Known as the 'Queen of the Music Hall' Marie Lloyd's career
spanned forty years. She first appeared at the Eagle Tavern
in London aged 15 as Bella Delmare, singing 'My Soldier Laddie'.
By 1885 she had become Marie Lloyd with her hit song 'The
Boy I love is Up in the Gallery'. She was a huge success
and topped the bill at the West End music halls.
Marie Lloyd's songs were full of innuendo and double meaning.
'She'd never had her ticket punched before' and 'Oh Mr Porter
what shall I do' appear to be innocent on first reading but
could take on a very saucy interpretation when sung by Ms
Lloyd.
In one famous incident she was summoned before the committee
responsible for cleaning up the stage and asked to sing her
songs. She sang 'Oh Mr Porter' and 'A Little Bit of What
you Fancy' in such a sweet innocent way that the committee
had no reason to find anything amiss. Ms Lloyd, indignant
that she had had to go through such a charade, then sang
some very innocent songs in such a way as to render them
obscene, shocking the committee into silence and doing herself
no favours.
In 1912 she was omitted from the Royal
Variety Performance for fear of offending the Royal
party, but in true style rented another theatre for the
same night and played to sell out audiences.
Marie Lloyd's reputation for being socially unacceptable
came partly from her stage act but also from her private
life. She had three unsuccessful and very public marriages.
In 1913 she was refused entry into the USA because she had
shared a cabin with her new boyfriend on the voyage, despite
still being married to her first husband. Marie Lloyd continued
performing until a few days before she died at the early
age of 52.
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