Peter Dawson 1882-1961

Dawson married in 1905. His wife was Annie ‘Nan’ Noble, a soprano who sang under the name Annette George. He appeared frequently in the popular Chappell ballad concerts and made his first – and last – appearances in grand opera early in 1909. Four performances in the minor role of Schwarz in Wagner’s The Mastersingers at Covent Garden convinced him that opera was ‘too much work for too little pay.’ From then on he concentrated on the concert platform and on recording and composing. Soon he was being feted as Britain’s finest baritone.

He developed a vast repertoire: operatic arias, Gilbert and Sullivan, sacred pieces, song cycles, art songs, patriotic and ‘pop’ songs and, especially, ballads. His interpretations of favourites such as ‘The Floral Dance’, ‘On the Road to Mandalay’ and ‘Trees’ were unsurpassed. His many compositions were frequently published under pseudonyms such as ‘J. P. McCall’. Perhaps his most successful was his setting of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Boots’.

In 1909 Dawson returned to his homeland for a lengthy and successful tour with the Australian soprano Amy Castles, under the management of J. & N. Tait. The gruelling itinerary included many small towns, such as Narrabri, Corowa and Kerang. There were further tours with his wife in 1913 and 1914. When war broke out, Dawson could not organise transport back to Britain; instead he undertook a tour of the Tivoli vaudeville circuit for entrepreneur Hugh D. McIntosh. He managed a brief return to London 1916, but in February 1918 he was back in Australia, where he enlisted, though his war service seems to have consisted mainly of entertaining troops and boosting morale.

After the war Dawson returned to London for more concert and recording dates and his radio debut. On 26 January 1923, just two months after the BBC began transmission, he participated in an all-Australian broadcast with Stella Power, Gertrude Johnson, Ada Crossley, Alfred O’Shea, Harold Williams, Malcolm McEachern, Lauri Kennedy, Albert Whelan and William G. James.

In 1927 Dawson recorded ‘Advance Australia Fair’; this song dated from 1878 but attained popularity only after Dawson’s disc was released; the same thing happened with ‘Waltzing Matilda’ – it was published in 1903 but it was Dawson’s 1938 recording that led to its popularity and its adoption as our unofficial national anthem during World War Two. It was the only Dawson recording released in the United States.

In 1930 Dawson and Sydney-born comedian Cicely Courtneidge co-starred in variety at the London Palladium on a starry bill that included another Adelaide entertainer, comic Athol Tier. There was a return engagement the following year.