Birth name William August Smith Name Wilkie Bard | Role Musical Artist Genres Vaudeville, Music hall | |
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Born March 19, 1874
Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England ( 1874-03-19 ) Died May 5, 1944, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom Similar People George Lashwood, Clarice Mayne, Vesta Victoria, Albert Chevalier, Sam Mayo | ||
wilkie bard medley music hall songs sung by wilkie bard hmv b 4122
Wilkie Bard (born William August Smith) (March 19, 1874 - May 5, 1944) was a popular British vaudeville and music hall entertainer and recording artist at the beginning of the 20th century. He is best known for his songs "I Want to Sing in Opera" and "The Night Watchman."
Contents
- wilkie bard medley music hall songs sung by wilkie bard hmv b 4122
- Put me upon an island wilkie bard
- Early life
- Performing career
- Personal life
- Death
- Partial discography
- References
Put me upon an island wilkie bard
Early life
Bard was born March 19, 1874 in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, Lancashire. His parents were William Herbert Smith and Marie Stetzer. Smith had a sister, Maria, who was 5 years older.
Performing career
Bard began performing at age 21, singing and performing comedy in his spare time. He most often appeared with a bald head and wore a black spot on each eyebrow. He also performed as female characters, specifically with his hit song "I Want to Sing in Opera." He had a long career in pantomime, and introduced tongue twisters such as "She sells seashells by the seashore," based on a song he performed in the show "Dick Whittington and His Cat" in Drury Lane in 1908.
Wilkie Bard performed in vaudeville in 1919. His first appearance at the Palace, on October 20, 1919, was not well received, but he reappeared a few days later with slightly altered material and became a hit. In 1923, Bard appeared with Jack Pearl in tests for Lee DeForest's sound-on-film process Phonofilm. This short film is in the collection of the UCLA Film and Television Archive. In 1928, Bard appeared in two short films made in Phonofilm, The Cleaner and The Night Watchman, which may be in the collection of the British Film Institute.
He performed in Australia in 1921.
Personal life
Bard was married to Ellen Smith (née Stratton), who performed using the stage name Nellie Stratton. The 1881 and 1891 UK census returns show her name to be Nellie from birth (Peckham, London 1875).
Death
Wilkie Bard died in 1944 at the age of 70 in Buckinghamshire following a coronary thrombosis.
Partial discography
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912