GUS ELEN
Born ERNEST AUGUSTUS ELEN on 22nd July 1862 in London, the son of Edwin Elen, a draper and his wife Mercy Elen.
Gus Elen began his theatrical career busking in the streets of London, mimicking the stars of the day in pubs and entertaining as a minstrel on the sands at Ramsgate.
It wasn’t however, until March 1891, when he performed at the Middlesex Music Hall, that Gus Elen found his niche as a singer of coster songs and went on to become one of the greatest music hall cockney comic vocalists of all time.
With brilliant comedy characterizations and songs that were full of earthy realism, but always tempered with a good dash of cockney irony, he sang with a true East End spirit that endeared him to his audiences.
His repertoire has given Music Hall some of its best-loved songs that include; “If It Wasn’t For The ‘Ouses In Between, “Never Introduce Your Donah To A Pal”, “ ’Arf A Pint Of Ale”, “I’m Very Unkind To My Wife” and the highly popular “It’s A Great Big Shame!”
For over 30 years Gus Elen topped the bill at all the leading Music Halls in the United Kingdom, as well as touring America.
He retired at the height of his fame, only to make a comeback in 1931 at the age of 70 touring the London Variety circuit. As a mark of the esteem he was held in, he was invited to appear in the 1935 Royal Variety Performance at The London Palladium.
Not many people knew that for many years Gus Elen was a real-life Santa Claus for each Christmas, he would distribute toys and dolls to 600 poor children of Balham, Battersea, Clapham and Wandsworth.
Gus Elen passed away in 1940 at the age of 77 at his home at 3 Thurleigh Avenue, Battersea, where a commemorate blue plaque now stands.
He was laid to rest at Streatham Park Cemetery.
The Songs Gus Elen sang:
ALLAYS IN JAIL
ALL BY MYSELF
‘ARF A PINT OF ALE
BANG WENT THE COPPER
BOOM-DE-AY-TA-RA-RA
THE BORE O’ BEF’NAL GREEN
BUFFALO BILL
BUT THAT’S NOTHING
THE CABBY
CATCH ‘EM ALIVE OH!
THE COCKNEY CABBY
THE COSTER’S MANSION
THE COSTER’S MUVVER
THE COSTER’S NIGHTMARE
THE COSTER’S PONY
A COVE WHAT’S LIVED IN LONDON ALL ‘IS LIFE
DICK WHITTINGTON
DON’T STOP M Y ‘ARF A PINT OF ALE
DOWN BY THE ICEBERGS
DOWN THE DIALS
DOWN THE ROAD
‘E AS MY SYMPATHY
‘E AS THE AS-ER-DACITY TO GRUMBLE
‘E DUNNO WHERE ‘E’ ARE
‘E GRUMBLES
‘E’S A REG’LAR BARNEY TOMATOE
‘E TALKS LIKE A PICTURE BOOK
THE FAITHFUL COSTER
THE FAITHFUL DONAH
THE FINEST FLOW O’ LANGUAGE EVER ‘EARD
THE FLYING MAN
A FUNNY LITTLE THING IS A BABY
THE GOLDEN DUSTMAN
GO LIKE THIS
GOOD RIDDANCE
THE GREAT SPINK PEARLS
HAUNTED BY DAISY BELL
THE HAUNTED IDIOT
I COULDN’T GET OUT
IF IT WASN’T FOR THE ‘OUSES IN BETWEEN
IF I WAS KING OF ENGLAND
I HELPED MYSELF
I’M GOING TO SETTLE DOWN IN ENGLAND
I’M HAPPY
I’M VERY UNKIND TO MY WIFE
INKY
I SHALL NEVER FIND ANUVVER PAL LIKE BILL
IT’S A GREAT BIG SHAME
IT’S A MARVEL HOW ‘E DOOS IT BUT ‘E DO!
IT’S A SPRAHTIN or THE COSTER’S MOUSTACHE
IT’S NAUGHTY
IT SOUNDS SO WERRY PRETTY
IT WAS GONE
THE JILTED SHOEBLACK
JUST BECAUSE SHE’S GOT AN ‘ANDLE TO HER NAME
THE KING OF THE CASTLE
LIFE’S WORTH LIVING AFTER ALL
THE LUCKY TREASURE SEEKER
ME AND ‘ER AND ‘ER AND ME
MEN YOU MEET IN A PUB
MERIAH
MRS CARTER
MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOUR’S GARDIN
MYRTLE
NATURE’S MADE A BIG MISTAKE
NEVER INTRODUCE A DONAH TO YOUR PAL
THE NEW CUT COON
THE NEW PERJARMA HAT
NICE QUIET DAY
NIXIT IN YOUR SKI
NOT TONIGHT
OLD GRANNY GLADDY
‘OO COULD BE HAPPER THAN ME?
OUR PRETTY LITTLE WILLA DOWN AT BARKIN
OUR TYKE
THE PAVEMENT ARTIST
POSTMAN’S HOLIDAY
THE PUBLICAN
SEVEN DIALS
THE SKIPPER IN THE MERCANTILE MARINE
SOME ‘O YER DO GIT ABAHT
SOMETIMES
THE STAR OF CAPTAIN COE
THERE AIN’T NO GITTING RID OF ‘IM AT ALL
THE THOUGHTFUL THINKING MAN
‘TIS A LADY
THE UNEMPLOYED QUESTION
THE WAG OF THE DOG’S TAIL
WAIT TILL THE WORK COMES ROUND
WHAT A GARDEN
WHJO’S THAT A-SQUALLING?
THE WRONG ‘UN
YOU CAN ALWAYS SHUT YOUR EYES AND ‘EAR THEM GROW
YOU COULD SEE AS ‘OW ‘E DIDN’T FEEL AT ‘OME
YOU’VE GOT TO STOP JUST WHERE YOU ARE
YOU WOULDN’T ‘IT AN OLD ‘UN WOULD YER!