Fragson

Born in London on July 2, 1869, Harry Fragson was an English- and French-speaking singer of the early 20th century. His real name was Léon Philippe Pot, and he kept his origins a mystery until a birth certificate established the facts in 2004. Born in England to a French father and Belgian mother, he studied business in Antwerp before taking up singing. After auditioning at the Quat'z'Arts café-théâtre, the pianist-accompanist imported ragtime to France and began recording for both His Master's Voice in England and Pathé in France. A Montmartre music-hall personality, his bilingual repertoire oscillated between the romantic and the comic, with hits such as "Je connais une blonde", "La Boîteuse", "Si tu veux, Marguerite", "Les Amis de Monsieur" and also "The Other Department, Please", "All the Girls Are Lovely by the Seaside" and "Hello, Hello, Who's Your Lady Friend?", recorded on 78-turns between 1903 and 1913. During this period, the Paulus impersonator became a star and was hired in 1905 at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane (London), then at the Folies-Bergères and the Alhambra (Paris). Known for his long, swept-back hair, he accompanied himself on the piano, creating a show that attracted large audiences until his last performance on October 15, 1913. Married to actress and singer Alice Delysia, Fragson appeared in Max Linder's short film L'Entente cordiale (1912). His fate was tragic: after a quarrel with his father Victor Plot, who suspected him of having had an affair with his mistress Paulette Franck, he was shot and died in the Ambroise-Paré hospital on December 30, 1913, at the age of 44. A compilation of his hits, Succès et Raretés 1903-1912, was published in 1994.

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