John Charles Thomas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, see John Charles Thomas (jurist).
John Charles Thomas (Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, September 6, 1891 - Apple Valley, California, December 13, 1960) was an American opera baritone known for his exuberant singing style and powerful voice. (The year of his birth is not quite certain. Some sources give it as 1889.)
He began by singing in Gilbert and Sullivan and musical comedies. His opera debut was in Aida as Amonasro in Washington DC in 1924. From 1925 he sang at La Monnaie in Brussels, London in 1929, Chicago and San Francisco in 1930, and finally the Metropolitan Opera, New York, where he stayed until 1943.
He was equally comfortable on both the operatic and the concert stages, though his advocacy of songs in his native English, particularly American songs, has left him less well-remembered than perhaps he should be. Nevertheless many songs written for him to sing have gone on to become standards, such as "The Lord's Prayer" by Albert Hay Malotte and "Home on the Range" by D. Guion.
[edit] Recordings
He left a great many recordings, several of which sold extremely well in their day and have been transferred in recent times to compact disc.
[edit] Sources
Thomas, John Charles by Richard LeSueur and Elizabeth Forbes, in 'The New Grove Dictionary of Opera', ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
John Charles Thomas Beloved Baritone of American Opera and Popular Music by Michael J. Maher, McFarland Press, 2006 ISBN 0-7864-2668-3
[edit] External Links
 |
This article about an opera singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
