Harry Fragson
| Harry Fragson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harry Fragson 2 July 1869 Soho, London |
| Died | 31 December 1913 (aged 44) Paris |
| Occupation | music hall singer & comedian |
Harry Fragson (July 2, 1869 – December 31, 1913) was a British music hall singer and comedian, born in Soho, London. While living in Paris, he developed an act involving impressions of French music hall performers, which gradually became popular, allowing him to introduce his own material. He came back to London in 1905 and became a popular performer in both the U.K. and France. He is well known for the song 'Hello, Hello, Who's Your Lady Friend?'.
Fragson was shot dead by his own Belgian father[1], with whom he lived in his flat in Paris (56 rue Lafayette) His father believed that Fragson was going to put him into a home and, as a result, he became rather unstable and depressed. Fragson returned home one evening to find his father with a gun, intending to commit suicide. When Fragson entered, his father pointed the gun at him and shot him dead. Fragson's father died 6 weeks afterward in an asylum.
He was arguably the most popular pre-WWI entertainer and introduced hundreds of songs still performed today like "Reviens", "Si Tu Veux...Marguerite", "A La Martinique", "La Baya","Les Blondes", "les Jaloux", "Amours Fragiles", "Les Amis De Monsieur" etc. He had an Irving Berlin song, "A Girl In Havana", adapted to "Je Connais Une Blonde" which soldiers marched to war to in 1914. More than 50 000 people followed his hearse to Saint Augustin church. He is buried at the crematorium at le Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
Some of his work can be found on Chairman's Choice - Music Hall Greats CD and also on CDs from Music Hall Masters - play a sample here
A recent biography "Fragson: the triumphs and the tragedy" by Andrew Lamb and Julian Myerscough is available. See also "British Music Hall - an illustrated history" by Richard Anthony Baker, Sutton Publishing, UK, 2005 ISBN 0-7509-3685-1
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