Will Fyffe

Will Fyffe (16 February 1885 - 14 December 1947) was a major star of the 1930s and 1940s, a star of stage, screen and vinyl.

Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at the age of six. He travelled extensively throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, playing the numerous music halls of the time, where he performed his sketches and sang his songs in his own inimitable style. During the '30s, he was one of the highest paid musical hall artistes in Britain.

In addition, Fyffe appeared in 23 major films of the era (American and British), sometimes starring, and recorded over 30 songs, witty masterpieces enveloped in an engaging melody and delivered with his own unique style.

His singer-songwriter skills are still well known to us today and whereas the memory of his contemporaries may continue to fade, Will has become immortalised for his rendition of his own composition, "I Belong To Glasgow". This song, which has been covered by the likes of Danny Kaye, Eartha Kitt, Gracie Fields and Kirk Douglas, is still as fresh today as it was then, and is as memorable for its lyrics as it is for its melody :

“If your money, you spend,

You’ve nothing to lend,

Isn’t that all the better for you”

As a result of this song, Will became forever associated with Glasgow, even though he was born 70 miles (110 km) away in the east coast city of Dundee.

Fortunately for us, Fyffe left some rare footage of his stage act, which gives us a glimpse of stage life in those times. In the footage, he performs the “Broomielaw” sketch and sings his song “Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle”. The footage came about as a result of a screen test, shot for Pathe in New York in 1929.