William Henry Crump (17 April 1865 – 14 January 1942), better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was an English

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 ...

composer, singer and comedian, whose onstage persona appealed chiefly to the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

communities of

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

. His best-known recordings include " Boiled Beef and Carrots" (1909), "

I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am "I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (also "I'm Henery the VIII, I Am" or "I'm Henry VIII, I Am"; spelled "Henery" but pronounced " 'Enery" in the Cockney style normally used to sing it) is a 1910 British music hall song by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston ...

" (1910), " Any Old Iron" (1911) and " A Little Bit of Cucumber" (1915). Champion was born in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

, East London. He made his stage debut at the age of 17 at the Royal Victoria Music Hall in Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, in July 1882. He initially appeared as Will Conray and went on to appear in small music halls in the East End. In 1887 he changed his stage name to Harry Champion and started to perform in other parts of London where he built up a wide repertoire of songs. His trademark style was singing at a fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

and often about the joys of food. After more than four decades on the stage, Champion took early retirement after the death of his wife in 1928, but returned two years later to appear on radio, gaining a new, much younger audience as a result. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s, music hall entertainment had made a brief comeback, and Champion, like other performers of the genre, returned to performing. By the early 1940s he was in ill health, and died just a month after being admitted to a nursing home in 1942.

Biography

Early years, as Will Conray

Champion was born William Henry Crump on 17 April 1865 at 4 Turk Street,

, London, the son of Henry Crump, a master cabinet maker, and his wife, Matilda Crump, née Watson. He had one brother and one sister. Few details are known about Champion's early life, as he was notoriously secretive.Obituary, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 15 January 1942, p. 46 When he was 15, he became an apprentice to a boot clicker and soon developed an interest in music hall entertainment. Champion made his debut at the Royal Victoria Music Hall in Old Ford Road,

, in July 1882, as "Will Conray, comic". He appeared in minor music halls of London's East End, where he was described as a "comic, character vocalist, character comic and dancer". In 1883 he developed a

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

act in which he sang plantation songs. Local success led him to venture into other parts of the capital in the early part of 1886.Ruskin, Alan
"Champion, Harry", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
Oxford University Press, accessed 28 October 2011. Later in 1886, Champion introduced a new act entitled ''From Light to Dark'', in which he appeared alternately in black and whiteface. The following year he changed his stage name from Will Conray to Harry Champion. When asked about the origin of the name, Champion stated:

As Harry Champion

In 1889, Champion gave up the blackface part of his act. He bought the performing rights to the song "I'm Selling up the 'Appy 'Ome" which brought him newfound fame. The song is noted for being one of the first songs associated with his name. His popularity widened, and he made his West End theatre debut at the Tivoli in September 1890. Encores of his now famous song, "I'm Selling up the 'Appy 'Ome", were often accompanied with a

hornpipe The hornpipe is any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and Ireland and elsewhere from the 16th century until the present day. The earliest references to hornpipes are from England with Hugh Aston's Hornepype of 1522 and others r ...

dance, which Champion performed. Champion followed this up with "When the Old Dun Cow Caught Fire" (written and composed by

Harry Wincott Alfred James Walden (1 January 1867 – 20 April 1947), known professionally as Harry Wincott, was an English songwriter. Biography He was born in Lambeth, London, the eldest child of Charlotte and Alfred Walden, a coach builder. He started w ...

), which he introduced into his act in 1893. By the mid-1890s, he had many songs in his repertory, and he was in demand from audiences. The ''Entr'Acte'' wrote, "Champion is a comic singer who is endowed with genuine humour, which is revealed in his several songs, of which the audience never seems to get enough". His earliest known recording success was in 1896 with "In the World Turned Upside Down", followed by "Down Fell the Pony in a Fit" in 1897. In 1898 Champion ceased his style of alternating songs and patter and instead adopted a quick fire delivery in order for him to perform as many songs as he could during his act. He retained this style of delivery for the remainder of his career, remarking, "At one time I used to sing songs with plenty of patter but I changed the style for a new idea of my own, and started "quick singing". I think I am the only comedian who sings songs all in a lump, as you may say". Champion's popularity was at its highest from 1910 to 1915. It was within this period that he introduced four of his best-known songs. " Boiled Beef and Carrots" was first published in 1909 and was composed by Charles Collins and Fred Murray. The song depicts the joys of the well known Cockney dish of the same name which was eaten frequently in London's East End community at the turn of the 20th century. "

" was written for Champion by

Fred Murray Frederick Anthony "Fred" Murray (born 22 May 1982, Clonmel, County Tipperary) is an Irish former footballer and physiotherapist. Playing career Murray played his youth football at Belvedere before going abroad. At Belvedere he played in the ...

and

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 ...

in 1910. The song is a playful reworking of the life and times of Henry VIII, in this case not the monarch, but the eighth husband of the "widow next door. She'd been married seven times before." " Any Old Iron" was written for Champion by Charles Collins, E.A. Sheppard and

Fred Terry Fred Terry (9 November 1863 – 17 April 1933) was an English actor and theatrical manager. After establishing his reputation in London and in the provinces for a decade, he joined the company of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree where he remained for f ...

in 1911. The song is about a man who inherits an old watch and chain. Champion later recorded it on the

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

label on 29 October 1935 and was accompanied by the London Palladium Orchestra. The song has often been covered by fellow artistes including

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

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

. " A Little Bit of Cucumber" was written by the composer T. W. Conner and was first performed by Champion in 1915. The song is about a working-class man who enjoys eating cucumbers. He later compares them to other types of food, before eventually deciding that it is cucumber he prefers. Champion later took part in the first

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 ...

at The

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

in 1912. Other performances of note included " What a Mouth" (1906), "Everybody Knows Me in Me Old Brown Hat" and "Beaver" (both from 1922).

First World War and music hall decline

The titles of many of Champion's songs, supplied mainly by professional writers, centred around various types of food, consumed, chiefly by the working class community of East London.Brace, Matthe
"Feeding the Cockney Soul" by Matthew Brace
taken from The Independent, issued 22 May 1995, accessed October 2011 Food became an essential part of his repertory, so much so that during 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 ...

, a plate of boiled beef and carrots was known as "an 'arry Champion". Champion also sang about cucumbers, pickled onions,

piccalilli Piccalilli, or mustard pickle, is a British interpretation of South Asian pickles, a relish of chopped and pickled vegetables and spices.Spelling as per The Chambers Dictionary, 1994, . Regional recipes vary considerably. Etymology The ''Oxford ...

saveloy A saveloy is a type of highly seasoned sausage, usually bright red, normally boiled and available in most fish and chip shops around England. It is occasionally also available fried in batter. Etymology The word is believed to be derived fr ...

s, trotters, cold pork and baked sheep's heart, all basic elements in a Cockney's diet. With the outbreak of the

, traditional music hall entertainment declined in comparison with the new genre, variety. In 1915 Champion recorded "Grow some Taters", which was adopted by the British government's wartime publicity organisation to encourage the home growing of vegetables. However, by 1918 Champion, like a lot of performers from the music hall era, found their careers on the decline and he was forced into retirement in 1920.

North London Coaches

Champion's main business interest away from the stage included the ownership of a successful business hiring out horse drawn Broughams to fellow performers. This evolved into a coach business in the late 1920s which became known as Horseshoe Coaches (WH Crump and sons). The business was later sold and renamed North London Coaches. Upon the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the fleet of vehicles was commandeered for the

War Effort In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size ...

by the British government.Harry Champion taxi business
accessed 21 August 2011

1930s revival

During the

great depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

of the 1930s, music hall entertainment made a comeback and Champion like other performers of the music hall genre, returned to performing and enjoyed popularity throughout the 1930s. Troupes of veterans were much in demand in the 1930s and Lew Lake's ''Variety, 1906–1931—Stars who Never Failed to Shine'' went on tour throughout the country early in the decade with Champion as a leading member. Critics hailed Champion as a success stating "He almost brought the house down with three of his typical ditties". In 1932, Champion appeared at the royal variety performance with other representatives of old style music hall, including

Vesta Victoria Vesta Victoria (born Victoria Lawrence, 26 November 1873 – 7 April 1951) was an English music hall singer and comedian. She was famous for her performances of songs such as " Waiting at the Church" and "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow", both ...

Fred Russell Fred Russell (August 27, 1906 – January 26, 2003) was an American sportswriter from Tennessee who served as sports editor for the ''Nashville Banner'' for 68 years (1930–1998). Beginning in the 1960s he served for nearly three decades as ...

and

Marie Kendall Marie Kendall (born Mary Ann Florence Holyome; 27 July 1873 – 5 May 1964) was a British music hall comedian and actress who had a successful career spanning 50 years. Biography Kendall was born Mary Ann Florence Holyome on 27 July 1873 in ...

. That same year he returned to the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

, where he sang "Any Old Iron" and had some success. Further royal variety performance appearances took place again at the Palladium in 1935 and at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

in 1938, and he was seen in the successful ''London Rhapsody'' with the Crazy Gang at the Palladium in 1937 and 1938. Champion decided not to try anything new because he recognised the fact that audiences liked the nostalgia surrounding his act. On stage, his appearance did not change. He was the embodiment of the spirit of the poorer parts of London, wearing shabby, ill-fitting clothes, old work boots and a frayed top hat. One critic noted "Like music hall itself, Harry Champion was of the people, he expressed the tastes of practically all his listeners, even those who would not openly admit it and in World War 2 he sang to troops who found him a splendid tonic".

Personal life

On 30 November 1889, at St Peter's Church, Hackney, Champion married Sarah Potteweld (1869–1928), who accompanied him on many of his tours. They had three sons and a daughter. In 1914, Champion moved from the east end to 520 West Green Road,

South Tottenham South Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. Location South Tottenham occupies parts of the N15 and N17 postal districts. It is bordered in the south by Stamford Hill, the west by St Ann's and West Green, the ...

.Directories, Stamford Hill and Tottenham, 1913–1915 Towards the later part of his life he lived at 161 Great Cambridge Road, Tottenham. By late 1941, exhaustion had forced him into a nursing home, at 20 Devonshire Place,

St Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it merge ...

, London. He died there on 14 January 1942 and was buried with his wife (who had predeceased him on 24 January 1928) in St Marylebone cemetery,

East Finchley East Finchley is an area in North London, immediately north of Hampstead Heath. Like neighbouring Muswell Hill it straddles the London Boroughs of Barnet and Haringey, with most of East Finchley falling into the London Borough of Barnet. It has ...

, on 24 January 1942.

Partial discography

* " A Little Bit of Cucumber" (1915)Regal, catalogue no. G6873, accessed October 2011 * " Any Old Iron" * "Best that Money Can Buy" ( September 1931)Columbia DX289, accessed October 2011 * " Boiled Beef and Carrots" (January 1910) * "Cockney Bill of London Town" (May 1916) * "Cover it Over Quick Jemima" (January 1911) * "

" (January 1910) (signature tune/song) * "I'm proud of my old bald head" (December 1911) * "Old Red Lion" (April 1909) * "You don't want to keep on showing it" (January 1910) * "You ought to see the Missus in a Harem skirt" (March 1911)Zono 595, accessed October 2011 * "Don't do it again Matilda" (May 1910)Columbia 1490, accessed October 2011 * "Ginger You're Barmy" (May 1910) * "Never let your braces dangle" (August 1910) * "Let's have a basin of soup" (January 1911) * "Standard Bread" (March 1911) * "I'm getting ready for my Mother-in-Law" (December 1911) * "The Old Dun Cow caught fire" (December 1911) * "Home made sausages" (July 1912) * "Ragtime Ragshop" (January/February 1915)Regal G6405, accessed October 2011 * "I'm William the Conqueror" (January/February 1915) * "You can't help laughing can yer?" (September 1915) * "Doctor Shelley" (September 1915) * "Hey Diddle Diddle" (May 1916) * "Everybody knows me in my old brown hat" (March 1922) * "Best that money can buy" (June 1922)

Legacy and influence

Champion influenced many later variety artists and their acts. His songs are among some of the most popular Cockney songs ever recorded and are synonymous with people's interpretation of what Cockney humour is. "Any Old Iron" and "Boiled Beef and Carrots" are often used to illustrate a stereotype as perceived by non-cockney people. In 1960 the actor and singer

recorded an album entitled ''Down at the Old Bull and Bush'', which included a cover of "Any Old Iron". In 1965 the pop group Hermans Hermits recorded a cover of the (retitled) song "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" for the album ''Hermits on Tour''. Champion was mentioned twice in a 1969 episode of ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

'' in the Series 3 episode "War dance", first when music is being selected and again when

Lance Corporal Jones Lance Corporal Jack Jones is a fictional Home Guard platoon lance corporal and veteran of the British Empire, first portrayed by Clive Dunn in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. His catchphrases are "Don't panic!", "Permission to speak, s ...

performs various impressions of music hall artistes of the pre-First World War era but says that he cannot do an impression of Champion. "Ginger You're Barmy" which was the title of Champion's 1910 song was used as the title of a book written by the author (not to be confused with the actor of the same name) David Lodge in 1962.

Chas and Dave Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) were a British pop rock duo, formed in London by Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock. Hodges died in 2018. They were most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled ''rockney'' (a port ...

were admirers of Champion and often emulated his style, incorporating it into their own acts. In 1984 they recorded "Harry was a Champion" in tribute to him. Actor

John Rutland John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, long standing member of The Players Theatre London, frequently portrayed Harry Champion on the TV show ''The Good Old Days'' on BBC TV, with a chorus of singers from the Players Theatre Company and featured his songs at the Villiers Street theatre, home of The Players Theatre for many years. On 18 November 2012, Champion's granddaughter appeared on the BBC television programme ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...

'' from Falmouth,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

showing a selection of Champion's music hall memorabilia which was valued upwards of £5000."Penryn mayor's shock at Antiques Roadshow loving cup valuation"
, This Is Cornwall website, accessed 1 December 2013. Folk Band Cosmotheka often performs the work of Champion in their act, finding particular notice in the 1970s and 1980s for "Don't do it again Matilda".

Notes and references

Notes References

Sources

External links

Harry Champion on Youtube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Harry 1866 births 1942 deaths English comedy musicians Music hall performers People from Shoreditch Burials at East Finchley Cemetery British novelty song performers