Walter Van Brunt (22 April 1892 – 11 April 1971) was an American tenor known initially for his recordings on

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and later for his role in a scandal involving a stage name and case of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

Biography

Van Brunt began his singing career at age 17 as an imitator of singer Billy Murray. He was soon performing with

Ada Jones Ada Jane Jones (June 1, 1873 – May 2, 1922) was an English-American popular singer who made her first recordings in 1893 on Edison cylinders. She is among the earliest female singers to be recorded. Biography She was born in Lancashire, UK, ...

and John Bieling as well as the American Quartet. He worked in

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and on

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, including in the musical '' Eileen''. Van Brunt had 40 hits on pop charts, including his 1914 duet with Elizabeth Spencer. In 1917, Van Brunt began using the name Walter J. Scanlan (newspapers sometimes erroneously rendered the name as "Scanlon"), which was the name of a late 19th-century Irish tenor who had had an established career before dying but never made any recordings. It has been suggested, but not proved, that the

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composer of '' Eileen'',

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

, had encouraged the use of this stage name when he cast Van Brunt as the leading man. It was not a secret that this was a stage name: ''

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'' review of ''Eileen'' stated that Scanlan's real name was Van Brunt. Van Brunt later had a bigamous affair with a woman known as Ruth Scanlan, siring a child with her and prompting his wife Lillian to sue for divorce, which was granted in 1925 by an

judge who, in announcing his decision that Van Brunt should pay alimony, criticized Van Brunt's character. From 1929 to 1933, Murray used Van Brunt on various radio programs."Walter Van Brunt"
listing among the "Songwriters' Friends"
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Accessed 10 February 2010. In 1929, Scanlon and Billy Murray provided the voices for the Fleischer short animation film '' Finding His Voice'', produced by Western Electric.

References

External links

*
Walter Van Brunt recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:VanBrunt, Walter 1890s births 1971 deaths American tenors Vaudeville performers Singers from New York City Sex scandals Pioneer recording artists 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers