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{{other people}}
{{other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2012}}
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{{Infobox musical artist
⚫
'''Bert Lee''' (11 June 1880 – 23 January 1946) was an English songwriter. He wrote for [[music hall]] and the musical stage, often in partnership with [[R. P. Weston]].
| name = Bert Lee
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = William Herbert Lee
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1880|6|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury|Ravensthorpe]], [[West Yorkshire|Yorkshire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1946|1|23|1880|6|11|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Llandudno]], [[Caernarfonshire]], Wales
| genre = [[Music hall]]
| associated_acts =
| occupation = Songwriter
| years_active = 1910–{{circa}}1940
}}
⚫
'''William Herbert Lee''' (11 June 1880 – 23 January 1946) was an English songwriter. He wrote for [[music hall]] and the musical stage, often in partnership with [[R. P. Weston]].


==Life and career==
Lee was born 11 June 1880 in [[Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury|Ravensthorpe]], [[West Yorkshire|Yorkshire]], [[England]].<ref name="Bert Lee I">[http://imdb.com/name/nm0496869/ Bert Lee (I)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Lee was born in [[Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury|Ravensthorpe]], [[West Yorkshire|Yorkshire]], [[England]].<ref name=baker>Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, {{ISBN|978-1-78383-118-0}}, pp.145–146</ref><ref name="Bert Lee I">{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0496869/|title=Bert Lee|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=14 July 2020}}</ref> He played organ in his local chapel as a child, and initially worked as a [[piano tuner]] in [[Manchester]], before joining a travelling [[concert party (entertainment)|concert party]] as a pianist.<ref name=theatrephile>Roy Hudd, "R. P. Weston and Bert Lee, 'A Song a Day'", ''Theatrephile'', vol. 2 no.6, 1985, pp.55–58</ref><ref name=white>{{cite book |last=White |first=Mark |date=1983 |title="You Must Remember This...": Popular Songwriters 1900–1980 |location=London |publisher=Frederick Warne |pages= 238–242|isbn=0-7232-3177-X}}</ref> His first successful song as a writer was "Joshu-ah!", co-written with [[George Arthurs]] and performed by [[Clarice Mayne]] in 1910. He found further success in 1913 with "[[Hello! Hello! Who's Your Lady Friend?]]", written with [[Worton David]] and the song's performer, [[Harry Fragson]].<ref name=white/>


In 1915, music publisher David Day, of [[Francis, Day and Hunter]], introduced Lee to [[R. P. Weston]], the collaborator with whom Lee had the most lasting relationship.<ref name=baker/> They immediately found success together with "[[Lloyd George's Beer Song]]" (1915), "[[Good-bye-ee!]]" (1917, made popular by Florrie Forde),<ref name=baker/> and "[[Paddy McGinty's Goat]]", revived by [[Val Doonican]] in 1964. They worked together over the next twenty years on some 3000 songs and [[monologue]]s, 75 stage shows and musicals, and 17 films, as well as for [[pantomime]]s and radio shows.<ref name=white/> As well as songs for revues, notably those produced by [[Lupino Lane]], they wrote [[sketch (comedy)|sketch]]es for such stars as [[Fred Karno]], [[Robb Wilton]] and [[Wee Georgie Wood]].<ref name=white/> Their collaborations were conducted in Weston's house in [[Twickenham]]. They kept office hours, met every day and aimed to write at least one song each day.<ref>Russell, Dave. ''Popular Music in England, 1840–1914: A Social History'', Manchester University Press, 1997, p 109. {{ISBN|0-7190-5261-0}}</ref> Both Lee and Weston wrote both words and music,<ref name=white/> but according to Lee: "Bob [Weston] has the brains. I put the laughs in."<ref name=baker/><ref name=folk>[http://folksongandmusichall.com/index.php/weston-and-lee/ "Weston and Lee", ''Folk Song and Music Hall'']. Retrieved 15 January 2021</ref>
He and Weston became partners in 1915. They were prolific songwriters thanks to their workman-like attitudes. They reportedly wrote a song a day.<ref>Russell, Dave. ''Popular Music in England, 1840-1914: A Social History'', Manchester University Press, 1997, p 109. {{ISBN|0-7190-5261-0}}</ref> Ultimately, they wrote more than 2000 songs including 75 skits, pantomimes, and sketches.<ref name="Halliwell, Leslie 2003">Halliwell, Leslie. ''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies'', 15th edition, HarperCollins, 2003. {{ISBN|0-06-053423-0}}</ref> They worked together in Weston's house in [[Twickenham]], Middlesex.


In the 1920s, Weston and Lee wrote for many theatre productions, and adapted many American productions for the British stage. In 1926, they started working with theatre producers Jack Waller and Joe Tunbridge, and wrote several musical comedies together, mostly featuring the comedian [[Bobby Howes]]. They also worked with [[Gracie Fields]] and the [[Crazy Gang (comedy group)|Crazy Gang]]. They wrote the popular monologue "[[My Word, You Do Look Queer]]", first recorded by [[Ernest Hastings]] in 1922 and later popularised by [[Stanley Holloway]].<ref name=white/>
⚫
The duo also wrote music for film, including the book and lyrics for ''O-kay for Sound'', a 1937 film.<ref>[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/474108/ screenonline: O-Kay For Sound (1937)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Much of their music was written specifically for actors [[Sydney Howard]] and [[Stanley Holloway]] both noted comedians of the 1920s and '30s. These included ''Splinters in the Air'' for Howard and ''Squibs'' for Holloway.<ref name="Halliwell, Leslie 2003"/> Among Lee's most endearing tunes is [[Knees Up Mother Brown]]!, which is traditionally associated with [[Cockney]] culture. This was written in 1938 in collaboration Robert Weston's son, Harris, after Robert's death in 1936.
Weston and Lee wrote several of [[Songs and monologues of Stanley Holloway|Holloway's monologues]] in the 1930s. Together with Weston's son Harris Weston (born Robert Edgar Harris, 1901–1978),<ref>[https://harant.co.uk/composers/display.php?letter=H Harris, ''World Composers'']. Retrieved 16 January 2021</ref> they wrote Holloway's 1934 monologue "[[With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm]]", about the ghost of [[Anne Boleyn]] haunting the [[Tower of London]], seeking revenge on [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] for having her beheaded.<ref name=baker/><ref>[http://homepage.ntlworld.com/barnicle/stanley/words/with%20her%20head%20tucked%20underneath%20her%20arm.htm With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104155942/http://homepage.ntlworld.com/barnicle/stanley/words/with%20her%20head%20tucked%20underneath%20her%20arm.htm |date=4 January 2007 }}</ref>


⚫
The duo also wrote music for film, including the book and lyrics for ''O-kay for Sound'', a 1937 film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/474108/|title=BFI Screenonline: O-Kay For Sound (1937)|website=Screenonline.org.uk|accessdate=14 July 2020}}</ref> Much of their music was written specifically for actors [[Sydney Howard]] and Stanley Holloway, both noted comedians of the 1920s and 1930s. These included "Splinters in the Air" for Howard and "Squibs" for Holloway.<ref name="Halliwell, Leslie 2003">Halliwell, Leslie. ''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies'', 15th edition, HarperCollins, 2003. {{ISBN|0-06-053423-0}}</ref> Among Lee's most enduring tunes is "[[Knees Up Mother Brown]]", which is traditionally associated with [[Cockney]] culture. This was written in 1938 in collaboration with R. P. Weston's son, Harris Weston. In 1938, Lee and Harris Weston co-wrote the hit [[stage revue]] ''[[These Foolish Things (revue)|These Foolish Things]]'' which starred [[Crazy Gang (comedy group)|The Crazy Gang]] and the [[Sherman Fisher Girls]]. The same year Lee contributed to the musical ''[[The Fleet's Lit Up]]''.
Lee died 23 January 1946 in [[Llandudno]], [[Wales]].<ref name="Bert Lee I" /> He is interred at [[Great Orme]], Llandudno.

<ref>[http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Burials.htm#L Music Hall and Variety Artistes Burial Places<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In 1939, Lee and his wife went on holiday to [[Llandudno]] in [[north Wales]], and at the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] decided to settle in the town.<ref name=theatrephile/> He died there in January 1946, aged 65.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Burials.htm#L|title=Music Hall and Variety Artistes Burial Places|website=Arthurlloyd.co.uk|accessdate=14 July 2020}}</ref>


==Select filmography (as writer)==
==Select filmography (as writer)==
Line 25: Line 43:
* ''[[Up for the Derby]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Up for the Derby]]'' (1933)
* ''[[It's a King]]'' (1933)
* ''[[It's a King]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Trouble (film)|Trouble]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Trouble (1933 film)|Trouble]]'' (1933)
* ''[[The Mayor's Nest]]'' (1932)
* ''[[The Mayor's Nest]]'' (1932)
*''[[Up for the Cup (1931 film)|Up for the Cup]]'' (1931)
*''[[Up for the Cup (1931 film)|Up for the Cup]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Splinters in the Navy]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Splinters in the Navy]]'' (1931)
* ''[[No Lady]]'' (1931)
* ''[[No Lady]]'' (1931)

==Selected stage works==
* ''[[He Wanted Adventure]]'' (1933)
* ''[[These Foolish Things (revue)|These Foolish Things]]'' (1938)


==Songs (partial list)==
==Songs (partial list)==
* 1910 "Joshua" w.m George Arthurs & Bert Lee
* 1910 "Joshua" w.m [[George Arthurs]] & Bert Lee
* 1912 "Hello, Hello, Who's Your Lady Friend?" w.m. [[Harry Fragson]], Worton David & Bert Lee
* 1912 "[[Hello, Hello, Who's Your Lady Friend?]]" w.m. [[Harry Fragson]], [[Worton David]] & Bert Lee
* 1915 "[[Lloyd George's Beer Song]]" with [[R. P. Weston]]
* 1916 "At Finnigan's Ball" w.m. Bert Lee
* 1916 "At Finnigan's Ball" w.m. Bert Lee
* 1916 "Blighty, the Soldier's Home Sweet Home" w.m. [[R. P. Weston|R.P. Weston]] & Bert Lee<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=World War I Sheet Music - Volume 1|last=Parker|first=Bernard S.|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc|year=2007|isbn=0-7864-2798-1|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|pages=53}}</ref>
* 1916 "Blighty, the Soldier's Home Sweet Home" w.m. [[R. P. Weston|R.P. Weston]] & Bert Lee<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=World War I Sheet Music – Volume 1|last=Parker|first=Bernard S.|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7864-2798-7|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|pages=53}}</ref>
* 1917 "[[Paddy McGinty's Goat]]" w.m. R.P. Weston, Bert Lee & The Two Bobs
* 1917 "[[Paddy McGinty's Goat]]" w.m. R.P. Weston, Bert Lee & [[The Two Bobs]]
* 1917 "Good-bye-ee" w.m. [[R. P. Weston]] & Bert Lee
* 1917 "[[Good-bye-ee!]]" w.m. [[R. P. Weston]] & Bert Lee
* 1919 "It's Hard to Settle Down to Civilian Life Once More" w.m. [[R. P. Weston|R.P Weston]] & Bert Lee<ref name=":0" />
* 1919 "It's Hard to Settle Down to Civilian Life Once More" w.m. [[R. P. Weston|R.P Weston]] & Bert Lee<ref name=":0" />
* 1920 "The Gipsy Warned Me" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1920 "The Gipsy Warned Me" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1921 "You're Well Dressed If You're Wearing a Smile" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1921 "You're Well Dressed If You're Wearing a Smile" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1922 "My Word You Do look Queer" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1922 "[[My Word You Do Look Queer]]" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1926 "The Tears Shed In London Tonight" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1926 "The Tears Shed in London Tonight" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1926 "What I Want is a Proper Cup of Coffee" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1926 "[[Proper Cup of Coffee|What I Want is a Proper Cup of Coffee]]" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1928 "All Mine" w. Douglas Furber, R. P. Weston, Bert Lee m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge from the Musical ''[[Virginia (musical)|Virginia]]''
* 1928 "All Mine" Douglas Furber, R. P. Weston, Bert Lee m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge from the Musical ''[[Virginia (musical)|Virginia]]''
* 1932 "Sing, Brothers" w. Bert Lee & R. P. Weston m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge from the Musical ''[[Tell Her the Truth]]''
* 1932 "Sing, Brothers" w. Bert Lee & R. P. Weston m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge from the Musical ''[[Tell Her the Truth]]''
* 1932 "Horrortorio" w. Bert Lee & R. P. Weston m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge from the Musical ''Tell Her the Truth''
* 1932 "Horrortorio" w. Bert Lee & R. P. Weston m. Jack Waller & Joseph Tunbridge from the Musical ''Tell Her the Truth''
* 1934 "[[With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm]]" w.m. [[R. P. Weston]] & Bert Lee
* 1934 "[[With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm]]" w.m. [[R. P. Weston]] & Bert Lee
* 1936 "And The Great Big Saw Came Nearer And Nearer" w.m. Robert E. Harris, Dwight B. Latham, Bert Lee & R. P. Weston
* 1936 "And The Great Big Saw Came Nearer And Nearer" w.m. Robert E. Harris, Dwight B. Latham, Bert Lee & R. P. Weston
* 1938 "Knees Up Mother Brown!" w.m. Harris Weston & Bert Lee
* 1938 "[[Knees Up Mother Brown]]" w.m. Harris Weston & Bert Lee
* 1940 "Brahn Boots" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee
* 1940 "Brahn Boots" w.m. R. P. Weston & Bert Lee


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== External links ==
== External links ==
{{wikisource author}}
*{{wikisource author-inline}}
* [[wikilivres:Bert Lee|Works by Bert Lee]]
*[https://www.greatwartheatre.org.uk/db/person/620/ Works by Bert Lee on Great War Theatre]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:English songwriters]]
[[Category:English male songwriters]]

Latest revision as of 23:31, 15 April 2023

For other people named Bert Lee, see Bert Lee (disambiguation).

Bert Lee
Birth nameWilliam Herbert Lee
Born(1880-06-11)11 June 1880
Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, England
Died23 January 1946(1946-01-23) (aged 65)
Llandudno, Caernarfonshire, Wales
GenresMusic hall
OccupationSongwriter
Years active1910–c.1940

William Herbert Lee (11 June 1880 – 23 January 1946) was an English songwriter. He wrote for music hall and the musical stage, often in partnership with R. P. Weston.

Life and career

[edit]

Lee was born in Ravensthorpe, Yorkshire, England.[1][2] He played organ in his local chapel as a child, and initially worked as a piano tuner in Manchester, before joining a travelling concert party as a pianist.[3][4] His first successful song as a writer was "Joshu-ah!", co-written with George Arthurs and performed by Clarice Mayne in 1910. He found further success in 1913 with "Hello! Hello! Who's Your Lady Friend?", written with Worton David and the song's performer, Harry Fragson.[4]

In 1915, music publisher David Day, of Francis, Day and Hunter, introduced Lee to R. P. Weston, the collaborator with whom Lee had the most lasting relationship.[1] They immediately found success together with "Lloyd George's Beer Song" (1915), "Good-bye-ee!" (1917, made popular by Florrie Forde),[1] and "Paddy McGinty's Goat", revived by Val Doonican in 1964. They worked together over the next twenty years on some 3000 songs and monologues, 75 stage shows and musicals, and 17 films, as well as for pantomimes and radio shows.[4] As well as songs for revues, notably those produced by Lupino Lane, they wrote sketches for such stars as Fred Karno, Robb Wilton and Wee Georgie Wood.[4] Their collaborations were conducted in Weston's house in Twickenham. They kept office hours, met every day and aimed to write at least one song each day.[5] Both Lee and Weston wrote both words and music,[4] but according to Lee: "Bob [Weston] has the brains. I put the laughs in."[1][6]

In the 1920s, Weston and Lee wrote for many theatre productions, and adapted many American productions for the British stage. In 1926, they started working with theatre producers Jack Waller and Joe Tunbridge, and wrote several musical comedies together, mostly featuring the comedian Bobby Howes. They also worked with Gracie Fields and the Crazy Gang. They wrote the popular monologue "My Word, You Do Look Queer", first recorded by Ernest Hastings in 1922 and later popularised by Stanley Holloway.[4] Weston and Lee wrote several of Holloway's monologues in the 1930s. Together with Weston's son Harris Weston (born Robert Edgar Harris, 1901–1978),[7] they wrote Holloway's 1934 monologue "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm", about the ghost of Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London, seeking revenge on Henry VIII for having her beheaded.[1][8]

The duo also wrote music for film, including the book and lyrics for O-kay for Sound, a 1937 film.[9] Much of their music was written specifically for actors Sydney Howard and Stanley Holloway, both noted comedians of the 1920s and 1930s. These included "Splinters in the Air" for Howard and "Squibs" for Holloway.[10] Among Lee's most enduring tunes is "Knees Up Mother Brown", which is traditionally associated with Cockney culture. This was written in 1938 in collaboration with R. P. Weston's son, Harris Weston. In 1938, Lee and Harris Weston co-wrote the hit stage revue These Foolish Things which starred The Crazy Gang and the Sherman Fisher Girls. The same year Lee contributed to the musical The Fleet's Lit Up.

In 1939, Lee and his wife went on holiday to Llandudno in north Wales, and at the outbreak of the Second World War decided to settle in the town.[3] He died there in January 1946, aged 65.[11]

Select filmography (as writer)

[edit]

Selected stage works

[edit]

Songs (partial list)

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e Richard Anthony Baker, British Music Hall: an illustrated history, Pen & Sword, 2014, ISBN 978-1-78383-118-0, pp.145–146
  2. ^ "Bert Lee". IMDb. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Roy Hudd, "R. P. Weston and Bert Lee, 'A Song a Day'", Theatrephile, vol. 2 no.6, 1985, pp.55–58
  4. ^ a b c d e f White, Mark (1983). "You Must Remember This...": Popular Songwriters 1900–1980. London: Frederick Warne. pp. 238–242. ISBN 0-7232-3177-X.
  5. ^ Russell, Dave. Popular Music in England, 1840–1914: A Social History, Manchester University Press, 1997, p 109. ISBN 0-7190-5261-0
  6. ^ "Weston and Lee", Folk Song and Music Hall. Retrieved 15 January 2021
  7. ^ Harris, World Composers. Retrieved 16 January 2021
  8. ^ With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm Archived 4 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "BFI Screenonline: O-Kay For Sound (1937)". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. ^ Halliwell, Leslie. Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies, 15th edition, HarperCollins, 2003. ISBN 0-06-053423-0
  11. ^ "Music Hall and Variety Artistes Burial Places". Arthurlloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  12. ^ a b Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music – Volume 1. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7.
[edit]
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