Entertainer. Born in Pimlico, London, Gus Elen is remembered as the greatest of the ‘coster’ comedians (from ‘costermonger’, or street-trader). This type of traditional ‘cockney’ humor was one of the mainstays of the British music hall scene in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Elen started out in entertainment in the 1880’s in The Strand (a famous London thoroughfare) as a street musician with a barrel-organ. Retirement came before the War (1914-18), but Elen was lured back onto the stage for the 1931 Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium. From a large and wonderful repertoire, Gus Elen’s best-known songs are probably "Arf a Pint of Ale," "If it Wasn’t for the ‘ouses In Between," "The Postman’s ‘oliday," "Wait Till the Work Comes Round," "E Dunno Where ‘E Are," "It’s a Great Big Shame," and "Down the Road."
Entertainer. Born in Pimlico, London, Gus Elen is remembered as the greatest of the ‘coster’ comedians (from ‘costermonger’, or street-trader). This type of traditional ‘cockney’ humor was one of the mainstays of the British music hall scene in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Elen started out in entertainment in the 1880’s in The Strand (a famous London thoroughfare) as a street musician with a barrel-organ. Retirement came before the War (1914-18), but Elen was lured back onto the stage for the 1931 Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium. From a large and wonderful repertoire, Gus Elen’s best-known songs are probably "Arf a Pint of Ale," "If it Wasn’t for the ‘ouses In Between," "The Postman’s ‘oliday," "Wait Till the Work Comes Round," "E Dunno Where ‘E Are," "It’s a Great Big Shame," and "Down the Road."
Bio by: Steve Brown
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