Ernest Walter Hastings (15 June 1879 – 2 September 1940) was an English singer, pianist, composer and performer of comic

monologues In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

. He was popular from the 1900s to the 1930s, when he was described as "England's Greatest Entertainer at the Piano".

Biography

He was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1879, and at first found work as a shipping clerk. He also played piano, and developed a talent for mimicry and monologues which led him to a theatrical career in

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

s before 1900. He became popular, and toured in the United States as well as in Britain. His early successes included "The Commissionaire" (1899, with lyrics by

Charles H. Taylor Charles H. Taylor may refer to: * Charles Taylor (North Carolina politician) (born 1941), US congressman from North Carolina * Charles H. Taylor (Michigan politician) (1813–1889), American politician who served as the Michigan Secretary of State ...

), "A Blooming Ballad" (with lyricist Astley Weaver, 1901), "The Three Ages of Man" (with lyrics by Nelson Jackson, 1909), and "The Emigrant's Letter" (with lyrics by

Percy French William Percy French (1 May 1854 – 24 January 1920) was an Irish songwriter, author, poet, entertainer and painter. Life French was born at Clooneyquinn House, near Tulsk, County Roscommon, the son of an Anglo-Irish landlord, Christopher F ...

, 1912). Ernest Hastings, ''Petrucci Music Library''
Retrieved 17 January 2021 In the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he performed songs both in support of recruitment, such as "We're All Plain Civilians" (with lyrics by Foden Williams, 1914), and critical of the apparent impossibility of escaping conscription, in songs such as "Exemptions and Otherwise" and "The Military Representative", written by

R. P. Weston Robert Patrick Weston ( Harris; 7 March 1878 – 6 November 1936) was an English songwriter. He was responsible for many successful songs and comic monologues between the 1900s and 1930s, mostly written in collaboration with other writers, notab ...

and

Bert Lee William Herbert Lee (11 June 1880 – 23 January 1946) was an English songwriter. He wrote for music hall and the musical stage, often in partnership with R. P. Weston. Life and career Lee was born in Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, England.Richard A ...

(1916), in which the military recruitment tribunal approves for active service "a series of ever more unsuitable candidates". The song was very well received, with lyrics such as: "How dare your husband die!/ He was A1 in July/ What say ma'am? He's in heaven now?/ Well you just let him know/ I'm sending a Sergeant to fetch him back/ For of course he's got to go!". His other songs and monologues included "The Bolshevik" (written by Lee and Weston, 1919), and "Seaside Posters Round the Home" (by Edgar Bateman and Henry E. Pether, 1919). From 1914 until 1929, he made recordings for the Columbia and

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

s. These included "A Soldier's Reminiscences" (with lyrics by Bert Lee, 1914); the earliest recording of Lee and Weston's song "

My Word, You Do Look Queer "My Word, You Do Look Queer" is a comic monologue written by Bert Lee and R. P. Weston. It was first performed and recorded in 1922 by English entertainer Ernest Hastings,

" (1922, later popularised by

Stanley Holloway Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles Stanley Holloway on stage and screen, on stage and screen, especially t ...

); and the tribute to

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...

stores, "There's Nothing Over Sixpence in the Store" (with lyrics by Frank S Wilcock, 1927), "In My Young Days" (with lyrics by Percy Beck, 1930), and "The Nut Brown Ale of England" (with lyrics by Percy Beck, 1931). Hastings appeared in the 1919

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

, and toured the

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

circuit in Australia in 1925 with J. Milton Hayes. "Ernest Hastings", ''AusRadioHistorian''
Retrieved 17 January 2021 He also made

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

broadcasts in the late 1920s. Ernest Hastings, ''Radio Times'', ''Genome''
Retrieved 17 January 2021 Hastings died in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has formed ...

, London, in 1940, aged 61. A compilation of his recordings, ''The Seaside Posters'', was issued on CD in 2018. Ernest Hastings, "The Seaside Posters", ''Windyridge Records''
Retrieved 17 January 2021

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hastings, Ernest 1879 births 1940 deaths Music hall performers British male singers