George Formby Sr. (1877-1921)
Last updated: 16.03.25
According to the Internet source given below, George Formby [James Lawler Booth] was an English comedian and singer born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. Raised in poverty, he was one of the greatest music hall performers of the early 20th century his act being that of a gormless Lancashire lad that earned him the sobriquet of "The Wigan Nightingale". He established himself in Lancashire during the 1890s billed as J.H. Booth until 1897 when he changed his stage name to George Formby. His first appearance in London was in 1902 attracting the attention of many luminaries including Marie Lloyd and George Robey. He went on to make some 120 recordings as well as establishing a film career.
Formby was injured in June 1916 during rehearsals for the revue Razzle-Dazzle worsening his prevalent ill-health exacerbated by influenza pandemic of 1918.
He died near is home in Warrington, Lancashire.
| Websites: | |||
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George Formby Sr | Biography by wikipedia.org. |
| Title (Release Year) | Composer | Performers | Issue |
|---|
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Father Tried It On (1910) | G. Formby Sr. | A. Peel | Indestructible Record: 7054 |
| as Performer | ||||
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When Father Said He'd Pay the Rent (1914) | W. Hargreaves | G. Formby Sr. | Edison Blue Amberol: 23177 |
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Plink-Plonk! (1910) | C.W. Murphy | G. Formby Sr. | Edison Amberol: 12024 |
| Title (Release Year) | Composer | Performers | Issue |
|---|
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John Willie - Come On! (1908) | G. Formby Sr. | G. Formby Sr. | Jumbo 170 |
| as Performer | ||||
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Playing the Game in the West (1910) | A. Kendal | G. Formby Sr. | |
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John Willie - Come On! (1908) | G. Formby Sr. | G. Formby Sr. | Jumbo 170 |
| Performer | CD Title | Supplier |
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| Folk Music CDs: | |||
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George Formby Sr. | The Man from Lancashire No.1 | |
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George Formby Sr. | The Man from Lancashire No.2 | |
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Various Performers | Music Hall |        |
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Various Performers | At The Football Match Last Saturday | |
This list is derived from information provided by Monologues.co.uk which went down sometime in 2023.
The loss of this valuable resource is very sad and a mystery.
The loss of this valuable resource is very sad and a mystery.
| Title | Attribution | Remarks |
|---|
| Animal Language | Robert P. Weston (music) Fred J Barnes (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Bells Were Ringing, The | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Father Tried It On | Arthur Peel (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Frightened to Go to Sleep Again | George Formby Sr. (music) Lipton (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Funicular (Plink-Plonk) | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Get Behind and Follow Me | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Grandfather's Clock | Henry Clay Work (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| I Began to Run | C.W. Murphy (music) Dan Lipton (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| I Had My Hands in My Pockets | J.P. Long (music) Paul Pelham (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| I Kept on Waving My Flag | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| I Lifted the Latch and Walked In | Will Hyde (music) George Formby Sr. (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| ⇑I Parted My Hair in the Middle | C.W. Murphy (music) Worton David (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| I Put on My Coat and Went Home | William Hargreaves (music) James Hargreaves (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| I Was Standing at the Corner of the Street | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| It Must Be the Clothes I'm Wearing | J.P. Long (music) Paul Pelham (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| John Willie - Come On! | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Looking For Mugs in the Strand | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Lucky Jim | Frederic V. Bowers (music) Charles Horwitz (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Man Was a Stranger to Me, The | T.W. Connor (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| My Grandfather's Clock | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| My Mother Said | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Odds and Ends | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| One of ''The Boys'' | Maurice Scott (music) Fred J. Barnes (words) R.P. Weston (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) Joe Elvin (perf.) Nellie Farren (perf.) Lionel MacKinder (perf.) |
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| ⇑Orrible 'Erbert | Dan Lipton (music) George Formby Sr. (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Our House Is Haunted | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Playing the Game in the West | Alec Kendal (music) George Formby Sr. (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Since I Had a Go at My Dumb-Bells | Maurice Scott (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| Walker Walked Away | C.W. Murphy (music) Dan Lipton (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| We All Went Home in a Cab | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| We All Went to Leicester Square | George Formby Sr. (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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| When Father Said He'd Pay the Rent | William Hargreaves (words & music) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
| Title | Attribution | Instruments | Source | Remarks |
|---|
 |
I Was Standing at the Corner of the Street (1910) | G. Formby Sr. (w&m) I Hunt (words) G. Formby Sr. (perf.) |
Piano, Voice | IMSLP |  |
The peformer is featured on 39 sheet music/recording covers. It does not claim to be complete and represents only the number of items located. Keys: (w&m)
ER
| Title | Composer | Attribution | Remarks |
|---|
 |
Lucky Jim (1896) | Frederic V. Bowers | Charles Horwitz (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Man Was a Stranger to Me (1919), The | T.W. Connor(w&m) | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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I Parted My Hair in the Middle (1913) | Worton David | C.W. Murphy (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Plink Plonk (1909) | Luigi Denza | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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⇑I Put on My Coat and Went Home (1910) | William Hargreaves | James Hargreaves (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Then We All Went Marching In (1913) | William Hargreaves(w&m) | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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When Father Said He'd Pay the Rent (1914) | William Hargreaves | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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I Lifted the Latch and Walked In (1909) | Will Hyde | George Formby Sr. (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Playing the Game in the West (1910) | Alec Kendal | George Formby Sr. (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Did You See the Crowd in Piccadilly? (1915) | Dan Lipton | Fred W. Leigh (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
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Orrible 'Erbert (?) | Dan Lipton | George Formby Sr. (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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It Must Be the Clothes I'm Wearing (1915) | J.P. Long | Paul Pelham (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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I Had My Hands in My Pockets (?) | J.P. Long | Paul Pelham (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Walker Walked Away (1905) | C.W. Murphy | Dan Lipton (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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I Began to Run (1908) | C.W. Murphy | Dan Lipton (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
|
⇑Plink-Plonk! (1910) | C.W. Murphy | Dan Lipton (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
|
I Parted My Hair in the Middle (1913) | C.W. Murphy | Worton David (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Father Tried It On (1910) | Arthur Peel | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
|
One of ''The Boys'' (1907) | Maurice Scott | Fred J. Barnes (words) R.P. Weston (words) Joe Elvin (perf.) Nellie Farren (perf.) Lionel MacKinder (perf.) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Since I Had a Go at My Dumb-Bells (1910) | Maurice Scott(w&m) | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Animal Language (1904) | Robert P. Weston | Fred J Barnes (words)
George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
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Grandfather's Clock (1876) | Henry Clay Work(w&m) | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
This list is arranged in chronological order and contains 18 works by George Formby Sr. (1877-1921).
It does not claim to be complete and represents only the number of items located. Keys:
(w&m)
(w&m)
| Title | Year | Attribution | Remarks |
|---|
| Odds and Ends | 1900c | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| I Said, ''Oh! Oh!! Oh!!!'' | 1904 | A B Kendal (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
| My Mother Said (w&m) | 1906 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| John Willie - Come On! (w&m) | 1909 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | Pub. |
| Father Tried It On | 1910 | Arthur Peel (perf.) | |
| Funicular (Plink-Plonk) | 1910 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| I Kept on Waving My Flag | 1910 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| I Was Standing at the Corner of the Street (w&m) | 1910 | I Hunt (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
 |
| All of a Sudden It Struck Me | 1915 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| Looking For Mugs in the Strand | 1915 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| Grandfather's Clock | 1917 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| ⇑ My Grandfather's Clock | 1917 | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| Bells Were Ringing, The | ? | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| Frightened to Go to Sleep Again | ? | Dan Lipton (words) George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
|
| Get Behind and Follow Me | ? | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| Our House Is Haunted | ? | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| We All Went Home in a Cab (w&m) | ? | George Formby Sr. (perf.) | |
| We All Went to Leicester Square (w&m) | ? | George Formby Sr. (perf.) |
| Composer | Title | Performer |
|---|
|
L. Denza | Plink Plonk (1909) (4:16) | G. Formby Sr. |
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G. Formby Sr. | All of a Sudden It Struck Me (1915) (3:01) | G. Formby Sr. |
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G. Formby Sr. | Grandfather's Clock (1917) (3:16) | G. Formby Sr. |
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G. Formby Sr. | Standing at the Corner of the Street (1910) (7:01) | G. Formby Sr. |