Fred Albert

George Richard Howell (6 November 1843 – 12 October 1886), who performed as Fred Albert, was an English music hall entertainer who became popular in the 1870s for his self-penned satirical songs, becoming "music hall's first overtly 'topical' singer."[1]

Fred Albert
Born
George Richard Howell

(1843-11-06)6 November 1843
Hoxton, London, England
Died12 October 1886(1886-10-12) (aged 42)
Islington, London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationMusic hall entertainer and songwriter
Years active1860s–1886

Biography

Born in Hoxton, he worked in a merchants' office in the City of London before making his earliest appearances on stage at Hoxton Hall in the 1860s.[2] He was known as an "infallible mirth-maker", and had a reputation for correctly reflecting public opinion.[3] His manner was formal – he had a waxed moustache and wore white tie and tails, and his apparent stiffness gave rise to a false rumour that he had a wooden leg.[3]

All of his material was self-penned; much was improvised, and dealt with current news. He was known as a "lightning" vocalist, being able to sing three topical songs in five minutes.[4] One of his pieces, "The Latest Events of the Year", was regularly updated. Another of his songs, "Perverted Proverbs or Tupperny Philosophy", was a satire on the popular book Proverbial Philosophy by Martin Tupper.[2] His other songs included "I Knew That I Was Dreaming", "The Mad Butcher". and "Take Care of the Pence".[5][6] By the 1870s, he included much patriotic and political material such as "The Turkey and the Bear" into his performances.[1]

For some years he performed with piano accompanist Lottie Cherry, sometimes billed as 'Mrs Fred Albert'; although they had a son together, they never married, and she later married a music hall proprietor, James Graydon.[7]

Fred Albert died in 1886, aged 42, after a short and sudden illness, and was buried at Abney Park Cemetery. His grave was restored in 2013 by the Music Hall Guild.[7][8]

References
  1. Dave Russell, Popular Music in England, 1840-1914: a social history, Manchester University Press, 2nd edn., 1997, p.146
  2. "Perverted Proverbs or Tupperny Philosophy", V&A Museum. Retrieved 10 September 2020
  3. Nicolette Jones, The Plimsoll Sensation: The Great Campaign to Save Lives at Sea, Hachette UK, 2013, p.
  4. "Potted Biographies: Fred Albert". Music Hall Studies (5): Supplement. 2010.
  5. "Fred Albert", Monologues.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2020
  6. C. D. Stuart and A. J. Park (eds.), The Variety Stage; a history of the music halls from the earliest period to the present time, 1895, p.106
  7. "Fred Albert, or, Topical Victorian Tunes", Kurt of Gerolstein, 7 October 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020
  8. "Fred Albert Memorial Restored", The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America, accessed 10 September 2020
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