Marie Lloyd

Marie Lloyd

Percy Charles Courtenay (1887–1905)
Alexander Hurley (1905–1913)

Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922) was an English music hall singer, known as Marie Lloyd. Her ability to add lewdness to the most innocent of lyrics led to frequent clashes with the guardians of morality. Her performances articulated the disappointments of life, especially for working-class women.

Marie's first major success was "The Boy I Love Is Up in the Gallery", and she quickly became one of the most famous of English music hall singers. Despite her own success she supported other performers during the Music Hall War of 1907, when performers demonstrated outside theatres for better pay and conditions. During the First World War, in common with most other music hall artists, she enthusiastically supported recruitment into the army.

She first appeared in the USA in 1897, but in 1913 was initially refused entry to that country for "moral turpitude". On 4 October 1922 Marie collapsed on stage as she was performing at the Empire Music Hall in Edmonton, London, and died three days later. Her funeral on 12 October was attended by more than 100,000 people.