Sam Mayo
| Sam Mayo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Samuel Cowan 31 July 1881 London, England |
| Died |
31 March 1938 (aged 56) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | The Immobile One |
| Occupation | Music hall singer |
Sam Mayo (1881-1938) was an English music hall entertainer.
Life
Born Samuel Cowan in London on 31 July 1881, Mayo first worked in his father's second-hand shop while also collecting bets and singing in pubs and clubs with his brothers Ted and Maurice Cowan.[1]
Mayo married Zillah Flash (performing name: Stella Stanley) in Brighton on 13 August 1904. His early involvement in gambling stayed with him: heavy gambling caused him to be three times declared bankrupt. Mayo died in London on 31 March 1938.[1] The cause is not known.
Career
Mayo developed a unique comic style as a music hall singer. Dressed in long overcoat or dressing gown, he sang deadpan at the piano with quirky, lugubrious humour. He became billed as "The Immobile One". Mayo mostly wrote his own songs, and provided other entertainers, such as Ernie Mayne,[1] with material. He held the record for appearing at the greatest number of music halls in a single evening: nine performances at nine London venues on the evening of 21 January 1905.[2]
Trivia
The noted writer Katherine Mansfield quoted Mayo's lyrics in a letter dated 1 November 1920.[3]
External links
References
- 1 2 3 Baker, Richard Anthony (2011). British Music Hall: An Illustrated History. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword Books. p. 244. ISBN 1783831189.
- ↑ "Sam Mayo (1875-1938)". The Lyrics: A Casquet of Vocal gems from the Golden Age of Music Hall. monologues.co.uk. 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ↑ Mansfield, Katherine (2011). The Collected Letters of Katherine Mansfield: Volume IV: 1920-1921. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 94. ISBN 0198185324.