James W. Tate

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James William Tate (1875 - February 5, 1922) was a songwriter, accompanist, and composer and producer of revues and pantomimes in the early years of the 20th century. Tate was born in Wolverhampton, England and died in Stoke-on-Trent, suddenly at the age of 46, as a result of pneumonia caught while traveling the country with his touring revues.

[edit] Life and career

The son of a publican, Tate was the eldest brother of one of the foremost operatic sopranos of the twentieth century, Maggie Teyte. Originally intended for the church, he received early music tuition from his father, composing his first piece at the age of ten. In 1892 he went to the United States, returning in 1897 to take up the appointment of Musical Director at the Carl Rosa Opera Company. Later, Tate served as Musical Director at Wyndham's Theatre.

In 1902 Tate married actress José Collins's mother, the dancer-singer Lottie Collins (1865 - 1910), who became famous for introducing the song 'Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay' to Britain. After Lottie Collins's death, in 1912 he married the singer, Clarice Mayne, with whom he had been performing since 1906. Tate was her accompanist, and was the "That" in the variety theatre act known as "Clarice Mayne and That" ("This sings, That Plays!"). The producer Julian Wylie saw their act and formed a partnership with Tate. They began to specialize in pantomime and revue. Their first co-production was I Should Worry at the Palace Theatre in 1913. Wylie and Tate concentrated on pantomime after World War I, and the company continued through the 1920's and into the 1930's despite Tate's death, and Wylie continued to use as much of Tate's music as possible in these pantomimes after Tate's death, including several productions of Cinderella.

In addition to being a perfomer, Tate was a composer of numerous catchy songs, many for his wife. His hits composed for performers other than his wife included "The rain came Pitter Patter Down", "A tiny seed", "Come over the Garden Wall", "I was a good little girl till I met you" (1914), "A Broken Doll" (1916), "Ev'ry little while" (1916) and "Give me a little cosy corner" (1918).

In 1916 Tate composed four songs, including three that became hits ("My life is love", "A bachelor gay", and "A paradise for two"), for inclusion in what became a record-breaking show, The Maid of the Mountains. This commission arose at the suggestion of the show’s star, step daughter José Collins, after initial previews indicated that the original score lacked potential hit material. Lyrics to these songs where supplied by his regular lyricists Frank Clifford Harris and "Valentine" (Archibald Thomas Pechey). "A bachelor gay" became one of the most popular baritone songs in the British concert repertoire.

Other revues and pantomimes followed, including Some (1916), The Lads Of The Village (1917), The Follies of 1919, The Beauty Sport, Aladdin (1920), and The Peep Show (1921). Tate also continued to write popular songs, but he never wrote for another "book" musical. Tate's sudden, early death cut short a very productive career.