Victoria Annie Monks (1 November 1884 – 26 January 1927) was a British music hall singer of the early 20th century. During the

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

and

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 ...

eras she performed and recorded popular songs such as "Take Me Back to London Town" and "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey".

Life and career

Monks was born in Blackpool, Lancashire on 1 November 1884, the daughter of Charles Monks. She was educated in both England and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. In 1899 she made her first stage appearance as "Little Victoria"; her first appearance in London was at the

Oxford Music Hall Oxford Music Hall was a music hall located in Westminster, London at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It was established on the site of a former public house, the Boar and Castle, by Charles Morton, in 1861. In 1917 the music ...

on 9 March 1903. She went on to appear in all the leading Music Halls, both in London and the provinces. She married the American songwriter and Music Hall manager Karl F. Hooper and by 1911, they were living in Lambeth, London with a daughter. In 1915 she was prevented from working following an accident which involved a stage door at one of the

Moss Empires Moss Empires was a company formed in Edinburgh in 1899, from the merger of the theatre companies owned by Sir Edward Moss, Richard Thornton and Sir Oswald Stoll. This created the largest chain of variety theatres and music halls in the United ...

theatres; she became bankrupt shortly afterwards. She died in London in 1927 and is buried in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery near

Harlesden Harlesden is a district in the London Borough of Brent, North West London. Located north of the Grand Union Canal and Wormwood Scrubs, the Harrow Road flows through the centre of the area which goes eastwards to Central London and west toward ...

, London. Her great-granddaughter Chloe Hooper was born in Basingstoke and grew up in Silchester – she is both an international vocalist and Tribute Act today.

Songs and recordings

Monks performed and recorded a number of popular songs of her day. A list of some of her recordings is given below with lyricists and recording dates where known. Monks recorded for

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

and their

Zonophone Zonophone (early on also rendered as Zon-O-Phone) was a record label founded in 1899 in Camden, New Jersey, by Frank Seaman. The Zonophone name was not that of the company but was applied to records and machines sold by Seaman's Universal Talki ...

sister label between 1906 and 1913. and also for Pathe, Jumbo Fonotipia, Edison and Homophone. * "Ain't the Old Place Good Enough for You", ( Clarence Wainwright Murphy & D. Lipton) * "Ain't Yer Gwine to Say 'How Do'?". Recorded 1906 * "Buy Me a Home in London" * "Give My Regards to Leicester Square", ( William Hargreaves). Recorded 1906 * "Take Me Back to London Town", (Arthur Trevelyan &

Harry Von Tilzer Harry Von Tilzer (born Aaron Gumbinsky, also known as Harry Gumm; 8 July 1872 – 10 January 1946) was an American composer, songwriter, publisher and vaudeville performer. Early life Von Tilzer was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents, Sarah ...

). * "Ain't I No Use, Mr Jackson?", ( Clarence Wainwright Murphy & D. Lipton). Recorded 1906 * "If You Want to Have a Row, Wait Till the Sun Shines", (William Hargreaves). Recorded 1906 * "

Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey "(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey", originally titled "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please.... Come Home?" is a popular song published in 1902. It is commonly referred to as simply "Bill Bailey". Its words and music were written by Hughie Cannon, an ...

?", (

Hughie Cannon Hugo Cannon (April 9, 1877 – June 17, 1912) was an American songwriter and pianist whose best-known composition was the popular ragtime song "(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey". Biography Cannon was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1877. He ...

) never recorded * "Brown Eyes and Blue Eyes" not recorded * "Ise Gwine Back to Jacksonville". Recorded 1906 * "Love Song". Recorded 1906 * "Open the Door". Recorded 1907 * "Hello Old Man". Recorded 1907 * "Sweet Saturday Night", (Percy Ford & J.B.Mullen). Recorded 1907 * "I'm Leaving Home". Recorded 1907 * "Moving Day", ( Andrew B. Sterling & Harry Von Tilzer). Recorded 1908 * "Hello Miss London: A Bunch of Roses", (Tom Mellor). Recorded 1913 * "The Vickey Glide", (Tom Mellor). Recorded 1913

References and notes

External links

Link to Chloe Hooper's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monks, Victoria 1884 births 1927 deaths Musicians from Blackpool Music hall performers British women singers Burials at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green 20th-century English singers 20th-century English women singers