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Sir Harry Lauder was the most popular Scottish entertainer of all time, specializing in skits and songs in Scottish dialect. Clad in knit kilts and equipped with a knotty cane, Lauder merrily performed with whimsical glee the classic Scottish songs he'd devised, some of which now are as ingrained in Scotland's cultural fabric as though they were centuries-old folk songs: "She Is Ma Daisy," "I Love a Lassie," "Roamin' in the Gloamin'," and "A Wee Deoch an' Doris" being among the best known. Harry Lauder was one of the first international superstars in entertainment, and was the highest-paid entertainer in the glory days of the English music hall. But his origins could not have been humbler; born Henry MacLennan Lauder at Number 4 Bridge Street in Portobello, Lauder's father died when he was 13 and he went to work in a flax mill to help his family make ends meet. At age 15 Lauder graduated to coal mining, which paid better. In the mines Lauder made a regular nuisance of himself, singing...