I heard a short recording of a chap called Walter Glynne on the radio yesterday morning, which prompted me to see if there was anything by him on Youtube. I’m glad that I did, because I found this. I think it’s charming.
Walter Glynne (born Thomas Glyn Walters) was born in Gowerton (Wales) in 1890 and educated at Gowerton Grammar School. He was a bank clerk until he decided to take up a musical career, and won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London in 1910. He served in the Welsh Guards during World War I. In 1921, on the recommendation of Sir Landon Ronald, HMV’s music advisor, he secured a recording contract with the company. He was one of the first singers in Britain to broadcast on the radio, and because his voice suited the microphone he had a successful career in that medium. He sang in the lyric concerts held by the companies of Boosey, Chappell and Cramer in London, and also with the Carl Rosa and D’Oyly Carte opera companies. He made very many recordings, excelling as a lyrical singer; he was known in particular for his rendering of ballads, but he was also a good tenor in oratorios, and in 1935 he recorded arias from Handel’s Messiah. His disciplined singing and pure tone are heard to excellent effect on this lovely (if a bit crackly) old record; these, together with his pleasant personality, made him a very popular performer. In 1947 he retired and moved to the Gower peninsula; he died at home in Port Einon on 29 July 1970.
This version of I’ll Walk Beside You probably sounds very old-fashioned to most of my readers, but I think it’s wonderful.
Follow @telescoper
In the Dark 