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The Alberts
Encyclopedia
The Alberts were a British music/comedy troupe of the mid 1950s to mid 1960s, featuring brothers Tony and Douglas Gray. They often also appeared with Bruce Lacey
. They were influenced by music hall
, 1920s jazz
and Surrealism
. At times they would gather a larger troupe and perform as "The Massed Alberts".
They appeared on several of Spike Milligan
's television series It was intended that they would create the first show on the BBC's
second channel BBC2 on April 20th 1964. A power failure delayed the launch until the following day. The show, The Albert's Channel Too, also featured Ivor Cutler
.
They had a residency at Peter Cook
's Establishment Club in London. Lenny Bruce
met them there and invited them to come and perform in the United States. They travelled across on the Queen Mary
entertaining/annoying other passengers with their antics which included riding penny-farthing bicycles
around the decks. They arrived in New York to find Bruce had been arrested.
In January 1963, together with Joyce Grant
and Ivor Cutler
, Michael Codron
and William Donaldson
presented An Evening of British Rubbish to which Princess Margaret attended twice. They also along with Bruce Lacey
presented a version of The Three Musketeers at The Arts Theatre and then at The Royal Court, Sloane Square, The Three Musketeers Ride Again which also starred Rachel Roberts
as Madame de Winter, Rosa Bosom and Valentine Dial as Cardinal Richelieu, Alex Jawdokimova as Aramis and Sinbad Gray as Pustule and many others. The show was directed by Elenoar Fazan. All costumes and designs were created by Ann Gray, wife to Tony Gray.
Thanks to Joan Littlewood
they presented a show at the Theatre Royal in Stratford, London, called the Electric Element. They also performed at the Roundhouse, London, Private Eye
's "Golden Balls Fundraiser" alongside many, including Spike Milligan. They later appeared in Gullivers Travels at the Mermaid Theatre
. They also popped up in several Ken Russell
films, notably Dante's Inferno
and The Music Lovers
. They had a single released produced by George Martin
at Abbey Road, The Morse Code Melody with Sleepy Valley on the flip side. They also toured the world with the Royal Opera house with non singing roles in Benjamin Britten
's Peter Grimes
.
They have been cited as a major influence on Vivian Stanshall
and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
.
Today they both continue to live in true eccentric style, Tony lives in France, his brother, Douglas, in Norfolk.
Bruce Lacey
"Professor" Bruce Lacey, born 1927, remains one of Britain's great eccentrics. After completing his national service in the RAF he became established on the avantgarde scene with his performance art and mechanical constructs. He has been closely associated with The Alberts performance group and The...
. They were influenced by 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...
, 1920s jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and Surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
. At times they would gather a larger troupe and perform as "The Massed Alberts".
They appeared on several of Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
's television series It was intended that they would create the first show on the BBC's
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
second channel BBC2 on April 20th 1964. A power failure delayed the launch until the following day. The show, The Albert's Channel Too, also featured Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme...
.
They had a residency at Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
's Establishment Club in London. Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
met them there and invited them to come and perform in the United States. They travelled across on the Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
entertaining/annoying other passengers with their antics which included riding penny-farthing bicycles
Penny-farthing
Penny-farthing, high wheel, high wheeler, and ordinary are all terms used to describe a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel that was popular after the boneshaker, until the development of the safety bicycle, in the 1880s...
around the decks. They arrived in New York to find Bruce had been arrested.
In January 1963, together with Joyce Grant
Joyce Grant
Joyce Grant was a UK-based South African actress.-South Africa:Born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, she was encouraged by her father to come to London to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama....
and Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme...
, Michael Codron
Michael Codron
Michael Victor Codron is a British film and theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard...
and William Donaldson
William Donaldson
Charles William Donaldson was an English satirist, writer, playboy and, under the pseudonym of Henry Root, author of The Henry Root Letters.-Life and career:...
presented An Evening of British Rubbish to which Princess Margaret attended twice. They also along with Bruce Lacey
Bruce Lacey
"Professor" Bruce Lacey, born 1927, remains one of Britain's great eccentrics. After completing his national service in the RAF he became established on the avantgarde scene with his performance art and mechanical constructs. He has been closely associated with The Alberts performance group and The...
presented a version of The Three Musketeers at The Arts Theatre and then at The Royal Court, Sloane Square, The Three Musketeers Ride Again which also starred Rachel Roberts
Rachel Roberts
Rachel Roberts may refer to:*Rachel Roberts *Rachel Victoria Roberts, British actress sometimes credited as Rachel Roberts*Rachel Roberts *Rachel Roberts, author of the Avalon: Web of Magic series...
as Madame de Winter, Rosa Bosom and Valentine Dial as Cardinal Richelieu, Alex Jawdokimova as Aramis and Sinbad Gray as Pustule and many others. The show was directed by Elenoar Fazan. All costumes and designs were created by Ann Gray, wife to Tony Gray.
Thanks to Joan Littlewood
Joan Littlewood
Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...
they presented a show at the Theatre Royal in Stratford, London, called the Electric Element. They also performed at the Roundhouse, London, Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
's "Golden Balls Fundraiser" alongside many, including Spike Milligan. They later appeared in Gullivers Travels at the Mermaid Theatre
Mermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
. They also popped up in several Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
films, notably Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno (1967 film)
Dante's Inferno: The Private Life of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Poet and Painter is a feature-length 35mm film directed by Ken Russell and first screened on the BBC on 22 December 1967. It quickly became a staple in cinemas in retrospectives of Russell's work...
and The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers is a 1970 British biographical film directed by Ken Russell. The screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, based on Beloved Friend, a collection of personal correspondence edited by Catherine Drinker Bowen and Barbara von Meck, focuses on the life and career of 19th century Russian composer...
. They had a single released produced by George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
at Abbey Road, The Morse Code Melody with Sleepy Valley on the flip side. They also toured the world with the Royal Opera house with non singing roles in Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from the Peter Grimes section of George Crabbe's poem The Borough...
.
They have been cited as a major influence on Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall
Vivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, painter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his surreal exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.-The great...
and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s...
.
Today they both continue to live in true eccentric style, Tony lives in France, his brother, Douglas, in Norfolk.
Discography
- The Alberts, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Temperance Seven, singles compilation album, 1971
- By Jingo It's British Rubbish (1998 CD: HUX 015), singles compilation