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Stanley Kirkby (1878 – 30 October 1949) was an English baritone singer and variety artist of the early 20th century. Possessing a "pure baritone" voice and with "perfect diction," he was able to sing music from a wide range of genres. He sang ballads and popular songs of the Edwardian era, the First World War and the inter-War period. He sang mostly in music halls and variety theatres and was a popular recording artist. Born and brought up in Manchester, Kirkby worked in a warehouse from the age of 12; he went on to win first prize in a baritone singing competition at the age of 22. His career moved to London where he formed a number of collaborations on stage with other variety artists; these became well known for their smartly-dressed and musically-excellent performances. In 1915 he teamed up with Harry Hudson to form the popular duo "Kirkby and Hudson". They entertained audiences with their eclectic mix of songs and humour well into the 1920s. Kirkby became especially well known for his concert party performances at The Oval, Margate in Kent. Kirkby was a prolific recording artist and has been credited with making the largest number of records in Britain from the 1900s to the 1930s. Although he was among the first to record roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas, much of his recorded output was popular songs, the subject matter of which ranged from the topical to the comic. He was one of the highest paid recording artists of his time. In the mid-1920s he was a joint theatrical producer of a burlesque revue. In the 1930s he broadcast on BBC radio variety shows. He was a founder member of an early British record company which produced Clarion cylinders. ==Early years and personal life== Stanley Kirkby (pronounced Kirk-by) was born in Ancoats, Manchester, England, in the last quarter of 1878〔 as James Baker〔〔 to George Baker, an iron moulder and his wife Margaret Kirkby.〔〔 He was a cousin of the contralto opera singer Louise Kirkby Lunn (born 1873).〔 In 1891 at the age of 12 he was working as a warehouse boy in Manchester; his father was no longer present in the household and both his mother and sister had entered the confectionery trade.〔 By 1901 the family was running a confectionery shop and living in Oldham Street in Manchester; his mother was no longer present in the household and Kirkby was working as a tobacco packer.〔 From around 1900 Kirkby was being engaged to sing at local events in Manchester, for example he was a soloist in the sacred service for Lifeboat Saturday – a fund-raising event which was held at the Palace Theatre of Varieties in 1900.〔 In 1901 at the age of 22 he won first prize as a baritone singer in a contest held as part of the Music Trades exhibition at St. James's Hall, Oxford Road in Manchester.〔 On Easter Day 1902 he sang "The Trumpet Shall Sound" from Handel's ''Messiah'' in All Saint's Church Chorlton-on-Medlock in Manchester.〔 In the early 1900s Kirkby performed at a number of provincial events, for example singing a small role in the Edwardian musical comedy ''The Geisha'' in Derby in late 1902,〔 and in July 1903 he performed in an outdoor concert "The Pierrots" at the Sydney Gardens in Bath, Somerset – the ''Bath Chronicle'' commented: "Mr. Stanley Kirkby has a capital baritone voice".〔 Kirkby moved to London. There in 1908 he married the singer Jessie Jolly who had been performing with him in one of his concert parties.〔 They had three sons.〔 By the 1911 census he was living in Barnes, London with his wife and his first son, and his profession was given as that of a vocalist.〔〔 He was rejected for military service in the army for the First World War.〔 He died on 30 October 1949, at his Barnes residence, aged 70.〔〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Stanley Kirkby」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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