Sam Mayo
Sam Mayo (1881-1938) was an English music hall entertainer, pianist and songwriter.

Life

Born Samuel Cowan in London on 31 July 1881, Mayo first worked in his father's second-hand shop while also collecting bets and singing in pubs and clubs with his brothers Ted and Maurice Cowan.

Mayo married Zillah Flash (performing name: Stella Stanley) in Brighton on 13 August 1904. His early involvement in gambling stayed with him: heavy gambling caused him to be three times declared bankrupt. Mayo died in London on 31 March 1938. The cause is not known.

Career
Mayo developed a unique comic style as a music hall singer. Dressed in long overcoat or dressing gown, he sang deadpan at the piano with quirky, lugubrious humour. He became billed as "The Immobile One". Mayo mostly wrote his own songs, and provided other entertainers, such as Ernie Mayne, with material. He held the record for appearing at the greatest number of music halls in a single evening: nine performances at nine London venues on the evening of 21 January 1905.

Trivia
The noted writer Katherine Mansfield quoted Mayo's lyrics in a letter dated 1 November 1920.

External links

Text collection of Sam Mayo's lyrics
Sam Mayo: British Pathé, 1930
Sam Mayo: British Pathé, 1931
Sam Mayo: British Pathé, 1932
Sam Mayo: Things are Worse in Russia
Sam Mayo: I'll Prove That I'm Right
Sam Mayo: The Toreador
Sam Mayo: Bread and Marmalade
Sam Mayo: The Trumpeter