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226 A CENTURY OF BALLADS |
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all, in spite of his strenuous endeavours to obtain a hearing, and of the fact that he was already well known on the operatic stage. It was his appearance in Dorothy, in which he created quite a sensation, which led to his being approached by Mr. John Boosey, who asked him to sing at the St. James's Hall Ballad Concerts. He sang there for two seasons, but owing to the fact that they already had their regular tenor in the person of Edward Lloyd, Ben Davies, when Mr. William Boosey went over to Chappell's and started the Chappell Ballad Concerts, went with him, and has sung at these concerts during every subsequent season up to last year.
Some of the amusing stories told by this genial and popular singer have already been quoted in various chapters of this book, and mention made of those old ballads with which his name is so intimately associated.
Of modern songs Franco Leoni's " In Sympathy " has been a great favourite of his, and, still more recently, Frank Tours's " Mother o' Mine." This song had been lying at Chappell's for some years and doing nothing, till one day Mr. William Boosey asked Ben Davies to look at it, as he thought it would suit him. When produced by him at a ballad concert the song was a great success, and has held its place in this singer's repertoire ever since. The words are by Rudyard |
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