Samuel Houghton Cowell was an actor and singer of comical songs. He was the son of Joe Cowell, a British actor who was touring the United States. He worked a child actor with his father in productions of Shakespeare in the US. At the age of 20, he went to Britain where he became a successful music hall

Music hall

Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...

 artist, performing comical songs and burlesque

Burlesque

Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...

s in London song and supper room

Song and supper room

A song and supper room was a dining club in Victorian England in which entertainment and good food were provided. They provided an alternative to formal theatre and music hall with a good convivial atmosphere in which the customers were encouraged to perform themselves....

s. Songs that he made famous included "The Ratcatcher's Daughter" and "Vilikins and his Dinah".