Harry Lauder
Harry Lauder- A Famous Scottish Entertainer
Harry Lauder (1870 - 1950) was a Scottish comedian, whose original surname was MacLennan. As a boy he worked in a flax mill, and after that for 10 years in a coal mine. He sang his first solo on stage in a competition at the age of 12. After Amateur work he became professional in Scotland, and then made his first appearance in London at Gatti's in 1900 where is was an overnight success. In the same year he went to the Royal Holburn Theatre, continuing from success to triumph at the Oxford and the London Pavilion theatres. He became and remained for many years, the most highly paid variety and music-hall artist in Britain. During the First World War he organised charity concerts and sang at the front, and was knighted in 1919. In the inter-war years he topped the bill in London at the Palladium, Victoria Palace, and Alhambra theatres, made frequent provincial tours, and also toured Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the United States. Among the songs he made famous (some being of his own composition) were I Love a Lassie, Tobermory, Roamin' in the Gloamin', and The End of the Road. He wrote several volumes of reminiscences, and appeared in a number of films based on his song-titles.
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