Sam Mayo
Sam Mayo | |
|---|---|
| File:Sam Mayo speaking to the audience, 1930.png Sam Mayo, 1930. | |
| Born | Samuel Cowan 31 July 1877 London, England |
| Died | 31 March 1938 (aged 60) London, England |
| Burial place | Willesden Jewish Cemetery |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | The Immobile One |
| Occupation | Music hall singer |
Sam Mayo (1877 – 1938) was an English music hall entertainer, pianist and songwriter.
Life
Born Samuel Cowan in London on 31 July 1877, Mayo first worked in his father's second-hand shop while also collecting bets and singing in pubs and clubs with his brothers Ted and Maurice Cowan.[1]
Mayo married Zillah Flash (performing name: Stella Stanley) in Brighton on 13 August 1904. His early involvement in gambling stayed with him: heavy gambling caused him to be three times declared bankrupt.
Career
Mayo developed a unique comic style as a music hall singer. Dressed in long overcoat or dressing gown, he sang deadpan at the piano with quirky, lugubrious humour. He became billed as "The Immobile One". Mayo mostly wrote his own songs, and provided other entertainers, such as Ernie Mayne,[1] with material. He held the record for appearing at the greatest number of music halls in a single evening: nine performances at nine London venues on the evening of 21 January 1905.[2]
Death
He died of a heart attack whilst playing snooker at Ascot Club, in Charing Cross, on 31 March 1938.[3][4][5] He was playing a game against George Swift. This was a week after attending the funeral of his son, Frank Mayo, who died of tuberculosis.[3] He was buried at Willesden Jewish Cemetery on 3 April, and was survived by his brothers, Maurice and Ted (Cowan), his son Harry Mayo, and his son-in-law Micheal Flame.[4] The funeral was attended by Will Fyffe and a few other notable figures in music hall.[4]
Trivia
The noted writer Katherine Mansfield quoted Mayo's lyrics in a letter dated 1 November 1920.[6]
References
- ^ a b Baker, Richard Anthony (2011). British Music Hall: An Illustrated History. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword Books. p. 244. ISBN 1783831189.
- ^ "Sam Mayo (1875–1938)". The Lyrics: A Casquet of Vocal gems from the Golden Age of Music Hall. monologues.co.uk. 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
- ^ a b Journal, Nottingham (1 April 1938). "Death of Sam Mayo. Heart Attack At Snooker". Nottingham Journal. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Gossip, Variety (7 April 1938). "Death of Sam Mayo". Variety Gossip. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Press, Western Daily (1 April 1938). "Death of Sam Mayo. Famous Comedian's Collapse". Western Daily Press. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Mansfield, Katherine (2011). The Collected Letters of Katherine Mansfield: Volume IV: 1920–1921. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 94. ISBN 0198185324.