Peter Dawson, Perennial Baritone, Dies At 79

Press, Volume C, Issue 29630, 28 September 1961, Page 3

Peter Dawson, Perennial Baritone, Dies At 79

(NZ Preet Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY, September 27. The famous Australian baritone/ Peter Dawson, died in a private hospital in Sydney early this morning. Mr Dawson, who was 79, won world fame as a ballad singer in a career lasting 50 years.

He gave up singing six years ago on the advice of his doctors. Mr Dawson was admitted to hospital with a malignant growth several months ago and had been confined there, seriously ill, ever since. No contemporary concert artist has made more records than Peter Dawson, who thrilled audiences throughout the world in more than 50 years. He recorded 2500 songs. One recording, "The Floral Dance,” sold 750.000 copies and was always in request on his many concert tours. At the peak of his career he made £20,000 a year from touring and recording and broadcasting engagements—mainly in Britain. Mr Dawson was born in Adelaide on January 31, 1882. the son of a Scottish sailor who settled in Adelaide and built up a successful plumbing and metal manufacturing business. Peter Dawson’s early singing experience W'as as a church chorister. His professional career, which was to take him round the world, began in 1902, when he sang the bass solos in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” after winning a singing com petition. Went to London

Two years later, he gave up his job in his father’s factory and went to London. Mr Dawson was engaged as a regular soloist for the Queen’s Hail promenade concerts by Henry (later Sir Henry) Wood. His first appearance. at the age of 20. was acclaimed by London critics. * Two years after his arrival in England Mr Dawson made his first recording—a cylinder. The first cylinder records had to be cut separately and Mr

Dawson for weeks had to spend all day singing the same song at 5s a time.

At one time, his royalties from records totalled £7OOO a year, but from 1940 this dropped to £6OO, mainly because a performer then had no legal claim for records made for broadcast. In 1905, he married Annie Mortimer Noble, the daughter

of a London theatrical manager and a soprano of considerable talent who sang as Annette George. Two years after she died in 1953, he married her sister; Con stance, when making his final concert tour of Britain Peter Dawson, like so manv other Australian artists, had to struggle in England before he was recognised in Australia. His first Australian tour was in 1909. Wide Repertoire His repertoire was amazing. It included not only ballads but lieder, numbers from oratorio, opera, Gilbert and Sullivan and musical comedy As “J. P. McCall,” Peter Dawson wrote more than 30 songs, including many ballads which were sung by other well-known artists. He also composed much of the music for the Kipling ballads which he made popular over the years. During World War I he served as a sergeant-major with the A.I.F.

Few artists have had a longer career, but Mr Dawson admitted himself that he saved his voice by practising only on his public performances. He had been a heavy smoker since he was 13. He wrote an autobiography. “Fifty Years of Song.”