Background
Charles Bannister was born in 1738 in Gloucestershire.
Charles Bannister was born in 1738 in Gloucestershire.
After some amateur and provincial experience Bannister made his first London appearance in 1762 as Will in The Orators at the Haymarket. His skills, especially in comedy and mimicry, were quickly recognised, but the fine singing voice on which his later reputation stood was not at first in evidence. Bannister built on his reputation as a singer at Ranelagh Gardens not least through the early successful operas of Charles Dibdin, with which he became specially identified. He was said to have 'one of the most extensive falsettos ever heard'. He and William Shield, Charles Incledon, Charles Dignum, 'Jack' Johnstone, Charles Ashley and William Parke (oboeist) in 1793 formed themselves into 'The Glee Club', a set which met on Sunday evenings during the season at the Garrick's Head Coffee House in Bow Street, once a fortnight, for singing among themselves and dining together. He died on the 26th of October 1804.
Bannister's son John Bannister (1760 - 1836), born at Deptford on the 12th of May 1760, first studied to be a painter, but soon took to the stage. His first formal appearance was at the Haymarket in 1778 as Dick in The Apprentice. The same year at Drury Lane he played in James Miller's version of Voltaire's Mahomet the part of Zaphna, which he had studied under Garrick. The Palmira of the cast was Mrs Robinson (" Perdita "). Bannister was the best low comedian of his day. As manager of Drury Lane (1802) he was no less successful. He retired in 1815 and died on the 7th of November 1836. He never gave up his taste for painting, and Gainsborough, Morland and Rowlandson were among his friends.