Joseph Tabrar | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1857-11-05)5 November 1857 Clerkenwell, London, England |
| Died | 22 August 1931(1931-08-22) (aged 73) Camberwell, London |
| Genres | Music hall |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Years active | 1870s-1920s |
Joseph Tabrar (5 November 1857 – 22 August 1931) was a prolific English writer of popularmusic hall songs. His song "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow" (1892) becameVesta Victoria's first major popular success.[1]
Tabrar was born inClerkenwell, London; his father was a gas fitter, George Tabrar. Joseph Tabrar began his musical career in the church choir. By the age of 13 he was singing atEvans Music-and-Supper Rooms.[2] He performed in music halls as a clown and acrobat as well as a musician, and for some years was a member of theMoore and Burgess Minstrels who performed regularly atSt James's Hall inPiccadilly.[3] His brother Tom and sister Lizzie also became music hall entertainers.[2]
Tadrar soon became recognised by performers as a songwriter. In 1880, his song "I Am a Millionaire" was performed byGeorge Leybourne and became successful, and by 1881 Tabrar was describing himself in thecensus as an "author and composer". He wrote Leybourne's 1883 success "Ting Ting, That's How the Bell Goes", and wrote and composed songs forpantomimes performed at thePavilion Theatre, Whitechapel, includingLittle Red Riding Hood (1884),Cinderella (1892),Sindbad the Sailor (1893),Whittington and His Cat (1895), andJack and the Beanstalk (1897).[4]
His 1892 song "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow" was originally written forAda Reeve, but when Vesta Victoria heard it she immediately started to perform it, to great success. His other successes included "The Ship Went Down" (1898, performed byHarry Rickards), "For Months and Months and Months" (1909, performed byJack Smiles), as well as many songs performed byCharles Godfrey,Marie Lloyd,George Robey, and others.[3][5][6]
He established his office inStamford Street,Waterloo. Over his 60-year songwriting career, Tabrar wrote thousands of songs, many of them written to order; he is known to have written 7,200 songs, but claimed to have written more than twice that number.[2] According toPeter Gammond: "There was hardly a music hall artist during his time who did not call upon 'Joe' for some material: this included, besides songs, monologues, duologues, sketches, short operettas, and many pantomime scripts...".[3]
His son Joseph, who performed as Fred Earle, became a popular comic and music hall entertainer.[2] The elder Joseph Tabrar continued to write songs, and teach songwriting skills, from his office until after theFirst World War.[6] He made relatively little money from his songs and in 1899 described himself as "impecuniously embarrassed"; a benefit concert was held with such performers asDan Leno,G. H. Chirgwin, andFlorrie Forde.[7] In 1916, a second benefit concert was arranged to provide financial support, but it was poorly attended.[2]
He died inCamberwell in 1931, aged 73. Tabrar is buried in the formerVABF memorial atStreatham Park Cemetery,[1] which has been restored byThe Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.
Tabrar's songs include:
