Walter H. Ford was an actor, singer, and lyricist, who had around 100 songs published between 1893 and 1901, the vast majority of them with composer John W. Bratton. He wrote the lyrics to "The Sunshine of Paradise Alley," which became a best seller in 1895; the music was composed by his friend John Bratton. Walter was born and raised in Philadelphia, and the first mention of him in the Philadelphia newspapers is in December 1886, when he was a twenty-year-old cast member for the opera "The Three Black Cloaks" at the Arch Street Opera House in Philadelphia. In 1892 he was in the cast of the opera "Ship Ahoy," alongside a dancer whose stage name was Frankie Francis. From then on they appeared together in operas and vaudeville acts. They were married around 1895. Walter and Frankie's vaudeville act toured the country from Massachusetts to New Orleans and San Francisco. Walter died in his home in Brooklyn, New York, on March 5, 1901, at the age of 34. The cause of death was heart failure following pneumonia.
Contributor: Stephen Ford (50289063)
Contributor: Stephen Ford (50289063)
Walter H. Ford was an actor, singer, and lyricist, who had around 100 songs published between 1893 and 1901, the vast majority of them with composer John W. Bratton. He wrote the lyrics to "The Sunshine of Paradise Alley," which became a best seller in 1895; the music was composed by his friend John Bratton. Walter was born and raised in Philadelphia, and the first mention of him in the Philadelphia newspapers is in December 1886, when he was a twenty-year-old cast member for the opera "The Three Black Cloaks" at the Arch Street Opera House in Philadelphia. In 1892 he was in the cast of the opera "Ship Ahoy," alongside a dancer whose stage name was Frankie Francis. From then on they appeared together in operas and vaudeville acts. They were married around 1895. Walter and Frankie's vaudeville act toured the country from Massachusetts to New Orleans and San Francisco. Walter died in his home in Brooklyn, New York, on March 5, 1901, at the age of 34. The cause of death was heart failure following pneumonia.
Contributor: Stephen Ford (50289063)
Contributor: Stephen Ford (50289063)
