Bowlly was born in Lourenço Marques in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique. His parents were Greek and Lebanese. They met en route to Australia and moved to South Africa.
Bowlly was brought up in Johannesburg. After a series of odd jobs across South Africa in his youth, including being a barber and a jockey, he sang in a dance band led by Edgar Adeler on a tour of South Africa, Rhodesia, India and Indonesia during the mid-1920s.[citation needed] He was fired from the band in Surabaya, Indonesia.
Jimmy Liquime hired him to sing with the band in India and Singapore. In 1927 Bowlly made his first record, a cover version of "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin that was recorded with Adeler in Berlin, Germany. During the next year, he worked in London, England, with the orchestra of Fred Elizalde.
The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 resulted in Bowlly being made redundant and returning to several months of busking to survive. In the 1930s, he signed two contracts—one in May 1931 with Roy Fox, singing in his live band for the Monseigneur Restaurant in London, the other a record contract with bandleader Ray Noble in November 1930.
During the next four years, he recorded over 500 songs. By 1933 Lew Stone had ousted Fox as bandleader, and Bowlly was singing Stone's arrangements with Stone's band. After much radio exposure and a successful British tour with Stone, Bowlly was inundated with demands for appearances and gigs—including undertaking a solo British tour—but continued to make most of his recordings with Noble. There was considerable competition between Noble and Stone for Bowlly's time. For much of the year, Bowlly spent all day in the recording studio with Noble's band rehearsing and recording, then the evening with Stone's band at the Monseigneur. Many of these recordings with Noble were issued in the United States by Victor, which meant that by the time Noble and Bowlly came to America, their reputation had preceded them.
He performed in England with his band, the Radio City Rhythm Makers. But by 1937 the band broke up when vocal problems were traced to a wart in his throat, which briefly caused him to lose his voice. Separated from his wife and with his band dissolved, he borrowed money from friends and traveled to New York City for surgery.
His absence from the UK in the early 1930s damaged his popularity with British audiences, despite his association with pianist Monia Liter as his accompanist. His career began to suffer as a result of problems with his voice, which affected the frequency of his recordings. He played a few small parts in films but never professed to be an actor. The parts he did play were often cut, and scenes that were shown were brief. Noble was offered a role in Hollywood, although the offer did not include Bowlly, as a singer had already been hired. Bowlly moved back to London with his wife Marjie in January 1937.
With diminished success in Britain, he toured regional theatres and recorded as often as possible to make a living, moving from orchestra to orchestra, working with Sydney Lipton, Gerald Bright and Ken "Snakehips" Johnson. In 1940 there was a revival of interest in his career when he worked in a duo with Jimmy Messene in Radio Stars with Two Guitars on the London stage. It was his last venture before his death in April 1941. The partnership was uneasy. Messene had a drinking problem. When he showed up for work, he was occasionally unable to perform. Bowlly recorded his last song two weeks before his death. It was a duet with Messene on Irving Berlin's satirical song about Hitler, "When That Man is Dead and Gone".
In December 1931, Bowlly married Constance Freda Roberts (died 1967) in St Martin's District, London; the couple separated after a fortnight, and sought a rapid divorce. He remarried in December 1934, to Marjie Fairless; this marriage lasted until his death.
On 16 April 1941, Bowlly and Messene had just given a performance at the Rex Cinema in Oxford Street, High Wycombe, now demolished. Both were offered the opportunity of an overnight stay in the town, but Bowlly opted to take the last train home to his flat at 32 Duke Street, Duke's Court, St James, London. His decision proved to be fateful. He was killed by a Luftwaffe parachute mine that detonated outside his flat at ten past three in the morning.
His body appeared unmarked: although the massive explosion had not disfigured him, it had blown his bedroom door off its hinges and the impact against his head proved fatal. He was buried with other bombing victims in a mass grave at what is today known as Hanwell Cemetery, Uxbridge Road, Hanwell, where his name is given as Albert Alex Bowlly.
Bowlly is sometimes credited with inventing crooning or "The Modern Singing Style", releasing a book of the same name. He experimented with new methods of amplification, not least with his Melody Maker advert, showing him endorsing a portable vocal megaphone. With the advent of the microphone in 1931, he adapted his singing style, moving away from the Jazz singing style of the 20s, into the softer, more expressive crooning singing style used in popular music of the 1930s and 1940s.
A Blue Plaque commemorating Bowlly was installed, in November 2013, by English Heritage at Charing Cross Mansion, 26 Charing Cross Road, described as "his home at the pinnacle of his career".
In the late 1980's, the BBC used his song 'Sweet and Lovely' as the theme tune to 'First of the Summer Wine' - the prequel to long-running comedy 'Last of the Summer Wine'. 'First of the Summer Wine' ran for two seasons of six episodes plus a pilot and, like the main series, was written by Roy Clarke.
The song "Guilty" was used by the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2000, playing over the end credits instead of the programme's usual title music to signify the final appearance of character Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) who had persuaded her friend Dot Cotton (June Brown) to help her die.
Goodnight Sweetheart
Al Bowlly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Good night sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
Tears and parting may make us forlorn
But with the dawn, a new day is born (so I'll say)
Good night sweetheart, tho' I'm not beside you
Good night sweetheart, still my love will guide you
Dreams enfold you, in each one I'll hold you
Good night sweetheart, good night
Good night sweetheart, till we meet tomorrow
Good night sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
Tears and parting may make us forlorn
But with the dawn, a new day is born
(so I'll say) Good night sweetheart, tho' I'm not beside you
Good night sweetheart, still my love will guide you
Dreams enfold you, in each one I'll hold you
Good night sweetheart, good night
The lyrics to Al Bowlly's song "Goodnight Sweetheart" are a sentimental and romantic goodbye to a loved one. The song expresses a message of hope, reassurance, and lasting love despite physical distance or separation. The singer bids his sweetheart goodnight with the promise that they will meet again tomorrow. The repetition of the phrase "good night sweetheart" gives the impression of a lullaby or a soothing chant that helps to calm the heart and mind.
The lyrics acknowledge that farewell is often accompanied by sadness and tears, but the dawn of a new day represents a fresh start and a chance for joy and renewal. The singer reassures his sweetheart that his love will continue to guide her even though he is not physically present. The imagery of dreams is used to symbolize the connection between the two lovers, emphasizing the idea that they are still together in spirit despite being apart.
Overall, the lyrics to "Goodnight Sweetheart" are poignant and touching, capturing the bittersweet nature of saying goodbye. The song's message of enduring love has resonated with listeners for decades, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Good night sweetheart, till we meet tomorrow
I bid you a good night, knowing that we will meet again tomorrow
Good night sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
I hope that sleep will bring you peace and remove any sadness
Tears and parting may make us forlorn
Even though we may experience tears and sadness due to being apart
But with the dawn, a new day is born
The new day brings a fresh start and renewed hope
(so I'll say) Good night sweetheart, tho' I'm not beside you
Although I am not able to be with you right now, I still wish you a good night
Good night sweetheart, still my love will guide you
Even though we may be physically separated, my love for you will always be present and guiding you
Dreams enfold you, in each one I'll hold you
May your dreams surround you and in each dream, I will be holding you
Good night sweetheart, good night
Once again, I wish you a good night
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, TuneCore Inc., Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Campbell, Ray Noble, Reg Connelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
oat_ cake
Goodnight Sweetheart, all my prayers are for you
Goodnight Sweetheart, I'll be watching o'er you
Tears and parting may make us forlorn
But with the dawn a new day is born
So I'll say goodnight Sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
Goodnight Sweetheart, when we meet tomorrow
Dreams enfold you, in them, dear, I'll hold you
Goodnight Sweetheart goodnight.
Goodnight Sweetheart, sleep will banish sorrow
Goodnight Sweetheart, when we meet tomorrow
Dreams enfold you, in them, dear, I'll hold you
Goodnight Sweetheart goodnight.
🌸🌸
gmarxmania
Glad Al's genius finally reached my generation, albeit through unconventional means. Even so, I love his work unironically
Philip Croft
Well I was born, just after AL was tradgically killed. But my mother was a fan, and so I have distant memories of her playing his records on our wind-up Gramophone.
gmarxmania
@Philip Croft lovely story! Sounds like Al is/was very meaningful to you
Paul Herring
This man is in another dimension compared to anyone else. Will there ever be anyone as good as Al Bowlly again?
Philip Croft
If the music is there, someone, hopefully, will step forward with the right voice and ability to interpret it.
Paul Herring
@Philip Croft It's been a while. Al died nearly 82 years ago. What a loss!
moomin151
Al Bowlly. If you love his voice, and music as i do, dont you feel that people who havent heard him are missing out? To be a fan, it lifts you up to a new dimension. His wonderful talent lives on, and i wish i could have thanked him for the lives he has changed. Just adore him.xxx
Benedicto Wilson Porto
All these commentaries are very touching! I really love this song. He was a great performer. I am 60 years now, living in Brazil. Thanks for posting!
Philip Croft
I guess this music, more than any other, appeals to all nations, regardless of language.
Dennis Ballard
Love this song. Al Bowley and Chick henderson are my all time favorites.
Each night before I fall asleep this beautiful old song runs through my head and I think of my dear wife whom I lost October 2016.