#SongSheetSaturday 🎶
"He's Going to Marry Mary Ann!" — a music hall gem from 1885, composed by Joseph Tabrar and sung by the irrepressible Miss Bessie Bellwood.
Bellwood made her debut in 1876 and was beloved by audiences for her saucy, quick-witted stage manner.
#MusicHall #archive
Song sheet cover from the British Music Hall Society archive. Fancy lithographic lettering of the song title and composers. Published by Reynolds & Co.
#SongSheetSaturday 🎶
Wot Cher! Knock'd 'em in the Old Kent Road (1891)
Born #OTD in 1861, Albert Chevalier was the self-styled "coster laureate" of #music hall and this gloriously daft cockney singalong about a man who inherits a donkey and cart is one of his most enduring hits
Song sheet cover for Put a Little Springtime (In the Winter of our Lives) a 1933 song sung by Flanagan & Allen, Features black & white photo of Flanagan & Allen, both in hats and suits, shirt, tie. BMHS Archive image.
🌼 #SongSheetSaturday — the daffodils are out, the sun's made a brief but welcome appearance, and spring is attempting to get going. 'Put A Little Springtime (In The Winter Of Their Lives)' — Bud Flanagan & Teddie Knox, sung by Flanagan & Allen, a hit in 1933 and recorded by the BBC Dance Orchestra.
#SongSheetSaturday – For the First Time (I've Fallen in Love) (1943), words by Charles Tobias, music by David Kapp. Brought to life by the incomparable Leslie 'Hutch' Hutchinson - a 1930s cabaret star who reinvented himself for the variety stage during WWII.
🔥 #SongSheetSaturday 🔥 "Jeremiah, Blow the Fire," from 1877, was performed by GH MacDermott. This cheeky tune gained popularity in music halls for its "doubtful character." Consider these chorus lines: 'Jeremiah, blow the fire, puff, puff, puff, First you do it gently, then you come it rather rough'
Sheet music cover for 'It's A Bit of A Ruin That Cromwell Knocked About A Bit' sung by Marie Lloyd. Inset full length photograph of Marie Lloyd. British Music Hall Society Archive image.
🏰 #SongSheetSaturday 🏰
"It's a Bit of a Ruin that Cromwell Knocked About a Bit" (1921)
Performed by the incomparable Marie Lloyd, Queen of the Music Hall who brought this witty number to life, poking fun at England's crumbling historical sites with her trademark cheeky charm #MusicHall
💕 #SongSheetSaturday meets Valentine's Day! 💕
"Lovetime (Any Old Time Will Do)" (1908), sung by George Lashwood with words by Harry Castling & music by Fred Godfrey. Forget fancy restaurants & overpriced roses - according to this Edwardian charmer, when it comes to romance, any old time will do!
Sheet music cover for 'Come Out' (1901) written by& performed by Music Hall performer Austin Rudd. Bold red lettering for song title and performer name and comical illustration by HG Banks. British Music Hall Society Archive.
🎵 #SongSheetSaturday 🎵
A gem from 1901 "Come Out" by Austin Rudd. This piece, with both music and lyrics by Rudd, is complemented by HG Banks' whimsical illustration of a husband in the waves while his wife demands he "Come out!" For the full music, contact our #archive (details on our website)
A music hall classic for #songsheetsaturday - Two Lovely Black Eyes - first published in 1886 with lyrics by Charles Coborn. Coborn reckoned he performed this number more than 250,000 times throughout his long career. 'Two lovely black eyes, Oh what a surprise, Only for telling a man he was wrong.'
Black and white song sheet cover from 1915 for "Come and Cuddle Me" featuring a head & shoulder photograph of Dorothy Ward. Text lists written by Clifford Harris; composed by Jas W Tate and sung my Miss Clarice Mayne. Published by Francis Day & Hunter Ltd. From the British Music Hall Society Archive.
Our first #SongSheetSaturday of 2026 – “Come & Cuddle Me”. As the temperatures drop, this might be a solution for seeking that extra warmth. A 1915 #panto hit for Dorothy Ward, composed by Clifford Harris & Jas W. Tate (Clarice’s husband).
In the month that The Great Vance took his final bow in 1888 on the stage of the Sun Music Hall, Knightsbridge, here is his 'Beautiful Nell' for #songsheetsaturday by Stacey Lee & R Coote with lithography by Alfred Concanen #MusicHall
Pre-Christmas #songsheetsaturday: 'Ting-a-ling Ting-Tay' by Harry Dacre, sung by Harriet Vernon. A Spanish street musician ('quite the finest and divinest') is courted by a 'gentleman'—until her husband appears. Her only reply? 'Ting-a-ling-a-ling' 💔 #musichall
The celebrated #panto patter song - The Shopwalker - a sketch by the one & only Dan Leno who was born #OTD 1860. Composed by George Le Brunn with lyrics by Walter de Freece (later Mr Vesta Tilley) depicting a humorous take on a department store assistant
#songsheetsaturday #musichall #walkthisway
Lithographic cover for 'That's What the Country Wants to Know' featuring drawing of Harry Rickards
Harry Rickards, 'King of Australian vaudeville', was born in December 1843. For #SongSheetSaturday: his 1887 song 'That's What the Country Wants to Know' composed by Elsie Phillis (female songwriter - info anyone?) with words by FV St Clair, pub. Hopwood & Crew. Find it in our archive #MusicHall
Illustrated cover for sheet music of Vesta Victoria's song, 'Our Lodger's Such a Nice Young Man.' Form 1897
Vesta Victoria was born November 1873, for #songsheetsaturday here's her 1897 hit written by Fred Murray & Laurence Barclay. 'Our Lodger's Such a Nice Young Man'. He's such a good, goody young man, Mamma told me so, 'he kissed Mamma and all of us, cos Papa was away.'
Annie Adams was born in November 1843 in Newport, Isle of Wight. For #songsheetsaturday here's her c. 1868 hit song, 'Popsy Wopsy!' One of the first successful female Music Hall performers, 'The Queen of Serio-Comic Vocalists.'
Prolific #MusicHall songwriter Joseph Tabrar was born in November 1857 - for #songsheetsaturday here is one of his offerings from 1897, sung by Harry Randall - 'Poor Pa Paid'. Ma enjoys music hall outings and occasionally ends up in a 'tea fight', resulting in a Police Court fine...paid by Pa.
One of Blackpool's finest - Victoria Monks - was born #OTD 1882 . For #songsheetsaturday here is her 1908 hit song by EW Rogers and J Charles Moore. ‘Call round any old time and make yourself at home, put your feet on the mantle shelf, open the cupboard and help yourself…’ #MusicHall
In honour of #BlackHistoryMonth, today’s #SongSheetSaturday features Winifred Atwell’s ‘Flirtation Waltz’. 🎶 A household name of the 1950s, Atwell was born in Trinidad in 1914. Her Boogie-Woogie style captivated UK audiences — & she became the 1st Black artist to sell a million records ✨
Now ere's a funny thing, today's sheet music is for Max Miller's biggest hit 'Mary from the Dairy' , a song released in 1936 becoming his signature tune. Miller paid Sam Kern £4 for the number. This coming Tuesday 21st November would have been Miller's 132nd birthday. #SongSheetSaturday #MusicHall
Today's Song Sheet in honour of our blue plaque unveiling this coming Thursday in Brighton is the 'Max Miller Songbook' a compilation of hits of 'Cheeky Chappie' Miller. One of the biggest stars of his day who influenced many future turns and is fondly remembered in his hometown #SongSheetSaturday
This #songsheetsaturday marks the approx. birthdate of Miss Ella Shields (born Baltimore, Maryland in 1879). Here is her 1919 Darewski number by Huntley Trevor & John Neat - 'Where Did You Find the Lady?' All about Bertie Blandford's adventures at the seaside after his demobilisation #MusicHall
This week's #songsheetsaturday celebrates George Robey's birth #OTD 1869 with a cover of 'If I Had a Baby Like You' from the 'Joy-Bells' revue performed in this show with Shirley Kellogg. Albert De Courville's 'Joy-Bells' debuted at the London Hippodrome in March 1919 #musichall #revue #archive
Step into the origins of #MusicHall with this week’s #SongSheetSaturday. Discover ‘Rat Catcher’s Daughter’ by Sam Cowell, a standout at Charles Morton's famed Canterbury Music Hall in 1852. Despite earning up to £80 weekly, Cowell died penniless in 1864. #MusicHistory
When Love Creeps in Your Heart is our tune for this week's #SongsheetSaturday.
It was written by A.J. Mills and Bennett Scott, and sung by both Dorothy Ward & Evie Greene, We're sharing both versions here - it's surprising how similar they are.
To conclude our Florrie Forde month for #songsheetsaturday here’s ‘Florrie Forde’s Favourites,’ showcasing her extensive work. She performed in pantomime into the 1930s & appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in 1935 at age 60, having also participated in the first one in 1912
#MusicHall
This week’s contribution for #songsheetsaturday is “Good-Bye-Ee!” 🎶
A 1917 WW1 hit by Weston & Lee, and the last song Miss Florrie Forde sang before her passing in 1940. Decades later, it lent its title to the unforgettable final Blackadder Goes Forth episode
#MusicHall
Today is the 150th anniversary of Florrie Forde's birth in Melbourne. With an Irish father & American mother, she began her career in 1893 and was in London by 1897. For #SongSheetSaturday, we revisit her 1908 hit "Oh Oh Antonio," about a girl and her elusive Italian ice cream vendor #MusicHall
For our 2nd Florrie Forde-themed #SongSheetSaturday: the 1910 hit ‘Flanagan’, third in a run of hits (1908–10) by C.W. “Billie” Murphy & Will Letters. Packed with Isle of Man references—where Florrie was adored, performed often, and spent many summers.
#MusicHall #FlorrieForde
#archive
#SongSheetSaturday for the next few weeks will be dedicated to Florrie Forde. 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of her birth in 1875 in Australia. A stalwart of #MusicHall here is one of her best known hits - ‘Down At The Old Bull and Bush' - 'Do, do, come and have a drink or two...'
