George Leybourne

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George Leybourne
Lounging in the Aq, sheet music cover
Background information
Birth name:	Joe Sanders
Date of birth:	1842
Birth location:	Newcastle upon Tyne
Date of death:	1884
Death location:	Islington
Other names:	Champagne Charlie
Genres:	music hall vocalist

Joe Sanders (1842–1884), better known as George Leybourne, was an English music hall performer. Often nicknamed "Champagne Charlie", Leybourne is best-remembered as the lyricist for The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.

Leybourne was born in Newcastle, and became a factory worker in Birmingham. He began a career in the northern music halls, with the song Villikins and His Dinah. His first professional appearance in London was at the Whitechapel Music Hall in 1864.

Champagne Charlie was first performed at the Sun Music Hall, Knightsbridge in 1867. He entered in top hat and tails, dressed as a swell in immaculate evening dress, with gloves, cane, and scarf, waving a bottle of vintage Moet & Chandon. Leybourne's rival Alfred Vance introduced a number called Cliquot, starting a fierce competition between the two which culminated with Vance's rendition of Beautiful Beer. Their style introduced a new genre to the music hall, known as Lion Comique.

Leybourne wrote the lyrics for many popular hits of the time, including The Flying Trapeze (now known as The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze), which was published in 1867 with music by Gaston Lyle, arranged by Alfred Lee.

Leybourne also wrote the lyrics to the 1871 song If Ever I Cease To Love that is remembered today because of its association with Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It became the signature song for the Rex Krewe. The song was sung in England by Lydia Thompson, who included it in her burlesque show Bluebeard, which she then toured in the United States. Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff saw it and was fascinated by the song, the songstress, or both. He visited New Orleans in 1872, and the king of Carnival directed that all bands in the Rex parade would play "the Royal Anthem", If Ever I Cease To Love. It remains permanently associated with Rex, and is a New Orleans carnival standard.

In 1866, Leybourne began his career of making celebrity endorsements for Champagne. The Champagne maker Moet commissioned him to write and perform songs extolling the virtues of Champagne, especially as a reflection of taste, affluence, and the good life. He also agreed to drink nothing but Champagne in public. His efforts did much to establish Champagne as an important element in conspicuous consumption.

George Leybourne's daughter Florrie married Music-Hall performer Albert Chevalier and was the inspiration for Chevalier's hit "My Old Dutch."

Leybourne died in Islington and is buried at Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington, London.