in another Sherman Brothers' musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). The song "Flash, Bang, Wallop!" in the musical Half a Sixpence (1967) also seems to have a Cockney flavour to it. The song's lyrics "Stick it in your fam'ly album" echo the rhythm of the Cockney phrase "How's yer father? Al'right!" which is often sung to the instrumental section following the chorus of "Any Old Iron". The Cockney penchant for short rhythmic phrases was also used by the composer Quincy Jones in his music for the film The Italian Job (1969) with a smattering of Rhyming Slang. Incidentally the phrase "How's your Father?" was popularised by music-hall comedian Harry Tate (1872-1940).

Moving beyond East London, songs such as Daisy Bell and I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside are familiar to millions. Such songs have survived relatively unscathed, long after the tradition of Music Hall has died. In many ways these better known songs have become a form of traditional folk music known and recognised by lots of people. Children may learn the songs in school or from their parents, or hear them on television and films. Another enduring influence is the way that the songs of the music hall period have influenced later songwriters, both those involved in Music Theatre and those writing popular music. As already noted, many songs from musicals have adopted a similar style to these early songs. Paul McCartney's father was a Music Hall entertainer and many people have noted this influence in his songs such as "When I'm Sixty-Four". Chas & Dave were a popular duo recording many hit records in the 1970s and 80s, often in the Cockney style which had its origins in the music hall era, including the song "Rabbit" with its rhyming slang.

Some pop acts have even recorded cover versions of Music Hall songs such as Herman Hermit's 1965 version of "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am", Davy Jones' pre-Monkees recording of "Any Old Iron", Blur's covers of "Daisy Bell" and Let's All Go Down the Strand and Bruce Springsteen singing The Flying Trapeze . As the music business undergoes yet another revolution, it will be interesting to see how music hall traditions will last. The following sections provide a set of references about Music Hall, its Songs, its Songwriters and Singers, with links to Videos, DVDs, CDs, museums and other Websites. A Selection of Music Hall songs Here is a small selection from the best known music hall songs. This first section with links to the songs, will take you to a dedicated page providing more detailed information about the song, and allow you to download the Piano/Vocal sheet music with lyrics, plus midi and mp3 files. Daisy Bell is perhaps the most famous music hall song, and is sometimes called "Bicycle Built for Two".

It was sung in the Music Halls by Katie Lawrence, and then famously by the computer HAL in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" Don't Dilly Dally on the Way tells an unusual but endearing story. It was first popularised by Marie Lloyd, and became another music hall classic Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow-Wow was often performed holding a kitten on stage. Vesta Victoria first sang it in London and May Belford made it popular in Paris I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside started off in British Music Halls sung by Mark Sheridan, but has since proved popular at many seaside resorts. Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay started as a US Vaudeville song, but quickly became popular in London and Paris.

It was later recycled for the US children's TV show "Howdy Doody" The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo was inspired by a true event reported in the news, when someone won over a million francs at a Monte Carlo casino The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (or simply "The Flying Trapeze") was inspired by the real life trapeze artist Jules Léotard It's a Long Way to Tipperary is a music hall song which seemed to resonate with soldiers who were far from home during World War I Let's All Go Down the Strand (Have a Banana!) is a feel-good song which mentions some London landmarks including the Strand where the "Gaiety Theatre" music hall was located Knocked Them in the Old Kent Road (or "Wot Cher!") is a fun Cockney song full of slang terms but still easily understood Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green (subtitled "The Broken-Hearted Milkman") was an early music hall song by Harry Clifton (1832–1872) which seems to owe its style to English folk song Here is a further selection of well-known music hall songs.

We are unable to provide sheet music for these at the current time, but some of these are candidates to provide sheet music at a later date. "The Honeysuckle and the Bee" or "You Are My Honey-Honeysuckle" was another popular song of the period, and recently heard on the TV series "Mr. Selfridge". It was written in 1901 by William H. Penn (music) & Albert H. Fitz (lyrics) "Burlington Bertie" is a music hall song composed by Harry B. Norris in 1900 and sung by Vesta Tilley dressed as an upper class man. The lyrics were adapted in 1915 by William Hargreaves to become "Burlington Bertie from Bow". This was performed by Hargreaves' wife Ella Shields who dressed as a poor man from Bow (a poor area in East London) who had upper class pretensions. This version seems to be the inspiration for Irving Berlin's song "A Couple of Swells". "Seaside Girls" was also composed by Harry B. Norris and also sung by Vesta Tilley as a man.

The song has a claim to fame because James Joyce mentioned it in his novel "Ulysses". "If you were the only girl in the world" was written in 1916 by Nat D. Ayer (1887-1952) and Clifford Grey (1887-1941). It is a happy love song which has been covered by lots of artists, including Perry Como, Doris Day and Barbra Streisand "Any Old Iron" is a Cockney favourite, first sung by Harry Champion who popularised the song in the music halls and who later recorded it. It was written in 1911, with music by Charles Collins, lyrics by Fred E. Terry and E.A. Sheppard. "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" is another favourite song sung by Champion, written by Fred Murray and Bert Weston in 1910. The song tells of a man whose wife has been married seven times before, and all to men called Henry or "Henery" in a Cockney accent, but of course referencing the English monarch of the same name.

"Boiled Beef and Carrots" was composed by Charles Collins and Fred Murray in 1909, named after a dish commonly eaten in London's East End at the time, and sung by Harry Champion "A Little Bit of Cucumber" was another food-related song sung by Harry Champion, and written in 1915 by the composer T. W. Conner "Down at the Old Bull and Bush" is a song about a London Pub which was resurrected as the theme song for the TV Series "The Good Old Days" "She was a Clergyman's Daughter" composed by Austin Rudd (1869-1929) was a Music Hall song performed by Ada Reeve "I Belong To Glasgow" was written and performed by Will Fyffe (1885-1947) a Scottish Music Hall comedian, and film and pantomine entertainer who actually came from Dundee rather than Glasgow!

"(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?" is a popular song written by Bob Merrill in 1952, which became a hit as sung by Patti Page in the US, though it was a recording by Lita Roza which became a hit in the UK. "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" is a novelty song composed in 1944 by the English songwriter Fred Heatherton. It was sung by a number of artists, became a hit in the US, and was heard frequently in the UK on radio and television. "Ship Ahoy!" or "All The Nice Girls Love A Sailor" was Written and Composed by A. Mills and Bennett Scott in 1905, and first performed by Hetty King (1883-1972 ) a well-known male-impersonator. "Show Me The Way To Go Home" was Written and Composed by Irving King, and sung by Ella Sheilds (1879-1952) who recorded it in 1925.

"Botany Bay" (with the chorus "Singing Toorali-Oorali-Addity") was a song used in a Victorian Burlesque show called "Little Jack Sheppard" though it may have been based on an older folk song. The song became popular in British, American and Australian Theatres, and is sometimes included in Children's Song Collections. "The Laughing Policeman" is a popular music hall song with altered lyrics by Charles Jolly (actually Charles Penrose) based on the earlier "Laughing Song" written in 1894 by George W. Johnson. "On Mother Kelly's Doorstep" and "I'm Shy Mary Ellen, I'm Shy" were two of many music hall songs written by George Alex Stevens (1875–1954). "Keep The Home Fires Burning" with music by Welsh-born Ivor Novello (David Ivor Davies, 1893-1951) and lyrics by US-born Lena Gilbert Ford (1870-1918) became a popular song during World War I.

"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag" by brothers Felix and George Henry Powell (the latter using the name "George Asaf") is another music hall song from World War I (1915) which became a popular marching song with soldiers caught up in the conflict "Mother's Advice" or "I'm Glad I Took My Mother's Advice" was performed and recorded by Maidey Scott (1887-1966). "Hello, Hello, Who's Yer Lady Friend?" was written by Harry Fragson with Worton David and Bert Lee, and sung by Mark Sheridan. "When Father Papered the Parlour" was written by R. P. Weston and Fred J. Barnes in 1910 and popularised by Australian born comedian Billy Williams, real name Richard Isaac Banks (1878-1915). "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm" (about the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London) was written in 1934 by R. P. Weston and Bert Lee and performed by Stanley Holloway.

"Nellie Dean" (There's an Old Mill by the Stream) was written by the American composer Henry W. Armstrong (1879-1951) in 1905. It was soon popularised in British Music Halls by Gertie Gitana (1887-1957) and now associated with drunken singers. "Strolling Through the Park" (originally called "The Fountain in the Park") was written by Ed Haley (1862-1932), picked up by Music Hall artists and sung by Judy Garland in the 1940 film "Strike Up the Band". "Everybody's Doing It" is a song by Irving Berlin (1888-1989) which became popular in theatres on both sides of the Atlantic. "Hands, Knees and Boomps-a-Daisy" is a popular Music Hall song and dance. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is a popular song written by Leo Friedman and Beth Slater Whitson in 1910. It was sung by Laurel and Hardy in the 1938 film "Swiss Made", but frequently sung and recorded by other artists.

"The Sun Has Got Its Hat On" and "The Lambeth Walk" were two songs written for the musical "Me and My Girl" with music composed by the prolific songwriter Noel Gay (1898-1954). "Where Did You Get That Hat?" is a comic vaudeville song written by the American comedian Joseph J. Sullivan in 1888, and subsequently sung by many Music Hall artists. "K-K-K-Katy" was written by the Canadian born songwriter Geoffrey O'Hara (1882–1967) in 1917. "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" was a Broadway song with music by John Kellette (1873-1922) from the musical "The Passing Show of 1918". Selected Music Hall Songwriters and Entertainers George Leybourne (1842-1884) used the stage name Joe Saunders before reverting back to his own name. He became famous singing "Champagne Charlie" and adopted the persona in real life, only drinking champagne in public. He could certainly afford this celebrity lifestyle, since he was sponsored by Moet and Chandon!

He also wrote the lyrics for the song, with the music being composed by Alfred Lee. The song-writing pair also wrote the well-known The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (originally just "The Flying Trapeze") which was inspired by the real life trapeze artist Jules Léotard. Leybourne's arch-rival in the music halls was The Great Vance. They were sponsored at various times by rival drinks brands. Their rivalry was the subject of the 1944 film "Champagne Charlie" where Tommy Trinder played George Leybourne and Stanley Holloway played The Great Vance. Leybourne died at only 42. Charles Coborn (1852-1945) was a London based Music Hall entertainer. His real name was Charles Whitton McCallum, and he initially used the stage name Charles Laurie before becoming Charles Coborn after a London street called Coborn Road. He wrote some songs himself having his first success with "Two Lovely Black Eyes" but hit the big-time singing Fred Gilbert's The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo .

Bessie Bellwood (1856–1896) was one of the earliest female character performers from the Victorian Music Hall. She was born Kathleen Mahoney in Ireland, and initially sang Irish Ballads but on the Music Hall stage she soon developed the persona of a Cockney street-seller. With her famous repartee and ability to charm audiences and put down hecklers, this stage persona wasn't so far removed from her own larger than life personality. Her most famous song was "What Cheer Ria?" which she co-wrote with Will Herbert in 1885. It tells of a working class vegetable seller who uses her savings to buy an upper class ticket for the Music Hall. She was generous to charity, but poor at managing her own finances and facing bankrupcy, became an alcoholic and died at the age of 40. In the film "Champagne Charlie", Bessie Bellwoood was played by Betty Warren. Albert Chevalier (1861-1923) was a popular Music Hall entertainer who on stage frequently adopted the persona of a "Coster".

A Coster was London slang for a street-seller who sold fruit and vegetables, and in the photo you can see Albert Chevalier in his Cockney Coster costume with a basket of vegetables. For a time Albert was managed by his brother Charles Ingle (born Auguste Chevalier). The pair wrote two of Albert's most successful songs Knocked 'Em in the Old Kent Road and "My Old Dutch", both with lyrics by Albert Chevalier and music by Charles Ingle. "My Old Dutch" is Cockney slang for "My Wife" and the song's lyrics are an affectionate poem to Albert's own wife Florrie, who happened to be the daughter of Music Hall entertainer George Leybourne. "Knocked Them in the Old Kent Road" is famous for another Cockney phrase "Wot Cher!". Among Albert's other major hits was another alluding to marriage: "The Future Mrs. Hawkins". Mark Sheridan (1864-1918), born Frederick Shaw, was a music hall comedian and singer. He generally appeared on stage wearing a coat, widely-flared trousers and a top hat.

He had a number of songs in his repertoire including "Who were you with last night?", "Hello, hello, who's your Lady friend?" and the war-time song "Belgium put the kibosh on the Kaiser". His most popular song by far was I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside which he first performed in 1909 at the Empire Theatre in Glasgow. Vesta Tilley (1864-1952) born Matilda Alice Powles, was a male impersonator who started performing in male clothes at the age of 5. Several of the songs she sang were composed by Harry B. Norris including "Burlington Bertie", "Seaside Girls" and "The Piccadilly Johnny With The Little Glass Eye" (also called "Algy"). Among other songs she sang were "Following in Father's Footsteps" and "All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor" (also called "Ship Ahoy!") which was first performed by another famous female impersonator, Hetty King. Tilley gave up performing on stage around 1920, in part because her husband went into politics and became an MP.

Lottie Collin (1865-1910) was a physically active entertainer from the very start of her stage career. At a young age she started out in Music Halls performing a skipping routine with her even younger sisters. Later as a solo singer she toured America for the first time and saw a performance of Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay (sometimes spelled "Boom-der-ay") at a Vaudeville show. She took the song back to Britain and it became a big hit for her, where she danced a high kicking Can-Can style dance with the chorus. She continued to perform in London and sometimes in the US and had other songs in her repertoire including "The Little Widow" and "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow-wow", but never quite reaching the success (or the notoriety) of her Can-Can act. Harry Champion (1865-1942) born William Henry Crump, was a singer and comedy entertainer from East London.

At the peak of his music hall career he popularised a number of fondly remembered Cockney songs including "Boiled Beef and Carrots" (1909), "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (1910), "Any Old Iron" (1911) and "A Little Bit of Cucumber" (1915). Marie Lloyd (1870-1922) made her first public appearance at The Eagle in 1885 at the age of 15. She became one of the most famous Music Hall entertainers singing songs such as "A Little Of What You Fancy Does You Good!" and "The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery", though her most famous songs were undoubtedly Don't Dilly Dally on the Way and "Oh! Mr Porter". Her performances were considered to be risque at the time, with lots of Double-Entendres, though it was probably aspects of her personal life (at the time she wasn't married to her long-term partner) which meant she wasn't invited to perform at the first Royal Variety Performance.

She supported the war effort in a number of ways but now married, her relationship foundered and her health and voice suffered. Harry Lauder (1870-1950) was a famous Scottish entertainer, born in Edinburgh and later knighted Sir Henry Lauder. His first London appearance was in 1900 and his fame spread internationally, resulting in several tours to Australia and the United States. He is reported to have been the highest paid entertainer of the day and later became the first British artist to sell more than a million records. He did much to support the armed forces during World War I, entertaining the troops and raising funds for charities supporting ex-servicemen. He wrote most of his own songs, and when his own son was killed in action during WWI he wrote "Keep Right on to the End of the Road". Other songs he wrote and performed included "Roamin' in the Gloamin'", "I Love a Lassie" and "A Wee Deoch-an-Doris". Vesta Victoria (1873-1951) began as a child star appearing on stage with her father as "Baby Victoria" and later as "Little Victoria".

She soon found fame when she started singing Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me A Bow-wow! at the age of 19. She was a comic singer who adopted a Cockney persona on stage (although she came from Leeds) and her performance included some innuendo and comic situations where she seemed to lament various misfortunes. She had misfortunes in real life with marital relationships, but enjoyed much success in British Music Halls and in Vaudeville in the US singing songs such as "Waiting At The Church", "Now I Have To Call Him Father" and "Our Lodger's Such A Nice Young Man". Although she retired after WWI, she later recorded her hit songs and appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in 1932. Billy Merson (1879–1947) was a music hall entertainer and songwriter. As a comedian he worked with George Formby senior, father of the ukelele playing singer, and in 1922 he starred in the the West End comedy musical "Whirled into Happiness". As a songwriter he wrote "The Photo of the Girl I Left Behind", "Desdemona" and "The Spaniard That Blighted My Life".

This latter song was sung regularly by Al Jolson, and became the composer's best known song. Merson became one of the first chairmen who compered the music hall at the Players Theatre in London, and which later gave rise to the BBC TV show "The Good Old Days". Fred Godfrey (1880-1953), born Llewellyn Williams in Swansea in Wales, was a prolific composer of songs for the music hall. In total he wrote some 800 songs, some by himself and many in collaboration with various lyricists and other songwriters. His most famous songs are "Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty" and "Bless 'Em All" both originally written during World War I but enjoying later popularity when sung by artists such as Max Miller and George Formby. There is a website dedicated to the composer at Bless ’Em All: The Songs of Fred Godfrey , maintained by his Canadian based grandson Barry Norris. Max Miller (1894-1963), born Thomas Henry Sargent, was a music hall and variety comedian often called the "Cheeky Chappie".

His acts generally consisted of telling jokes and singing songs such as "My Old Mum", "Twin Sisters", "Mary from the Dairy" and "Let's Have A Ride On Your Bicycle". He wrote or co-wrote some of these songs himself and he featured in a number of films in the 1930s and the 1940s. There is a Max Miller Appreciation Society and a website dedicated to the comedian at . Noel Gay (1898-1954) was born Reginald Moxon Armitage and used the professional name Stanley Hill in addition to Noel Gay. He was musically gifted from a young age and studied at the Royal College of Music. He became famous as a songwriter for stage musicals and occasionally film. Although his best known musicals were mostly staged in the 1930s when Music Hall was in decline, his songs tapped into music hall traditions. Among his many songs are "There's Something About a Soldier", "We Don't Know Where We're Going", "Hey! Little Hen", "Who's Been Polishing the Sun?", "All Over the Place" and "All the King's Horses".

His most famous musical was "Me and My Girl" in 1937 with lyrics by Douglas Furber (1885-1961) and including the songs "The Lambeth Walk", "Leaning on a Lamppost", "The Sun Has Got Its Hat On" and title song "Me and My Girl". The show was successfully revived in 1985. Music Hall - Further Information For more information about Music Hall, the following programmes, DVDs, CDs and websites will be of interest: In 2012 Michael Grade presented a documentary called "The Story of the Music Hall" for BBC4, with help from Jo Brand, Alexei Sayle and Barry Cryer. In the 90 minute programme Grade looked at the famous venues, the impresarios and the performing artists. Unfortunately this is not currently available on DVD. The Doctor Who story "The Talons of Weng Chiang" was set in a Music Hall theatre and featured songs such as "Daisy Bell". The DVD for the story has a feature documentary on Music Halls.

This is available on DVD at Amazon.co.uk (region 2) or Amazon.com (region 1) There is a recommended sheet music book called "The Novello Music Hall Songbook" with a preface by variety veteran Roy Hudd. The book has piano music (arranged by Geoffrey Brawn), lyrics and background information for 10 songs of the period - available at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com There is also a "Bumper Book of Music Hall Songs" which is a huge collection of 100 songs on 300+ pages, arranged for Piano/Voice with Guitar chords. It is available from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com The album "The Golden Age of the Music Hall" has 25 original mono recordings, made 1905-1934 and remastered for CD. It is available at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com "The Glory of Music Hall" is a collection of later recordings with Max Miller, Stanley Holloway, Gracie Fields, George Formby, Max Wall, Tommy Trinder, Arthur Askey and more.

It is available at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com "Me and My Girl" (subtitled "The Lambeth Walk Musical") original London Cast (with Robert Lindsay and Emma Thomson) for the 1985 revival of the 1937 musical by Noel Gay and Douglas Furber. It is available at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com "Marie Lloyd - Queen of the Music Hall" was a BBC drama production starring "EastEnders" actress Jessie Wallace as the controversial singer. It is available on DVD at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com "Let's Have A Banana" is a 2009 album collection of songs recorded by Stanley Holloway. It is available for download only at Amazon.co.uk The Victoria and Albert Museum based in London has a wealth of information and memorabilia about Music Hall acts. Their website also has several interesting articles and photographs. We recommend starting with the following articles: The Story of Music Halls and Music Hall Character Acts The Two Ronnies sing Pub Songs with their own lyrics to the tune of well-known music hall songs Biographical Note Music Hall itself had all but vanished when I was born, but it is impossible to escape the influence of Music Hall even if you are not conscious of it.

I suspect that my mother never visited a Music Hall either, but she was familiar with many music hall songs. She sang them at home, and frequently taught me the choruses. We used to watch "The Good Old Days" on television and that was another opportunity to absorb the old songs. It's a fascinating and very big topic, but I've tried to provide a reasonably succinct summary with a focus on those songs that are most familiar to me, and to provide sheet music for those songs which are now in the public domain. The English Music Hall Connection - Chapter II John Peel OBE, 1939 - 2004 The English Music Hall Connection by Max Haymes (converted to web format from the original typescript by Alan White) Chapter III: The English Music Hall and The Blues If Lottie Collins owed it to U.S. black, folk origins for her most famous song on the English halls in the 1890's, ( see Ch. II ), it is equally true that many black songs, including blues, have much to be thankful for regarding English music hall.

Although Oliver only gives one exception when he states "few songs that pre-date the ragtime era of the 1890's were recorded by black songsters"' (1), there were others; and I will return to them shortly. But first, taking Ms. Collins' source of inspiration for her "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay" as being in St. Louis (which on evidence seems more likely), there are some links with music hall songs and blues recorded by singers based in that city. As has been noted in the previous chapter, the earliest English music hall artist to record in New York was Julian Rose, and he included "Ain't Dat A Shame" issued on an Edison cylinder in 1903. Some 27 years later, the gravelï¿½voiced pianist, Peetie Wheatstraw recorded "Ain't It A Pity And A Shame" for Vocalion. Wheatstraw was one of the most influential Bluesmen in St. Louis in the 1930's and lived across the Mississippi River in East St. Louis; a sprawling slum and the scene of one of the most horrific race riots, in 1917.

Another pianist, Sunnyland Slim, recalled that in the early 1930's in St. Louis "....Peetie Wheatstraw was raisin' sand. Him and Walter Davis was the big names then."(2). It is Davis who would seem to be inspired by a Florrie Ford title from 1910, "Tis A Faded Picture". In 1940, he sang, to his own deceptively simple, yet actually very complex piano accompaniment: "Your picture has faded, mama, that hangs up on the wall, Your picture has faded, mama, that hangs up on the wall. It's bin hangin' there so long, I can't see your face at all."(3). Over ten years later, an East Coast guitarist, Carolina Slim, was to continue the theme, obviously based on the Davis title: "Yes you know your picture done faded now, baby, darlin', you left hangin' up on the wall; Yes you know your picture done faded now, baby, darlin', you left hangin' up on the wall.

You know it has faded, until now, baby, I can't see your face at all."(4). Though his version, "Your Picture Done Faded"', is slightly more optimistic (or more ominous), as Slim sings "I'm gonna find that woman, that caused me to weep an' moan". One of the pre-ragtime songs, Oliver refers to, that did appear to survive in the Blues, was "Christmas Day in the Workhouse" (1877) "...written by G.R. Sims"(5). In 1929, Leroy Carr recorded his "Christmas In Jail--Ain't That A Pain?", and early the following year "Workhouse Blues". The latter was probably a belated cover of the Bessie Smith record of the same name in 1924. Famous folk and blues singer, Huddie Ledbetter ('Leadbelly'), was to cut his "30 Days In The Workhouse"' in 1935. Meanwhile, back in England in 1930, Billy Bennett had recorded "Christmas Day In The Cookhouse".

Carr, as well as having many beautiful Blues sides issued, also recorded other material including vaudeville and pop songs. Intriguingly, one which remains unissued is "Girl In Blue" in 1928. If this is indeed a version of "The Dark Girl Dressed In Blue" (see see Ch. II ), as seems likely, then it is yet another example of a pre-ragtime music hall influence on the Blues. The latter song was a hit for George Leybourne around 1865 and also for Harry Clifton in the same period. "Workhouse Blues" was to reappear in 1935 by yet another pianist from St. Louis, one of the Sparks brothers, calling himself "Pinetop". The title alone lending a decidedly Victorian air to this particular blues. Another St. Louis-based Blues singer in the 1930's, was guitarist Charlie (or Charley) Jordan.

A contemporary of Peetie Wheatstraw, with whom he often played and recorded, Jordan cut a blues with the unlikely title of "Twee Twee Twa", which he included in his last verse: "Now she got these great big legs, an' also big whoppin' thighs, She got these great big legs, an' also big whoppin' thighs. She got somethin' in her twee twee twa, would make a blind man open his eyes."(6). The phrase in question, here used in a frankly sexual context, entirely in keeping with the Blues, appeared some five years earlier in 1932, by Jack Payne and his Band in a humorous, "How Am I Doin'? (Hey Hey)", with a British air of jollity so typical of the genre. This recording features the phrase "twee twee twa" in a scat vocal setting; that is to say, a meaningless group of words which are sung within the musical framework of the song in question. The scat vocal had been popularised by early American jazzmen in the 1920's. and in particular by the then youthful Louis Armstrong. Leaving St.

Louis, we find themes, titles, and words from the English music hall which reappeared in the Blues from singers all over the southern states. Florrie Forde, once again, recorded "Easy Street" in 1905 and in 1928, Texas Bluesman Henry Thomas cut "Texas Easy Street Blues" accompanying himself on guitar and reed-pipes in a very early country manner. The very popular medicine-show entertainer, Jim Jackson a resident of Memphis, recorded "I'm A Bad Bad Man" also in 1928, which echoed a music hall hit of 1920 vintage "I'm A Bad, Bad Coon" by G.H. Elliott. Another Elliott title, made some five years earlier, "All Girls Look Alike In The Dark" was to reappear in Papa Charlie Jackson's first ever record for Paramount in 1924, albeit in a different guise: "I ain't crazy 'bout no yellers, I ain't no fool about no brown. 'Cos you cain't tell the difference, mama, when the sun goes down." Refrain: "Lawd, Lawd, Lawd."(7).

His lines containing references to a gradation of colour within black society in the U.S. This colour-caste system ranged from 'black' through brown to the lightest-skinned or 'yellers'' (yellows). Virtually nothing is known of Jackson other than the 'fact' he died in Chicago in the late 1930's and that he was originally from New Orleans. Using a guitar-picking approach to his banjo, most of his 60ï¿½odd recordings (1924-34) were more to do with the pre-blues scene and included comic songs, as well as pop numbers, 'straight' blues and vaudeville tunes. A duet he recorded with one of the finest of the vaudeville blues singers, Ma Rainey, was in the latter vein. It invoked the workhouse theme again which appeared in the title as "Ma And Pa Poorhouse Blues". As Stewart-Baxter put it, this number "...is full of backchat and music-hall hokum."(8).

Describing her down and out condition, Ma Rainey moans, as only she could, "Ohhhhh-ohh, here I am on my knees," Jackson cheerfully reassures her "Don't Worry Ma, I'll soon be down on my knees wit ya."(9). In 1912, Jen Latona recorded "Your Daddy Did The Same Things Fifty Years Ago" on a foggy November day in London. Some 18 years later, one of the greatest of all rural Blues singers, Memphis Minnie adapted the title in a Chicago autumn: Fig 1: The 1928 record by Rainey & Jackson "Grandma, grandma, what make you love grandpa so? Grandma, what make you love grandpa so? He got the same pipe now, he had forty years ago."(10).

As Harry Fay's 1911 version of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" was covered by one of the most famous vaudeville blues singers, Bessie Smith some fifteen years later in 1927, it seems reasonable to assume (without having access to the record in question), that Albert Whelan's 1906 song "The Preacher And The Bear" was also the same as the one by Virgil Childers in 1938. The latter was a guitarist from the Eastern seaboard, possibly North Carolina. Bastin, on the strength of other recordings, suggests that "Childers could well have been white,"(11). Links between the English music hall and the Blues, of whatever shade, can be seen in "My Meatless Day" by Ernie Mayne in 1917 and the lines in Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Rabbit Foot Blues" of 1926 which refer to those "meatless an' wheatless days". Jefferson was a primary Bluesman and one of the most influential, from Wortham in Texas.

Also the English hit in 1923 "Yes We Have No Bananas" was recorded by vaudeville blues artist Eva Taylor as "I've Got The Yes! We Have No Banana Blues" (sic), later the same year in New York City. Back in London in November of 1912, Mark Sheridan cut his "They All Walk The Wibbly Wobbly Walk". It would seem he borrowed the latter part of the title from a Marie Lloyd record made some five months earlier "Every Little Movement Has A Meaning Of Its Own", in which the celebrated singer included the 'wibble and wobble' phrase. Nellie Florence, a 'dirty-voiced' singer from Jacksonville, Florida, commences one of her blues: "Let me be your wibbler, until your wobbler come, Let me be your wibbler, until your wobbler come. If she beats me wibblin', she's got to wobble some."(12). A 1904 title called "Encyclopedia Britannica" (The Woman Who Knows) by Malcolm Scott uses the spoken format "Now we come to the letter L" etc.

This same format was picked up in Blues circles. Bessie Smith sings: "Read on down to chapter nine, 'Women must learn how to take their time.' Read on down to chapter ten, " Takin' other women's men, you are doin' a sin. "'(13). Mellers says Bessie .Smith, as a child "...worked in travelling tent-shows and circuses, so she was a professional music-hall artist who preserved some of the qualities of a folk-singer."(14). The phenomenon of the 'laughing record' even spread across the Atlantic. This phenomenon goes back to the earlier days of English music hall, as Newton illustrates when discussing a popular comic from the 1860's, "Jolly Nash". "Nash having cultivated a most infectious laugh--or series of chuckles--became known as the "Laughing Comic",(15), and some of his ditties lasted for years. "They included "I couldn't help laughing, it tickled me so!", "The Little Fat Grey Man", and "Ho! Ho! Ho! He! He! He!""(16).

Following on in this vein was Charles Penrose who had recorded a string of laughing records as early as 1911, some under the pseudonym "Mr. Harry Happy". But his best remembered song comes from a later session in 1922, entitled "The Laughing Policeman". Penrose went on to re-record "Policeman" along with many 'sequels' up to as late as 1933. On 7th March, 1923, vaudeville blues singer Viola McCoy recorded "Laughin' Cryin' Blues", apparently a "dreadful 'novelty' number"(17). But with her fine voice "Miss McCoy somehow manages to make the awful lyrics bearable, and even her laugh in the middle section comes off, it is so perfectly timed."(18). This opinion of the record notwithstanding, the singer re-recorded it nearly three weeks later under the name 'Amanda Brown' for a different company; both versions were issued.

Some of the 1934 recordings of the Memphis Jug Band feature the raucous laugh of one of its members, guitarist Charlie Burse, to be heard on "Take Your Fingers Off It", "Little Green Slippers" and "Bottle It Up And Go", amongst others. Charters observes that "The laugh, often in the same rhythm as the accompaniment, seems to have come from the minstrel and vaudeville stage and was very popular in the first years of the blues recordings."(19). The 1934 titles are all in an up-tempo, good-time blues, hokum style; but the laugh also appeared on some of the more intense, introspective blues of a rural singer such as Charlie Lincoln, a Georgia singer, who played a twelve-string guitar and prefaced some of his blues with a sardonic cackle; as on "Jealous Hearted Blues" or "Hard Luck Blues" from 1927. Charters refers, rather tongue-in-cheek I feel, to Lincoln's "...distinctive "laughing" style..."'(20).

The following year, Lincoln was in the recording studio when Nellie Florence made her "Jacksonville Blues" with Lincoln's younger brother, "Barbecue Bob" also on a twelve-string guitar. On hearing the words: "Men, they call me oven, they say that I'm red-hot, Men, they call me oven, they say that I'm red-hot. They say I got somethin' the other gals ain't got."(21). Lincoln bursts into laughter that can best be described as maniacal! This so amused Ms. Florence that she, almost inaudibly, requests him to do "''nother" prior to repeating the verse near the end of her blues. The rough-voiced Tommy McClennan from the Mississippi Delta who recorded between 1939 and 1942, sometimes inserted a menacing chuckle into his songs, which was entirely in keeping with the atmosphere he created with his limited yet totally effective guitar playing. Even in the post-war period (after 1943) an example cropped up in the Blues, which wars an almost direct imitation of "The Laughing Policeman".

Dan Pickett, an excellent guitarist from Alabama, recorded "Laughing Rag" in August, 1949. His title shows a remarkable tenacity in the continuation of but one facet of the Blues; that of the influence of the English music hall. As I have already said, not only themes and songs crossed over from the latter to the Blues, but also occasionally a word would make the same journey. Taking one example, the word 'donah' (a woman/lover) flourished in the East End of London in the nineteenth century, and this was reflected in songs featured on the halls. 'Donah' transferred to the U.S. and the Blues, though oddly appearing on record until the 1930's. Before citing some examples, it is worth noting some definitions from both sides of the Atlantic. Partridge lists "dons, donah, (mostly in sense 2), donner, doney, rarely donnay. A woman; esp. the lady of the house: from the 1850s: Cockney and Parlary."(22).

The term 'Parlary' refers to a mixture of languages as slang, the "vocabulary of C.18-mid-19 actors and midï¿½C.19-20 costermongers and shoumen: (orig. low) toll."(23). Interestingly, Partridge lists "dona Highland -flinger" as pre-1909 rhyming slang for "A music hall singer:"(24). In terms of the given social strata, the word sinks to its lowest level, from the same period, as 'dona Jack' ,which describes "A harlot's bully:"(25). Continuing on this level, Calt and Wardlow quote Mississippi Blues singer Son House who says "a donnay" is "...a no-good woman."(26). This is also the definition by a pianist, Jasper Love, also from Mississippi. When Blues writer William Ferris asked him "What's a doney?" Love replied "That's what we call a no-good woman."(27). Bob Groom thinks doney "...apparently derives from the word 'donna'..." (28), and has Spanish/Italian roots via England.

This reflects back to Partridge's 'Parlary'. As "donah", the word features in several English music hall songs. On 23rd. February, 1899, Gus Elen recorded "The Faifless Little Donah" and "Never Introduce Yer Donah To A Pal" in London. Elen (b.1862) was a comedian and singer and "probably the greatest of the select band of coster comedians of the 1890's," (29). The latter song was one of Elen's many hits. Around the same time, Vesta Victoria included in her repertoire "All In A Day" composed by Joseph Tabrar. Part of one verse runs: "Bid me goodbye forever, Never come back no more. Think of the 'eart you've gone and broke Of the donah yer used to adore;"(30). Albert Chevalier's 1898 record "The Future Mrs. 'Awkins" contains the lines: "I know a little doner, I'm about to own 'er, She's a-goin' to marry me,"(31). No doubt, causing feminists everywhere to gnash their teeth!!

Further to this, Chance Newton, himself a product of the London music hall from the 1860's, describes a young man about to pick up his girl-friend on the way to the local sing-song, as a "dandy crook dressed up fit to kill, and certainly to paralyse", his donah,"(32). Across the Atlantic, the term was sometimes corrupted to 'dony'. The word, in black parlance, c. early 1920's, often referred to a lover, as a singer explained to sociologist, Howard Odum: "A girl was luvin' a nigger, an' she thought he did not go to see any other girl; she found out he did, an' she made a hole in the wall of her house so she could watch an' see did her lover go to see any other nigger." The lover makes a song: "Dony got a hole in de wall, Dony got a hole in de wall, Dony got a. hole in de wall, Oh, my Dony got a hole in de wall."(33). Calt and co. acquired a.

definition of 'donnay' as they transcribed the archetypal Mississippi singer, Charlie Patton, singing in 1934: "A donnay loves saltwater, she always wants a drink."(34) What Patton actually sings is: "Oh! my doner loves salt water, well she always wants a drink."(35). Over two years later, still with Mississippi, the 'tortured' Robert Johnson, now a cult figure in the 1990's, sang: "I don't want no woman wants every downtown man she meets, I don't want no woman wants every downtown man she meets. She's a no-good doney, they shouldn't allow her on the street."(36). Almost the same verse was used more than fourteen years later, in the early 1950's by Elmore James on his "Dust My Broom". A contemporary of Muddy Waters, James was also one of the main idols in post-war Chicago blues circles, and was originally from Canton, Mississippi. The later style of Blues featured heavy electrification in the instruments and stayed more closely to the 12-bar framework.

This was the immediate precursor of rhythm and blues, rock 'n roll, rock, heavy metal, etc. In the 1960's, two more singers from the same state, Do Boy Diamond and R.L. Burnside, both recorded "Long Haired Doney" for the American Arhoolie label. Both of these performed Blues in the earlier rural style accompanying themselves on guitars. Strangely, the term "doney/doner" does not seem to crop up in any other Blues from the 1920's. Why it should appear (or reappear?) in 1934 and on into the 1960's as the domain of Mississipni singers, must, for the present, remain one of the mysteries of the Blues. As referred to earlier, Blues writer Paul Oliver mentions one exception in the way of pre-1870 songs of the music hall being recorded by black songsters. His example is "'..."Champagne Charlie", which dates from as early as 1868..."(37).

Although Pulling says George Leybourne "...made his "Champagne Charlie" the rage when he first sang it in 1867."(38). There were other exceptions, already noted, and "Sally" is a further one to be dealt with shortly. Some of the original English version of "Charlie" runs: "The way I gained my title's By a hobby which I've got Of never letting others pay However long the shot; Refrain "For Champagne Charlie, etc."(39). Leybourne was from a working-class background, like most of the music hall artists, but he adopted the suave image of the upper-class 'swell' with the greatest of ease. He had many other hit songs on the halls but his name is synonymous with "Charlie". As one writer puts it "Leybourne's hit song "Champagne Charlie" has never been forgotten and the wine merchants at the time provided him with free champagne at a cost to them of ï¿½20.00 per week."(40). (see Fig.2.).

The song soon travelled across the Atlantic where in New York it became Americanised as Pulling has already claimed: "The way I gain'd my title's By a fashion which I've got Of never letting others pay, However longs the shot, For whoe'er drinks at my expense, Is treated all the same, "Fifth Avenue" or "Bowtry Style", I make them take Champagne." Refrain: "Champagne Charlie is my name, etc."(41). In 1932 Blues guitar virtuoso, Blind Blake adapted the song once again, for working-class black listeners. The incongruity of one of them sipping Champagne in those Depression-torn times, would have great appeal, causing many a sardonic smile: "I went to see my true love, never been there before, Her shoes an' stockings in her hand, And 'er feet all over the floor." Refrain:

Question: Which English music hall performer, who died in 1952, is probably best remembered for his 1922 song The Laughung Policeman?
Answer: CHARLES PENROSE