Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier - Drag Kings and Things

In this episode of the A to Z of Wartime Song, hosts Lili Redman and Tom Carradine explore the rich history of wartime songs, focusing on Vesta Tilley’s 1907 hit “Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier”.  Along the way they discuss the life of Vesta Tilley, the use of Music Hall in recruitment for Kitchener’s Army in WWI and highlight a number of the trailblazing male impersonators and their contributions to the Music Hall.

To listen to all the songs mentioned in the episode please visit their Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FQDrBphYqYLAuN6Jm01PN

REFERENCES

Melton Mowbray 1940s Festival
https://www.facebook.com/1940sMeltonMowbray/

Vesta Tilley
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp64790/vesta-tilley-matilda-alice-nee-powles-lady-de-frece

Vesta’s Dandy Style
https://www.magnetmanchester.org/dandy-style-vesta-tilley-patrick/2023/3/8/dandy-style-vesta-tilley-patrick

Algy or the Piccadilly Johnny with the Little Glass Eye
https://folksongandmusichall.com/index.php/algy-or-the-piccadilly-johnny-with-the-little-glass-eye/

Mark Sheridan Memorial
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25931453/mark-sheridan/photo

Mark Sheridan Biography
https://musichallalice.wordpress.com/2021/01/15/a-comedians-tragedy/

The Pals Battalions of WWI
https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-pals-battalions-of-the-first-world-war

The Jingo Song
https://folksongandmusichall.com/index.php/macdermotts-war-song/

Ella Shields sings Adeline
https://youtu.be/4jopFBMCouY?si=2EScTDLxuxSBYgwN

Burlington Bertie from Bow - Anita Harris (1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGNutjop1g0  

Ella Shields / Nellie Wallace Memorial Plaque
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6305183/ella-shields

Hetty King Documentary - Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNx_n2uKiTk

Hetty King Documentary - Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qlw6o8uf84

Hetty King Documentary - Part 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6CXCW1Nuss

Maggie Smith sings “I’ll Make a Man of You”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1d2TWaw41k

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
00:51 Opening Chat
02:04 J = Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier
03:12 Vesta Tilley: A Biography
10:20 Discussing the Song
12:34 Mark Sheridan
18:57 Fred W. Leigh and Kenneth Lyle
21:25 Music Hall and Recruitment in WWI
24:32 The Impact of Pals Battalions on Communities
27:09 The Sheet Music
28:19 How Did We Discover the Song
30:07 The Jingoistic Nature of War Songs
32:57 The Evolution of Performance Styles
34:39 If You Liked That You'll Like This
34:57 Ella Shields
39:56 Hetty King
46:08 Mentioned In Dispatches
47:06 A Clue for Next Week

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

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Find more information about Lili Redman here:
https://liliredman.com/
https://www.instagram.com/lili__redman/
https://www.facebook.com/ScalaLil

Or Tom Carradine here:
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