Vesta Victoria
Encyclopedia
Vesta Victoria was an English music hall
singer and comedian. Although born in Leeds
, Yorkshire
, Vesta adopted a Cockney
persona on stage. She began her career as a small child appearing with her father.
The painter Walter Sickert
made a portrait of her performance Vesta Victoria at the Old Bedford, in about 1890.
Her solo career took off in 1892 when Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow
became a hit. Vesta's comic laments delivered in deadpan style were as popular in the United States as in her homeland and she toured and recorded in America in 1907, where she was one of the most highly paid vaudeville
stars. Between appearances, she lived on a houseboat, moored near Hampton Court.
Vesta retired after World War I but re-recorded many of her hits in 1931 in a series of Old-Time Medleys, and appeared in the Royal Variety Show of 1932.
She also appeared in a number of films in the 1930s. She died at Hampstead
on April 7, 1951, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium
and a lilac tree (no longer in existence) was planted in her memory.
performances.
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...
singer and comedian. Although born in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, Vesta adopted a Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
persona on stage. She began her career as a small child appearing with her father.
The painter Walter Sickert
Walter Sickert
Walter Richard Sickert , born in Munich, Germany, was a painter who was a member of the Camden Town Group in London. He was an important influence on distinctively British styles of avant-garde art in the 20th century....
made a portrait of her performance Vesta Victoria at the Old Bedford, in about 1890.
Her solo career took off in 1892 when Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow
Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow
"Daddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow Wow" is a song written in 1892 by prolific English songwriter Joseph Tabrar.It was written for, and first performed in 1892 by, Vesta Victoria at the South London Palace, holding a kitten. The same year it was recorded by Silas Leachman for the North American Phonograph...
became a hit. Vesta's comic laments delivered in deadpan style were as popular in the United States as in her homeland and she toured and recorded in America in 1907, where she was one of the most highly paid vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
stars. Between appearances, she lived on a houseboat, moored near Hampton Court.
Vesta retired after World War I but re-recorded many of her hits in 1931 in a series of Old-Time Medleys, and appeared in the Royal Variety Show of 1932.
She also appeared in a number of films in the 1930s. She died at Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
on April 7, 1951, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....
and a lilac tree (no longer in existence) was planted in her memory.
Songs
Her songs are among the best-remembered music hallMusic 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...
performances.
- Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow Wow
- He Calls Me His Own Grace Darling
- It's All Right in the Summertime
- It Ain't all Honey and It Ain't all Jam
- Waiting at the ChurchWaiting at the ChurchWaiting at the Church is a popular British music hall song by Vesta Victoria. It is sung by a woman who has given her fiancee all her money to buy a ring or a house only to be left "waiting at the church" when she discovers that he is already married. It has featured in a number of films including...
" aka "My Wife Won't Let Me - Poor John
- Now I Have to Call Him Father
- Look What Percy's Picked up in the Park