Product details
- ISBN 9798855805994
- Weight: 699g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 01 Mar 2026
- Publisher: State University of New York Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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The definitive biography of Henry Russell, famed nineteenth-century songwriter and performer.
Henry Russell was an entertainer and songwriter—arguably the leading popular singer, on both sides of the Atlantic, in the 1840s—who is best remembered today for his song "A Life on the Ocean Wave" and for such classics as "Woodman, Spare that Tree! and "Cheer Boys, Cheer!" A child performer as a singer, he was born to a distinguished Jewish family and was already working in his teens as a musician and as a vocalist. Russell travelled to America in 1836 and established himself there as a popular singer and songwriter. Returning to England five years later, he produced a number of musical programs, which were among the most popular entertainments of the day. His songs went beyond sentimental themes and subjects to include purposeful social commentary, attacking, among other topics, slavery and the mistreatment of the mentally ill. Russell’s combination of showmanship and songwriting made him the Elton John of his day. This revised edition has been updated using newly available archival and other sources, as well as new illustrations.
Andrew Lamb is an English writer, music historian, lecturer, and broadcaster known for his expertise in light music and musical theater. Lamb was a member of the Advisory Board of The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. He is the author of 50 Years of Popular Musical Theatre and Leslie Stuart: The Man Who Composed Florodora, along with many other books. Kurt Gänzl is author of two editions of the award-winning Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, as well as many other books, including Gilbert and Sullivan: The Players and the Plays and, with Jamie Findlay, The Musical: A Concise History, Second Edition, both published by SUNY Press.
