PIONEER
W. W. ("Billy") WHITLOCK
| remark | real name: Frederick Gabriel PENNA |
| nationality | |
| occupation | recording engineer, comedian, player of xylophone/bells etc., professional entertainer, actor |
| birth | .. July/Aug/Sep 1874, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (between Gloucester & Cirencester), ENGLAND |
| baptism | |
| death | 26 Jan 1951, Birkenhead, Cheshire (or London?), ENGLAND (76y) |
| burial | |
| marriage | married on ........., in Calcutta, India to:
 Rosa C. ......... b. .... <1879/1880>, Liverpool, Lancashire |
| children |
|
PARENTS
| father | Frederick Henry PENNA b. .... <1849/1850>, Brixton/Paddington, Surrey, ENGLAND |
| mother | Harriet(t) HAWKINS b. .... <1855>, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire |
| marriage | they got married on 13 July 1873, Holy Trinity, Brompton Road, Kensington/Chelsea, Middlesex |
| children |
|
LIFE
1861 CENSUS (
Catharine PENNA (28y; b. Paddington, Middlesex) wife of a commercial traveller
- Frederick [Henry] Penna (12y; b. Brixton/Paddington, Surrey, ENGLAND)
- William Penna (10y; b. Brixton, Surrey)
- Catharine M Penna (8y; b. Brixton, Surrey)
1891 CENSUS (Brighton, Sussex):
Harriet PENNA (36y; b. Cheltenham) boardinghouse keeper
- Frederick G. (16y) clerk
1901 CENSUS (
Frederick PENNA (26y) professional entertainer / Exhib.
Rosa PENNA (30y; b. Liverpool, Lancs.)
- Vera (4m; b. Lambeth, London))
sailed to Calcutta
Joined the Stanley Operatic Company touring through India and stayed with them for four years
in 1913 recorder FAVORITE (-/x/y)
ca. 1914 recording expert of Blum & Co. (TTMR 75, p. 2194)
composer / xylophone/bells player / comic
comic songs (laughing comedian)
acc. to THE TALKING MACHINE REVIEW No. 71, Nov 1986
pp 2050-2052 Billy Whitlock's real name was "William PENNA".
A picture of Whitlock can be found on p. 2050
Still recorded for DECCA in the early thirties
member of "The Favorite Minstrels" (FAVORITE/ARIEL)
also used pseudonyms: Madam Paula/Johnson Williams (on Pioneers)
to be consulted:
1891 CENSUS:
Frederick G. PENNA
1901 CENSUS:
Frederick PENNA
Divorce Court File: 8188. Appellant: Rosa Penna. Respondent: Frederick Gabriel Penna. Type: Wife's petition for judicial separation [wjs].
Covering dates: 1922
J 77/1863/8188 (The National Archives, Kew)
|
NOTES
- "Favorite: the story of an independent German record company (1904-1914)" by Hugo Strötbaum (in: The Lindström Project. Contributions to the history of the record industry / Beiträge zur Geschichte der Schallplattenindustrie. Vol. 2 (editors: Pekka Gronow & Christiane Hofer). Gesellschaft für Historische Tonträger, Wien 2010. ISBN 978-3-9500502-1-9
- "Two Merry Jesters - Chas. Penrose & Billy Whitlock" (in: THE TALKING MACHINE REVIEW No. 71, Nov 1986, pp 2050-2052; originally from the Sound Wave of Feb 1915)
- Favorite Revisited by Hugo Strötbaum (online)
- Seventy-eight Revolutions Per Minute in the Levant. A Discography of Favorite's Oriental Recordings by Hugo Strötbaum (in: De Turcicis Aliisque Rebus, Commentarii Henry Hofman dedicati, M. Vandamme (ed.). Utrecht 1992, 227 pages (ISBN 90-393-0291-x))
- "Favorite: 1904-1914. Oftewel het relaas van de ongrijpbare q-serie." by Hugo Strötbaum (in: De Weergever, 17e jaargang No. 6 - november-december 1995, pp. 243-265
- "De Geschiedenis van Favorite: 1904-1914, deel 2. De opbouw van het katalogusnummer (=facenumber); achtergrondinformatie over de firma 'Favorite'" by Hugo Strötbaum (in: De Weergever, 18e jaargang No. 1 - januari-februari 1996, pp. 2-22)
- "De Geschiedenis van Favorite: 1904-1914, deel 3 (slot). Voorlopig overzicht van de opnamesessies van Favorite, 1904-1914." by Hugo Strötbaum (in: De Weergever, 18e jaargang No. 2 - maart-april 1996, pp. 51-71)
- "Billy Whitlock and Vera: 90 Years of Entertaining" by Dave Homewood (in: Hillandale News No. 190 of Feb 1993 (pp. 163-166) (picture of Whitlock and Penrose on front cover)
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