Description

WALTER MALCOLM NEIL MCEACHERN (ALBURY, NEW SOUTH WALES, 1 APRIL 1883 – LONDON, 17 JANUARY 1945)

McEachern was born in Albury, New South Wales, the sixth of 13 children of Archibald Hector McEachern and his wife, Rebecca Mary. On 2 February 1916, McEachern married pianist Hazel Hogarth Doyle, who later became his accompanist and provided the musical direction for his career. He was a Freemason, and a member of the Savage Club Lodge in London. During World War I, McEachern went on a tour of Australia with the great Australian soprano Nellie Melba. Also in the touring company were Ella Caspers, Ada Crossley and Marie Narelle. In 1921 McEachern went to England with his wife, where he was hailed as one of the world’s best bass vocalists. He was especially acclaimed as an oratorio singer although his voice was equally well suited to the demands of opera; but unlike his finest contemporary rival among English-language basses, Norman Allin, he elected not to pursue a career in that particular art form. McEachern did appear, however, in an array of staged Gilbert and Sullivan Savoy operettas under the batons of the famous conductors Sir Henry Wood and Sir John Barbirolli. In early 1926, McEachern forged a light-entertainment collaboration with Bentley Collingwood Hilliam, a pianist from Yorkshire. Their act proved to be a great success with British audiences and they became famous as Mr. Flotsam and Mr. Jetsam. McEachern was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and died after an operation in London on 17 January 1945. His name is commemorated in Australia by McEachern Crescent in the Canberra suburb of Melba.

TRACKLIST

1. A King’s Man Vocalion Vocalion K-05279 M071XX
2. Alexander’s Feast (Händel) Revenge Timotheus cries, pt 1 & 3 pt 2 Vocalion X-9560, X-9560, 03724, 03725
3. Australian Bush Songs (James) 1) Land of who knows where; 4) Comrades of mine do 5) Bush Night Song; 6) Bush Ranger’s Song Vocalion D-02147, D-02147, 03432, 03433
4. Blow, blow thou winter wind (Sergeant) Vocalion R-6030 02255
5. Drinking (Traditional) Columbia WA 8693-3
6. Excelsior (Balfe) (w. Titterton) Vocalion K-05267 M069
7. Faust (Gounod) The Calf of Gold Vocalion R-6125 03267
8. From Oberon in Fairyland (Slater) Vocalion K-05171 03864
9. Hybrias the Cretan (Elliott) Vocalion D-02108 03265
10. I am a friar of Orders Grey (Reeve) Columbia WA 10390-1
11. In a Persian Garden (Lehmann) Myself when young Vocalion X-9610 03690X
12. In Cellar Cool (trad) Vocalion R-6030 02258
13. Judas Maccabaeus (Händel) Arm, arm ye brave Vocalion C-01055 02672
14. Larboard Watch (Benedict) (w. Titterton) Vocalion K-05267 M070
15. Le Cor (Flégier) Vocalion 02385
16. Lily of Killarney (Benedict) The moon hath raised her lamp above (w. Titterton) Vocalion D-02053 02680
17. Maritana (Wallace) The Mariner in his Barque Vocalion D-02095 03040