Her Name Is Mary. Tom Burke "England's Greatest Tenor". 1933.

'Her Name Is Mary' - Tom Burke with Orchestra.
Recorded, 1933.

The Great Lancashire Tenor, Tom Burke no doubt was very satisfied with the proud boast of the Vocalion Record Company proclaiming him as "Englands Greatest Tenor"!. He was very good and the records speak for themselves.
I have him singing on two early single sided Columbia's c.1917. On the aria from Grand Opera he is labelled as 'Thomas Burke' but on the ballad 'The Minstrel Boy' he is just plain 'Tom'!.
He seems to have recorded much of his material on the cheaper labels during the 1930's; Imperial, Dominion, Broadcast. I wonder does anyone have a Tom Burke discography out there?.

This song was popular in 1933. This sentimental song was recorded by vocalists, dance bands and light orchestras. Lovely and romantic for a summer sunday afternoon. Do enjoy.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tom
• Burke
• English
• Tenor
• Broadcast
• Super
• Twelve
• 78rpm
• 1933.

[scoterpool]

Too right, because people still love brass bands and amateur dramatics, eg Gilbert and Sullivan etc, it just doesn't seem that the media moguls want us to enjoy innocent, simple pleasure and then we wonder why our kids are monsters nowadays but nobody will make the connection and draw lines of what is acceptable and decent, it's like the rule books were torn up and burned-whatever is degrading/ peurile rules, whatever is uplifting is wrong;must keep people in their place...or am I just cynical?

[85scampi]

No!, you are right!, It's just as if those in charge of 'Broadcasting' or to be more modern 'the mass media' want to give people Junk; Junk food, Junk Music, nothing too taxing or what requires much effort to appreciate. 2009 is ugly and shallow in many ways.

[scoterpool]

I know it's not always wise to look back on a lost world with rose tinted glasses but something tells me that hearts were more tender in those not-so-far-off days than they are now, when simple but effective songs like this could be marketed and sold by mass media like gramophone records. I don't doubt that in the right setting even now it would be welcomed but this gentle style of music does seem to have been forgotten.More's the pity.Youtube has brought some liberation, so thank you 85scampi!

[85scampi]

You put it so well. Dead and buried I'm afraid this refined, and lets not forget mainstream and very popular taste of pre -war days. 2009 - lost the plot totally.

[rositoesbooki]

Thank you for this one, its was my greatgrandmother and greatgrandfathers special song and when he died she wanted this song for his funeral ! Thankyou x

[85scampi]

What a nice story. So pleased this brings happy memories for you. I wonder what years your great-grandparents were born?. As this song was popular in 1933, it's a long time ago?.

[TifosoBonisolli]

To answer your question (better late than never!) whether there's a Tom Burke discography "out there": yes, the problem is just that youtube won't allow to post links. So type the usual three Ws dot into your browser, and then oocities dot org slash tom_burke_fan_club slash disc06 dot html

But hurry, that's an antique website, and you'd better copy the content soon...

[Teddyb1939]

these old songs & singers are MAGIC you no doubt have Heddle Nash singing one of my all time favourites, sweet jane ( the bloom is on the rye], what a great voice.I have a good selection of 78s & various players. I play them sometimes to friends but I can,t get them interested. My 78s consist of rock & roll jazz plus many classical.thanks for your site.

[ilovecollecting]

What a truly wonderful Song! Thanks for Posting!

[rositoesbooki]

Haha yeah, she is in her eighties...! Thaanks!

[scoterpool]

Also, like you say, junk is easy -it can be made into anything, and subdues people, well, some of them at any rate!

[scoterpool]

I think when broadcasting was deregulated, quantity rather than quality did become the no 1 rule; the BBC's high minded ethos has all but dissolved and the commercial stations have no such scruples, following the modern mores that "anything goes"; Radio 4 is interesting but musically unless you're a Radio 3 fan, there isn't much going on and TV is a dead loss; I remember when we used to look down on the US for their TV, we're now really in the same boat, so we vote with our hands-switch off!