Rowland Harrison


Rowland "Rowley" Harrison was a Tyneside poet and singer/songwriter, from Gateshead in County Durham. Possibly his best known work is "Geordy Black", an example of Geordie dialect.

Early life

Rowland Harrison was born 23 June 1841 in King William Street, Gateshead and baptised at St Mary’s Church, Gateshead.
Little is known of his early life, but he started singing in 1864 at age 23 and performed in most of the local concert and music halls including The Victoria Music Hall, Oxford Music Hall, The Empire, The People's Palace, all of Newcastle upon Tyne, The Wear Music Hall, Sunderland, The Alhambra South Shields, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington, and many other places even as far away as Glasgow.

Later life

For many of his songs he wrote both the words and music, unlike many other writers of the time who only wrote new lyrics to old tunes.
He was known as "Rowley" and his best known character was "Geordie Black". He used to dress up as this character for his stage act. He wrote a song about the character.
His other jobs were as landlord of the Geordy Black in Gateshead and the Commercial Hotel at Winlaton and manager of his own concert halls. One of his innovations was to erect a large marquee, which according to the local stories was "devoted to singing and Entertainments" and where he and others would perform, singing and generally entertaining the crowds at the Newcastle Town Moor Temperance Festival.
Rowland Harrison moved to Sunderland when he was appointed as manager of the Empire theatre. He died there on 9 June 1897 and was buried at Monkwearmouth Cemetery.

Works

His works include:
Aud wife that had a bit munny! An' the son that wanted it

Aw laff her bad temper away

Barber's shop

Bathin' lass o' Tinmuth

Bob Chambers – written c1861

Bonniest lass I’ Sheels – This song refers to North Shields and has a large amount of spoken content. It is often alternatively named "The lass I met at Shields".

Chep on strike

Coal cartman

Deeth of Renforth

Drum Major

Geordy Black

Geordy's deeth

Gipsy Jack

Gyetshead publican

Gyetshead swell - about a toff, parading around Gateshead in his finest

I'm going down the hill - the alternative name for "Geordy Black" used in Allan's Illustrated Edition of Tyneside Songs and Readings by Thomas Allan

Jack Simpson’s bairn

Johnny wi' the gaunsey on

Kyuk shop on the Kee

Lad at the slottin' machine

Lad on strike that wes gan te be married

Lass that work'd at Neville's Glass Hoose

Millisha lad i' trubbel

Nowt like a hoose o' yer awn

Pidjon Dan

Police's band

Pride of the haven, Ned Fry

Ratcatcher

Sawdust Jack

Somebody’s stole me bottle

Stivinson's Band trip te Wimbleton. December, 1864

Three-happens for a shave, an' thrippence for a crop

Two married men

Widow Broon's lament

Ye think yor clivvor, but yor not
A small book of over 50 pages and sized about 5" x 7½" entitled Rowland Harrison’s Tyneside Songs, containing local songs composed by Harrison (and with an illustrative sketch of "Geordy Black", was published around 1871. It includes most of the above songs.