Mark Sheridan
Encyclopedia
Mark Sheridan born Frederick Shaw was an English 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...

 comedian and singer. He became a popular singer of lusty seaside songs and was the original performer of the 1909 J.Glover-Kind classic, "I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside
I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside
"I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside" is a popular British music hall song. It was written in 1907 by John A. Glover-Kind and made famous by music hall singer Mark Sheridan who first recorded it in 1909. It speaks of the singer's love for the seaside, and their wish to return there for their summer...

". He performed on stage and recorded over fifty songs during a ten year period, including, "One of the Bhoys" in 1910, *Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser was a popular British patriotic song of the First World War. It was released on October 6, 1914 by Mark Sheridan and references the 1914 campaign in Belgium when the small British Expeditionary Force managed to delay the much larger German army, slowing them...

, in 1914 and I'd like to shake Shakespeare in 1915. He was also a major presence in pantomime and featured regularly in productions across the British Isles.

Born in Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...

 County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

 he initially worked on the Sunderland docks before taking a job at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Theatre. It was there that he became interested in performing and took up amateur dramatics. He travelled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 in 1890 before going to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 two years later. He arrived back in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in 1895 and became a popular comedian on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 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...

 circuit, where he became one of the most popular music hall comedians of the time.

In 1909 he performed, what was to become, his most famous song "I do like to be beside the seaside", which he later recorded. Other famous songs from his repertoire included "Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser was a popular British patriotic song of the First World War. It was released on October 6, 1914 by Mark Sheridan and references the 1914 campaign in Belgium when the small British Expeditionary Force managed to delay the much larger German army, slowing them...

", "Here we are again" and "One of the Bhoys". In 1917, he wrote and composed "Gay Paree" for the stage which he performed in alongside a London theatre company. The show moved to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 but proved less popular with audiences. With his career on the decline, he suffered severe depression and he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 in 1918.

Biography

He was born as Frederick Shaw to Scottish-Irish parentage in Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...

 County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

 and began his working life with his father, who was a sail maker, on the Sunderland docks. From there he changed jobs and started working in the back offices of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Theatre. It was there that he became interested in performing and took up amateur dramatics. Due to the name "Fred" being a popular name on the music hall circuit at that time, he decided to change his name and take up performing professionaly. He decided to take the first name of Mark from the American writer/humorist Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...

 and used his Irish mother's maiden surname, Sheridan.

Early career

His early experiences in variety were mainly in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, followed by performances in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 in 1890, where he went after his marriage to Ethel Maude Davenport. Two years later in 1892, he travelled to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and appeared on the Harry Rickards circuit, where he started a double act with his wife, called "The Sheridans". He arrived back in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 with his wife, but as a solo performer, on 11 March 1895 and became a popular comedian on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 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...

 circuit.

Music hall

He was very quickly established as one of the most popular music hall comedians of the time and would often appear on the same bill as some of the great music hall performers of the day, including Marie Lloyd
Marie Lloyd
Matilda Alice Victoria Wood was an English music hall singer, best known as Marie Lloyd. Her ability to add lewdness to the most innocent of lyrics led to frequent clashes with the guardians of morality...

, Little Titch, Dan Leno
Dan Leno
Dan Leno , born George Wild Galvin, was an English comedian and actor, famous for appearing in music hall and dozens of comic plays, pantomimes, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era...

 and George Robey
George Robey
Sir George Edward Wade , better known by his stage name, George Robey, was an English music hall comedian and star. He was marketed as the "Prime Minister of Mirth".-Early life:...

. He enjoyed his biggest success in 1909 with the first performance and recording of "I do like to be beside the seaside", a song which is still sung today by holiday makers. This led to performances as principal boys in countless pantomimes across the country and further recordings, including "Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser was a popular British patriotic song of the First World War. It was released on October 6, 1914 by Mark Sheridan and references the 1914 campaign in Belgium when the small British Expeditionary Force managed to delay the much larger German army, slowing them...

", "Here we are again" and "One of the Bhoys".

Later career

In 1917 he turned his attention to revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...

, as music hall was becoming out of date. He wrote and composed "Gay Paree", which was a musical burlesque show based on W.G.Wills West End favourite "A Royal Divorce". It cost Sheridan £2,000 to produce and had a London company of forty people-including his son and daughter.

Death

During his later years, convinced his popularity was waning, he was plagued by deep insecurities and suffered from depression. He returned to Glasgow, a city where he was adored and where he had performed some of his earliest successes. On Wednesday 14 January 1918, his composition, "Gay Paree", opened at the Coliseum, Glasgow. He played the part of Napoleon and received a good reception from the paying crowd. However, the play received lukewarm reviews in the local papers the next morning and was compared to be less successful than his previous music hall career a few years earlier.

Devastated at the critics' reviews, he walked out of the theater and was not seen again. Later that afternoon on Thursday 15 January 1918, two men on their way to work discovered a body in Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park
Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the world-famous Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.-History:...

, Glasgow. There was a bullet wound to the forehead and a Browning
Browning Arms Company
Browning Arms Company is a maker of firearms, bows and fishing gear. Founded in Utah in 1927, it offers a wide variety of firearms, including shotguns, rifles, pistols, and rimfire firearms and sport bows, as well as fishing rods and reels....

 revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...

 lying on the path next to the body. The body was formally identified to be that of Mark Sheridan.

He was buried in Cathcart Cemetery on Sunday 18 January 1918, leaving his wife Maude and their two children.

He died in the same year as John Glover Kind, the man who helped him become successful by providing Sheridan with his first big hit "I do like to be beside the Seaside".

Recordings

  • At the football match last Saturday – 14 September 1905
  • They all come out in the Summertime – 14 September 1905
  • Josser Cricketer – October 1909
  • I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside
    I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside
    "I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside" is a popular British music hall song. It was written in 1907 by John A. Glover-Kind and made famous by music hall singer Mark Sheridan who first recorded it in 1909. It speaks of the singer's love for the seaside, and their wish to return there for their summer...

     – October 1909
  • Story from the Chestnut Tree – October 1909
  • When the lights are low – 19 April 1910
  • Hear what the crowds say – 19 April 1910
  • One of the B'hoys – 25 October 1910
  • By the Sea – 25 October 1910
  • Fancy meeting you at the Isle of Man – 25 October 1910
  • Who's who – 25 November 1910
  • I met everybody I knew – 25 May 1911
  • Prison up to date – 25 May 1911
  • Let's all go home together 27 September 1911
  • The esplanade – 27 September 1911
  • The three trees – 27 September 1911
  • I wanted a wife – 25 November 1911
  • "They All Walk the Wibbly-wobbly Walk" – November 1912
  • Who were you with last night? – November 1912
  • The mother and the child were there – November 1912
  • Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
    Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser
    Belgium Put the Kibosh on the Kaiser was a popular British patriotic song of the First World War. It was released on October 6, 1914 by Mark Sheridan and references the 1914 campaign in Belgium when the small British Expeditionary Force managed to delay the much larger German army, slowing them...

    – October 1914
  • I'd like to shake Shakespeare – March 1915
  • It's giris that make the seaside – March 1915

External links

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