Category:Parry, John Orlando/Collections

• Detailed biography: None given

A society entertainer at the piano. Originally from a classical route to music, Parry became fluent in the harp, piano and his baritone voice, first appearing on the stage singing Handel's airs and harp recitals. His voice was of such a high quality that he was in demand all across the country and Europe. He swapped serious ballads for comical follies however by joining the concert room instead, as an accompanist and a singer of comic songs. This is where he partook in the the humorist craft; by singing songs and monologues to his own piano accompaniment. He toured for many years, with some of these with the German Reed Entertainments. He inspired both George Grossmith and Corney Grain to join the stage and become the quintessential names of the piano humorist. Parry wrote all his own material. Despite this fame, his savings vanished via the failings of a barister, and he died in his daughter's home in 1879.