John Charles Thomas

For the former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, see John Charles Thomas (judge) .

John Charles Thomas (September 6, 1891 – December 13, 1960) was an American opera , operetta and concert baritone .

Contents

• 1 Biography

  • 1.1 Operatic, recital and radio career

  • 1.2 Death

• 2 Opposition to rock-and-roll music

• 3 Recordings

• 4 Voice

• 5 Honors

• 6 References

• 7 External links

• 8 Further reading

Biography

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John Charles Thomas was born on September 6, 1891, in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania . He was the son of a Methodist minister of Welsh descent while his mother, of German immigrant stock, had been an amateur singer. After studying initially for a medical career, Thomas won a scholarship to the Peabody Institute in Baltimore in 1910. He remained there for two years, receiving vocal tuition from Adelin Fermin.

In 1912, Thomas left the Peabody and toured briefly with a musical troupe. He then went to live in Manhattan, New York City , where he performed with a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta company before being contracted by the Shubert brothers to perform in the show _The Peasant Girl _, which opened in March 1913. For the next nine years, he starred in a series of hit Broadway musicals including Her Soldier Boy, _Maytime _, _Naughty Marietta _, and _Apple Blossoms _ (with Fred and Adele Astaire ).

Operatic, recital and radio career

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Thomas in costume, 1922

Thomas sang in a concert performance of the Market Scene from Rimsky-Korsakov 's opera _Sadko _ at Manhattan's Carnegie Hall in December 1924. His debut in a fully staged opera occurred in March 1925, as Amonasro in a production of Verdi 's _Aida _, presented by the semi-professional Washington National Opera .

Thomas was earning a great deal of money singing on Broadway but he wanted to gain more experience in opera. During the 1922-28 period, he spent part of each year in Europe , polishing his singing technique and appearing under contract at La Monnaie opera house in Brussels for the seasons of 1925-27. He would return to La Monnaie for 25 more performances in 1928, eight in 1930 and four in 1931. Even more importantly, he appeared with the famous Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin in productions of _Faust _ at the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden , London , in July 1928.

He continued to give recitals in the United States during this period and, in 1923, acted in a silent film, _Under the Red Robe _, directed by Alan Crosland . He made recordings, too, for the Vocalion label (1920–24) and Brunswick Records (1924–29), before signing with RCA Victor in 1931. Thomas also became a pioneer of radio broadcasts, in both New York and Florida . From 1929-32 he was a member of the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company , and in 1930 made one appearance with the Philadelphia Civic Opera Company . On December 9, 1930 he appeared in concert with The Highland Glee Club Highland Glee Club in Newton, Massachusetts.

He accepted engagements with the Washington National, San Francisco , Chicago and Philadelphia opera companies, and in 1934, to satisfy a public demand, he was signed by the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He would remain at the Met until 1943, performing opposite such stars as the soprano Rosa Ponselle .

In the tough Great Depression years of the 1930s, he established himself as one of the most sought-after singers in America, with both a classical-music following and a considerable popular audience. His concerts normally offered selections from both repertoires: classical and operatic to begin, and American art songs and humorous "character" songs to close. He also appeared regularly on commercial radio programs. These included _Five-Star Theater _ (in 1932-33 with the Joseph Bonime Orchestra), the Vince Radio Program (1934–36), the Ford, General Motors and The Magic Key of RCA shows (1937–40) and the Coca-Cola show (1940–41).

In 1938, he helped Edwin Lester launch the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera , appearing in the company's very first production in Blossom Time. This work was derived from a Viennese operetta _Das Dreimäderlhaus _, with music arranged from that of Schubert and adapted for American audiences by Dorothy Donnelly and Sigmund Romberg . Thomas sang regularly in operettas with the LACLO until 1942, starring in productions of _[The Gypsy Baron](https://en.wikip

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