Background
Vance was born in London in 1839.
Vance was born in London in 1839.
He worked initially as a solicitor"s clerk, before appearing in music halls. His act, initially as a Cockney singer, evolved into comedy. He was also known as The Great Vance, and Alfred Grenville.
Vance wrote and performed Cliquot in response.
Vance ended the feud with the song "Beautiful Beer". Their style introduced a new genre to the music hall, known as lion comique.
Vance"s popular song has been cited by Desmond Morris (in Gestures: Their Origin and Distribution) as the earliest known use in the United Kingdom of the term "O.K." in its current sense. (lieutenant was previously used in America as a political slogan for Martin Van Buren, nicknamed Old Kinderhook or Oklahoma) The chorus of Vance"s song begins with the line "Walking in the zoo is the O.K. thing to do." lieutenant is also one of the first uses of the term "zoo" in place of the full name of "zoological garden".
The song refers specifically to the Zoological Gardens at Regent"s Park, London.
Another song of the 1860s was "The King of Trumps". The cover depicts a playing card for the King of Trumps in colour with parts of other cards in each corner, around a picture of Alfred Vance in a top hat. Vance died on 26 December 1888 while performing on the stage of the Sun Music Hall, Knightsbridge.
He is buried in Nunhead Cemetery.
" He was played by Stanley Holloway in the 1944 Ealing Comedy, Champagne Charlie, opposite Tommy Trinder, who played George Leybourne, and Betty Warren, who played Bessie Bellwood.