Pseudonyms Used As a Singer
“Maurice Elwin” was only Norman MacPhail Blair’s most common pseudonym. In his role as a dance band singer, he was seldom credited. In his solo work, he occasionally used variations on his real name:
| Name | Label(s) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| MacPhail Blair | Zonophone | CH, JW |
| Norman Blair | Zonophone, Panachord, May-Fair | CH, JW, MGT |
More frequently, he used the name Maurice Elwin or one of more than sixty other pseudonyms; he also recorded under group names that obscured his identity. Note that while Elwin used the following names, he was not necessarily the only person to use them:
| Pseudonym | Label(s) | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Aldridge | Grafton | MGT | |
| Leslie Astor | Sterno | ML | |
| Bernard Armstrong | Ariel | MGT | |
| Bert and Bob | Decca | with Cavan O’Connor | CH, JRR, JW |
| Walter (“W.”) Brooks | Grafton | MGT | |
| John Coyne | Kiddyphone | MGT | |
| Joseph Crane | Marspen | MGT | |
| Creighton and Laughton | Decca | with Cavan O’Connor | JRR |
| John Curtis | Parlophone, Ariel | CH, JRR, JW, MGT | |
| Curtis and Mac | Parlophone | with Ronnie Munro? | CH, JW |
| Jack Dale | Piccadilly | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Dale and Gale | Piccadilly | unknown duettist | CH, JW, MGT |
| Colleen Glen and Pat Erin | Parlophone | “Colleen Glen” is a woman in at least one recording and a man in at least one other. | |
| Roy Daniels | Phonycord | possibly Maurice Elwin | CH, JW |
| Peter Darrell | Eclipse | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Cecil Dean | Aerona (AU) | MGT | |
| Richard Deane | Marspen | MGT | |
| Frank Denes (and Partner) | Decca | with an anonymous yodeling partner (George van Dusen?) | CH, JW |
| The Dixie Quartet/The Dixie Cotton Picker’s Quartette | Parlophone | unknown partners | CH, JW, ML |
| Charley Domino | Decca | CH, JRR, JW | |
| Don and Ken | Parlophone | Maurice Elwin and Fred Douglas (not Eddie Collis) | MGT |
| Ronnie Donaldson | Filmophone | FD, MGT | |
| R. Durant | Grafton, Scala Ideal | MGT | |
| Ray Ellis | May-Fair | MGT | |
| Dan Fitzroy | Marspen | MGT | |
| The Five and John Curtis | CH | ||
| Noel Fordham | Parlophone | ML | |
| Geoffrey and George | Ariel | Maurice and Sydney (see below) | MGT |
| Jack Hanes | Parlophone, Ariel | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Hampton and Smart | Ariel | Maurice Elwin and Eddie Collis | MGT |
| Jack and Jill | Zonophone | with Eve Becke (or Billie Lockwood?) | CH, JRR, JW |
| Fred (“F.”) Jackson | Curry’s | MGT | |
| Hal Jones | Kiddyphone | MGT | |
| Maurice Kelvin | Parlophone, Ariel | CH, JRR, JW, MGT | |
| Bunny King | Peacock | MGT | |
| Robert Kinnear | Imperial | IR | |
| Lane and Sloan | Grafton | with Hardy Williamson (“SIMS AND WRIGHT”; see below) | |
| Roy Laroche | Crown | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Joseph (“J.”) Lee | Kiddyphone | MGT | |
| Julian Lester | Sterno, Homochord | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Max Linden | Phonycord | TB | |
| Mac and Bob | may have included Elwin | CH, JW | |
| Paul Manning | Imperial Junior (AU) | IR, MGT | |
| Matthews and Hale | Columbia | CH | |
| Maurice and Sydney | Zonophone | with Sydney Nesbitt (occasionally with Sydney Wilson) | CH, JW |
| Cecil and Vivian Maurice | Parlophone | with Vivien Lambelet | CH, JW |
| Mellow and Rich | Broadcast | with Cavan O’Connor | CH, JW |
| The Melody Boys | Homochord | unknown duettist | CH, JW |
| The Melody Makers | Vocalion | unknown partners | CH, JW |
| Mick and Mack | Sterno | with Cavan O’Connor | CH, JW, MGT |
| Leonard Neame | Trusound | possibly Maurice Elwin | MGT |
| Leslie Newton | Pathé Actuelle | CH, JW | |
| J. Nolan | Curry’s | MGT | |
| Cecil Norton | Broadcast | MGT | |
| Cecil Park | Aerona (AU) | MGT | |
| Ronald Peel | Imperial, Imperial Junior | IR, MGT | |
| The Ramblers | Columbia | with Sydney Wilson, Bert D’Arcy, and Hal Vidler (a.k.a. the Syncopated Four; see below) | CH, JW |
| L. Rothery 1 | Imperial | IR | |
| Peter Rutland | May-Fair | MGT | |
| Percy Scott | Aerona (AU) | MGT | |
| David Sharron | Parlophone | ML | |
| Frank Shaw | Grand Pree | MGT | |
| L. Silberman’s Trio | Parlophone | unknown partners | CH, JW |
| Conrad Simpson | Ariel | MGT | |
| Al Sims | Homochord | CH, JW | |
| Eric Sims | Dominion, Pathé Actuelle | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Sims/Simms and Wallace | Homochord | unknown duettist | JW |
| Sims and Wright | Pathé Actuelle | with Hardy Williamson | CH, JW |
| The Singing Rovers | Metropole, Picadilly | unknown partner or partners | CH, JW, MGT |
| The Singing Serenaders | Parlophone, Ariel | with Jack Plant (and others?) | CH, JW |
| Solemn and Gay | Zonophone | with Cavan O’Connor | CH, JRR, JW |
| Henry Street | Ariel | MGT | |
| Murray Stewart | Parlophone | CH, JW | |
| Frank Summers | May-Fair | MGT | |
| Sweet and Low | Regal, Regal Zonophone, Sterno | sometimes Maurice Elwin with Cavan O’Connor | CH, JW |
| The Syncopated Four | Regal | with Sydney Wilson, Bert D’Arcy, and Hal Vidler (a.k.a the Ramblers; see above) | CH, JW |
| Mick Tabon/Tabor and Mack Taylor | Sterno | Cavan O’Connor and Maurice Elwin | MGT |
| Topham and Turner | Ariel | Maurice Elwin and Sydney Wilson | MGT |
| Hugh Turner | Perfect | CH, JW, MGT | |
| Guy Victor | Piccadilly, Curry’s, Imperial, Savana | CH, IR, JW, MGT | |
| Wilson and Waller | Parlophone | MGT | |
| Arthur Watson | Sterno | ML | |
| Max Wynn/Winn | Decca | CH, JW | |
| Max Wynn and Jean Glyn | Decca | Elwin was “Max Wynn”; his duettist has not been identified (Olive Groves?) | CH, JW |
| May Wynn and John Curtis | Parlophone | with Olive Groves | CS |
| Lewis Young | Grand Pree | MGT | |
| Zonophone Concert Quartette | Zonophone | unknown partners | CH, JW |
Sources
| ADM-Hom | HOMOPHONE & HOMOCHORD (British Records), by Frank Andrews & Bill Dean-Myatt |
| CH | Chris Hayes |
| CS | Christopher Stone (in the Gramophone) |
| FD | Filmophone Discography |
| IR | The Imperial Records |
| JRR | Jazz and Ragtime Records |
| JW | John Wright |
| MGT | Michael G. Thomas |
| ML | Mike Langridge |
| MS-F | Michael Smith. The Decca ‘F’ Series 10 Inch Records. |
| TB | Terry Brown |
Pseudonyms Used As a Composer
In addition to publishing music as Maurice Elwin, Norman MacPhail Blair used his real name (in the form “N. M. Blair,” occasionally misprinted on records as “M. M. Blair”), as well as the following pseudonyms:
| Pseudonym | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Horace Beverley | CH | |
| Al Birge | CH | |
| Jules Cardito | CH | |
| Al Chester | CH | |
| Walter Dobson | CH | |
| Lee Foster | CH | |
| Laurence Hall | CH | |
| Norrie Leslie | CH | |
| Alex Lester | CH | |
| Norman MacPhail | CH | |
| Ralph Main | CH | |
| Wilfred Nestor | CH | |
| Walter Norman | CH | |
| Donald O’Keefe | CH, JW | |
| Victor Prince | CH | |
| Ted Renard | CH | |
| Nat Rivers | CH | |
| D. Sandford | CH | |
| Al Sims | CH, JW | |
| Tommy Tait | CH | |
| J. Weedon | CH | |
| Max Wynn | CH, JW |
Sources
| CH | Chris Hayes |
| JW | John Wright |
My thanks to John Wright, Terry Brown, and Steve Paget for sharing information that allowed me to compile this preliminary assessment of Elwin’s pseudonyms in days, not years.
Bibliography
- Andrews, Frank, and Bill Dean-Myatt. Homophon & Homochord Records in the United Kingdom. CLPGS Reference Series No. 27. Hailsham: City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society, 2013.
- Andrews, Frank, and Bill Dean-Myatt. The Imperial Records. CLPGS Reference Series No. 33. Hailsham: City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society, 2014.
- Hayes, Chris, in collaboration with George Carpenter. “Chris Hayes Remembers Maurice Elwin. Part One: The Singer-Composer with Sixty Names.” Memory Lane 48 (Autumn 1980): 24-27.
- Hayes, Chris, in collaboration with George Carpenter. “Chris Hayes Remembers Maurice Elwin. Part II: The Vocalist Who Made at Least 2,000 Recordings.” Memory Lane 49 (Winter 1980/1981): 30-33.
- Parlophone Records. Complete Catalogue 1930-1931, including all records issued up to 31st July, 1930. London: The Parlophone Company Ltd., 1931.
- Rust, Brian. Jazz and Ragtime Records 1897-1942. Sixth Edition. Free Personal-Use Edition. Littleton, Colorado: Mainspring Press. https://78records.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/rust_jazz-records_free-edition-6.pdf.
- Stone, Christopher. “Turn Table Talk,” Gramophone, June 1936, 14, Exact Editions.
- Thomas, Michael G. “Aerona.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified November 24, 2019.
- ⸻. “Ariel.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified January 25, 2021.
- ⸻. “Currys.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified October 26, 2020.
- ⸻. “Eclipse8.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified September 25, 2020.
- ⸻. “Filmophone.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified August 24, 2020.
- ⸻. “Grafton.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified February 27, 2020.
- ⸻. “Kiddyphone.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified August 28, 2020.
- ⸻. “Marspen.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified July 2, 2020.
- ⸻. “May-Fair.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified April 22, 2020.
- ⸻. “Metropole.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified August 18, 2020.
- ⸻. “Oliver.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified December 3, 2020.
- ⸻. “Peacock.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified July 29, 2020.
- ⸻. “Perfect.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified July 21, 2019.
- ⸻. “Piccadilly.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified May 18, 2020.
- ⸻. “Savana.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified July 1, 2020.
- ⸻. “Scala Ideal.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified April 9, 2020.
- ⸻. “Sterno.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified November 28, 2020.
- ⸻. “Trusound.” Mike Thomas’ Website. Last modified December 2, 2020.
- Wright, John A.B. “I was recently contacted by a grandson of Bobby Sanders,” Facebook, May 6, 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/282519584859/permalink/10158305870634860/.
- Wright, John A.B. Unpublished list of Elwin’s pseudonyms.
Notes:
- Lionel Rothery was a real singer. On Imperial 1654, Rothery sings one side and Elwin the other, but Rothery’s name is on both sides of the record. ↩