Harry
Gordon (11 July 1893, Aberdeen - 21 January, 1957,
Glasgow) was a popular Scottish Music Hall Artiste. From
the 1920s until the mid-1950s he graced the stage far
and wide, but also produced a large number of
recordings. He was known as the 'Laird of Inversnecky',
the fictional Scottish town that he used in his comic
routines. Harry was born in Aberdeen as Alexander Ross
Gordon, one of five sons and a daughter. He attended
King Street and Central schools, before leaving to work
as an insurance clerk to help with the family finances.
By the time he was fifteen years old, he had decided to
pursue a full-time career as an entertainer and thus
began to develop his stage skills at various venues in
North-East Scotland.
An important turning-point in his career was the 1909
formation of a Pierrot troupe, with whom Gordon played
in many open-air performances. He then started appearing
at many theatres across Scotland and also did seaside
shows in the summer. After WW1 Harry often performed in
Aberdeen at His Majesty's Theatre and the Beach
Pavilion. Very often he was the master of ceremonies at
the Beach Pavilion and eventually leased the theatre
himself before its closure in 1941. He had a homely,
chatty style, and established intimate rapport with his
audiences. With his complementary use of English and
Doric dialect, he soon became one of Scotland's most
popular entertainers.
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