John McCormack
b. 14 June 1884, Athlone, Eire, d. 16 September 1945. McCormack was one of the most renowned tenors of the first part of the 20th century, as well as an early recording star. After winning a singing competition in Dublin, he made his first records in London in 1904. He studied opera singing in Milan, and regularly appeared at Covent Garden in London after 1909. From 1907 he had a dual recording career, releasing both operatic arias and popular songs. Among those most associated with McCormack were The Minstrel Boy, The Irish Immigrant and The Sunshine Of Your Smile. He made hundreds of records, covering virtually the whole repertoire of Victorian parlour ballads and Irish folk songs and ballads. During World War I, he enjoyed tremendous success with his version of It's A Long, Long Way To Tipperary and Ivor Novello's Keep The Home Fires Burning. He also gave numerous fundraising concerts in the USA. In 1928, McCormack became a Papal Count and the following year made his film debut in SONG O'MY HEART. During the '30s he gave numerous radio broadcasts and continued to record and give recitals. During his lifetime, over 200 million copies of McCormack's recordings were sold and his continuing popularity is proven by the 15 reissued albums of his work released during the '80s.