Jack Judge
{{short description|British songwriter and music-hall entertainer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Jack Judge
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Jack Judge.JPG
| caption =
| birth_name = John Judge
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1872|12|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = Oldbury, Worcestershire, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1938|7|25|1872|12|3|df=y}}
| death_place = West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England
| monuments = Bronze statue, Lord Pendry Square, Stalybridge
| nationality = British
| occupation = {{Plainlist|
- Song-writer
- Music-hall entertainer
}}
| known_for = Songwriting
| notable_works = "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"
}}
John Judge (3 December 1872 – 25 July 1938) was an English songwriter and music-hall entertainer best remembered for writing the song "It's a Long Way to Tipperary". Judge originally wrote and sang the song in 1912, but the far more widely known John McCormack acquired greater name recognition with the song.
Life
Judge was born in Worcestershire, England on 3 December 1872. Judge's parents were Irish, from County Mayo.{{Cite news|url=http://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/86777/its-a-long-way-for-tipperary|title=It's a Long Way for Tipperary|newspaper=Mayo Advertiser|accessdate=13 July 2020}} He was originally a fishmonger, and took to the stage after winning a talent contest.The Tipperary Star, 7 January 1989
{{Listen
| title = It's a Long Way to Tipperary
| filename = Albert Farrington - It's a Long Long Way to Tipperary - 1915.oga
| description = It's a Long Way to Tipperary, performed by Albert Farrington
}}
At the time his famous song was written, he was performing at "The Grand Theatre", Stalybridge, Cheshire.{{cite web|title=A Tribute to Jack Judge|url=http://www.stalybridge.org.uk/jack_judge.htm|work=Staleybridge Online|year=2002|access-date=17 August 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706144421/http://www.stalybridge.org.uk/jack_judge.htm|archive-date=6 July 2007}} He allegedly wrote the song for a five shilling bet on 30 January 1912 and performed it the next night at "The Grand". However, many people, including the Judge family, dispute this and say the song was written in his home town of Oldbury.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}
In 1918 he published Jerusalem through B, Feldman and Co.
The legal rights to "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" was purchased by a British music publishing company, Feldman, for £5. Harry Williams (died 1924), a neighbour of Judge, was co-attributed as composer. Later in his life when he became very unwell, the company gave him a weekly pension of £1.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}
John McCormack recorded the song in 1914, which gave it worldwide popularity. Judge had recorded "The Place Where I Was Born" in 1915, when he was aged 42 and already a big star. Written before the outbreak of war, this is one of his few serious songs, and is a sensitive comment about the working man's compassion for others during hard times. In the same year he recorded "Paddy Maloney's Aeroplane" and "Michael O'Leary, V.C.", both about Irishmen contributing to the war effort. As well as songs for the stage, he wrote a number of football songs in support of his beloved West Bromwich Albion F.C. He continued recording through the 1920s.{{cite book|last=Gibbons|first=Verna Hale|year=1998|title=Jack Judge: The Tipperary Man|location=West Midlands, England, UK|publisher=Sandwell Community Library Service|isbn=978-1-900689-07-6}}
Judge was buried at Rood End Cemetery, Oldbury.{{cite web |title=Jack Judge - His Life and Music |url=https://historyofoldbury.co.uk/articles/article008%20-%20jack%20judge%20part%204.htm |website=History of Oldbury, Langley and Warley |access-date=19 June 2024}}
A bronze statue of Judge has been erected Lord Pendry Square in Stalybridge. The recently{{when|date=December 2024}} opened public library in his home town of Oldbury bears his name.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}
References
{{Reflist}}
https://www.facebook.com/mayopeacepark/posts/jack-judges-parents-john-and-mary-judge-left-carrowbeg-county-mayo-ireland-to-se/10155849116766827/
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- {{IMSLP|id=Judge, Jack}}
- {{Wikiquote-inline}}
- [https://archive.today/20121223192418/http://www.laws.sandwell.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/leisure-and-culture/tourism-and-travel/official-guide-to-sandwell/sandwell-s-communities/ Oldbury and West Bromwich]
- {{Librivox author |id=12242}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Judge, Jack}}
Category:People from Oldbury, West Midlands
Category:British male songwriters
Category:British people of Irish descent
{{UK-composer-stub}}