Richard Anthony Baker

It does tend to be a list of performers and venues with mini biographies on each so it doesn’t flow as you might expect but I still enjoyed it as a straightforward read and as a reference to dip in and out of. I keep coming across photographs of various music hall performers as I collect old photos and postcards. It’s frustrating not to be able to know more about the subjects of the photos. At least this book helps with the more well-known artistes though there are plenty more I am still seeking information on.

What most surprised me about this book is the realisation of how many of the songs discussed are familiar to me. There are literally dozens of songs popularised mostly in the Victorian Era that I recognise and can recite the lyrics to. Some of this might be explained by the fact that I heard them from my parents or grandparents but will people be able to sing material by Take That or Ed Sheeran over a hundred years from now? Let’s hope not but seriously, it’s astonishing how such old songs can be so embedded in our culture that they can endure for so long. I don’t even necessarily like music hall songs but I am fascinated by he lives and times of the original performers… (plus d'informations)