Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's Haul Away Joe - Drunken Sailor two Sea Chanties Sung By The Harmony Eight from a rare 78 rpm shellac record
Here's Haul Away Joe - Drunken Sailor two Sea Chanties Sung By The Harmony Eight from a rare 78 rpm shellac record
![This England - A Coronation Toast 2 of 2 Traditional English Medley Debroy Somers Band 78 rpm
HeresThis England - A Coronation Toast 2 of 2 Traditional English Medley Debroy Somers Band from a 78 rpm shellac record
Debroy Somers (born William Henry Somers, 11 April 1890[1] in Dublin[2] – 16 May 1952 in London)[3] was a British twentieth-century big band bandleader.[4]
He had trained as a musician at the Duke of Yorks Royal Military School in Chelsea,[5] and continued his studies in Dublin under Signor Michele Esposito at The Royal Irish Academy of Music in 1904.[6] At the age of 15 he joined the 2nd Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment as a boy bandsman before retiring in 1913.[7] He rejoined his old regiment in 1916 retiring as a sergeant musician in 1918; being demobilised in Wiltshire.[8]
His period of celebrity stretched from the 1920s to the 1940s.[6] He appeared in numerous films, including Second Choice, Stars on Parade and Aunt Sally,[9] and founded the Savoy Orpheans. On 15 June 1925, Somers conducted the first British performance of George Gershwins Rhapsody in Blue from the Savoy Hotel with the Orpheans, alongside the Savoy Havana Band and Gershwin himself on piano. The performance was broadcast live by the BBC.[10]
His ensemble, the Debroy Somers Band, was also known as the Midnight Minstrels.[11] In 1930, they covered Amy, Wonderful Amy, a song about Amy Johnson.[12] Before the war Somers was a regular broadcaster on Radio Luxembourg, acting as musical director for several regular shows, including the childrens show Ovaltineys and Shipmates Ashore for the Merchant Navy.[13] In 1943 he returned to Londons West End to direct the hit show The Lisbon Story at the Hippodrome.[14] He was also director for Tom Arnold and Robert Nesbitts production of Latin Quarter at the London Casino in 1949.[15] His last production was as musical director for George Formbys Zip Goes a Million at the Palace Theatre in 1951, but he collapsed and died during the run of the show in May 1952, aged 62.[14]
Somers married a widow Doddy Payne (nee Watts) on 9 September 1912 in Fulham, London;[16] she already had three children from her previous marriage.[8] The family home remained in Twickenham, Surrey for many years.[1] This England - A Coronation Toast 2 of 2 Traditional English Medley Debroy Somers Band 78 rpm](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zASk19y--8M/mqdefault.jpg)
![Norfolk The British Drama League Lyntone Flexi record reissue of 1920s 78 rpm Gramophone Record
Heres Norfolk The British Drama League Lyntone Flexi record reissue of 1920s 78 rpm Gramophone Record
organisation established in 1919 to promote amateur and professional theatre in England, with a head office based at Fitzroy Square, London. It was founded by Geoffrey Whitworth. Its work included pursuing the creation of the National Theatre, offering library and research services, founded the journal Drama in 1919, and encouraging the introduction of drama into the national curriculum.[1] Its name was changed to the British Theatre Association in 1972.[2] The Association was disbanded in 1990, due to financial pressures. Play scripts held in its archive are now in the possession of the Theatre Museum, London.[1 Norfolk The British Drama League Lyntone Flexi record reissue of 1920s 78 rpm Gramophone Record](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zIc_NuAl8iY/mqdefault.jpg)


