Had we mentioned that the passion we have for history runs in the family? María’s multi-talented parents, Gador and Paco (both of whom appear in the video below), belong to a re-enactment group Anacrónicos Recreación Histórica that, three days ago […]
We’re continuing our series of popular songs, film, and other media from 1918 with two recordings of Hindustan, a hugely popular hit of that year penned by Oliver Wallace and Harold Weeks. The earlier of the two recordings, from 29th […]
A wonderful serendipitous find! A certain Guy Jones has a YouTube channel dedicated to very high quality vintage documentary film that has been speed-corrected and to which soundtracks have been added. The impressive result is as you’ll see below; and […]
I am indebted to Maria for inspiring this blog post. Following the performance at Leighton House last Sunday, she was now looking for a new repertoire of songs for her choirs, and was gravitating towards the skiffle and trad of […]
Another great song, one I think we’ll all know in one version of another (my own favourite was always the 1931 recording by Jack Teagarden, Joe Venuti, and Eddie Lang). But today, celebrating its centenary, we offer the original recording […]
The title of this post is doubly significant today. It had been one of Maria’s singing students, Brian, whose own rendition of Richard Thompson’s Al Bowlly’s in Heaven had jogged my memory of the song that prompted me to write […]
Here’s a treat: Marie Lloyd’s My Old Man Said Follow the Van, written in 1919 by Fred W. Leigh and Charles Collins, in this utterly wonderful performance by Jessie Wallace. Although humorous, the song (according to its Wikipedia entry): reflects […]
There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever in my mind (and perhaps you’ll share my view?) that the years from around 1880 to 1920 were the most turbulent, most exciting, most transformative years in the entire history of humankind. Although arguably […]
In pictures … A few photos from the magnificent performance on Thursday evening of our amazing suffragists and suffragettes. The history … A fuller version of the timeline narrated during the procession. How the procession went to plan Further reading […]
Yesterday late afternoon, following six weeks of workshops and last Friday a banner-making workshop, we had our first rehearsal in Brompton Cemetery for our processional performance on 21st June of Rise Up, Women! commemorating the centenary of partial suffrage for […]
I adore the popular songs of the beginning of the 20th century, whether English, French, or American. (There’s probably a great deal more from the rest of the world, with regard to which I must alas plead shameful ignorance.) Some […]
An unusual post for us here at Radio Days, maybe. Some weeks ago we acquired a copy, dated 1st August 2016, of Les Pages de Gloire, featuring on its cover one of our favourite music hall singers Charles Coborn performing […]
When, eighteen months back, we presented ‘The Edwardian Kitchen’ at East Sheen library, I showed a film clip of Gus Elen singing ‘Arf A Pint of Ale. This had prompted a member of our audience to ask whether it had […]
I must thank the blogger of History is Made at Night for his recent post ‘Flappers as Anarchists’ – sharp dressed radicals in Newcastle, 1914. While I knew the word ‘flapper’ had an origin and usage older than its familiar […]