Tuesday, 21 September 2021

The Lost World of Music Hall

    After several years and a number of false starts, my book about music hall has now been released. The Lost World of Music Hall is published by Bear Manor Media. It covers ten individuals who each represented some aspect of the national character during the heyday of the halls and the way they adapted to the many and rapid changes of the twentieth century. Among the names are Nellie Wallace, Lily Morris, Billy Bennett, Charlie Higgins and Norman Long. Several found a new lease of life on radio and others recorded extensively. Included is an in-depth discography and catalogues of the songs they sang but never committed to shellac. I hope the book stands as a fitting tribute to some forgotten stars and an introduction to the subject for those intrigued to know more about our entertainment past.


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Monday, 20 September 2021

Margaret Cooper The Diva of the Humorous Song

 

   Margaret Cooper (1877-1922) was an entertainer at the piano, popular in the first quarter of the twentieth century and at one time reputedly the highest paid female star. She sang her light and witty ballads in a light soprano, but much of her appeal was in the way she presented her art, which was a performance in itself. There has hitherto been no substantial profile of any kind about her, since she published her own slim volume of memoirs in 1909. Until now, that is, because she is one of the principal subjects of my book The Lost World of Music Hall (Bear Manor Media, 2021). La Cooper was a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, who found success against all the odds on the vaudeville stage. See details here