1. William Henry Crump, better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was an English music hall composer, singer and comedian, whose onstage persona appealed chiefly to the working class communities of East London.
30 Facts About Harry Champion
1. 2.
Harry Champion made his stage debut at the age of 17 at the Royal Victoria Music Hall in Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, in July 1882.
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Harry Champion initially appeared as Will Conray and went on to appear in small music halls in the East End.
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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.
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Harry Champion was born William Henry Crump on 17 April 1865 at 4 Turk Street, Bethnal Green, London, the son of Henry Crump, a master cabinet maker, and his wife, Matilda Crump, nee Watson.
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Harry Champion made his debut at the Royal Victoria Music Hall in Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, in July 1882, as "Will Conray, comic".
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Harry Champion appeared in minor music halls of London's East End, where he was described as a "comic, character vocalist, character comic and dancer".
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Later in 1886, Harry Champion introduced a new act entitled From Light to Dark, in which he appeared alternately in black and whiteface.
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In 1889, Harry Champion gave up the blackface part of his act.
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Harry Champion bought the performing rights to the song "I'm Selling up the 'Appy 'Ome" which brought him newfound fame.
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Harry Champion's popularity widened, and he made his West End theatre debut at the Tivoli in September 1890.
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The Entr'Acte wrote, "Harry 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".
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Harry Champion's 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.
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In 1898 Harry 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.
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Harry Champion's popularity was at its highest from 1910 to 1915.
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Harry Champion later recorded it on the EMI label on 29 October 1935 and was accompanied by the London Palladium Orchestra.
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Harry Champion later compares them to other types of food, before eventually deciding that it is cucumber he prefers.
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Harry Champion later took part in the first Royal Variety Performance at The Palace Theatre in 1912.
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The titles of many of Harry Champion's songs, supplied mainly by professional writers, centred around various types of food, consumed, chiefly by the working class community of East London.
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Harry Champion sang about cucumbers, pickled onions, piccalilli, saveloys, trotters, cold pork and baked sheep's heart, all basic elements in a Cockney's diet.
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In 1915 Harry Champion recorded "Grow some Taters", which was adopted by the British government's wartime publicity organisation to encourage the home growing of vegetables.
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In 1932, Harry Champion appeared at the royal variety performance with other representatives of old style music hall, including Vesta Victoria, Fred Russell and Marie Kendall.
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Harry Champion decided not to try anything new because he recognised the fact that audiences liked the nostalgia surrounding his act.
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Harry Champion 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.
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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".
26.
On 30 November 1889, at St Peter's Church, Hackney, Harry Champion married Sarah Potteweld, who accompanied him on many of his tours.
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In 1914, Harry Champion moved from the east end to 520 West Green Road, South Tottenham.
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Harry Champion died there on 14 January 1942 and was buried alongside his wife in St Marylebone cemetery, East Finchley.
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Harry Champion's songs are among some of the most popular Cockney songs ever recorded and are synonymous with people's interpretation of what Cockney humour is.
30.
Harry Champion was mentioned twice in a 1969 episode of Dad's Army in the Series 3 episode "War dance", first when music is being selected and again when Lance Corporal Jones performs various impressions of music hall artistes of the pre-First World War era but says that he cannot do an impression of Harry Champion.