John McCormack (1884-1945)

John McCormack was an internationally renowned Irish tenor. McCormack produced hundreds of recordings at the dawn of the recording industry and successfully toured the world.

McCormack was born in Athlone, Ireland on June 14, 1884. By the age of thirteen he was singing classical arias and in 1903 he won first prize in the tenor competition in the National Festival of Ireland. He then recorded some cylinder recordings of Irish songs and used the money from the sales of these to go to Italy to study with the great music teacher Vincenzo Sabatini. He made his first trip to America in 1904 when he and his soon-to-be wife were hired to perform at the St. Louis World Fair in the Irish village.

In 1906 he had his Italian operatic debut in Savona and later that year sang in Ireland in the production of Faust. In 1907 he was the youngest singer to sing a leading role at Covent Garden in London. In 1909 he made his American debut at the Manhattan Opera House and received a rapturous reception. The Metropolitan Opera House soon signed him for the following year and he soon was a major star in America.

McCormack continued his operatic career for the next eight years with successful tours of all the top opera houses in the world. These tours took him to Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, South America, China, Japan, Canada and the U.S. He was certainly one of the best operatic tenors of the twentieth century. Although a great singer he was never comfortable with the acting side of his profession.

Around 1914 he started to do many recitals and by 1918 it was his preferred method of perfomance over opera. His recitals included many Irish songs in one half and the other half with opera or classical material. By this time he was the top selling recording artist in America. His royalties on records alone topped over $300,000. His most famous recording was 'Il mio tesoro' recorded in 1917 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

He soon fell in love with America and he became a citizen in 1917. During the first World War McCormack raised over a million dollars for war charities. He was awarded the American Legion of honor for his efforts during the war and his recording of the 'Star Spangled Banner' was the fastest selling record ever recorded by Victor Records. For a few years around this time McCormack is selling more records than any other performer in the States, even Caruso.

In 1922 he suffered a serious throat infection and almost dies on Good Friday. In October he makes his return performance. Although he is still a great singer it is clear that his volume has been diminished. In his only film as the lead McCormack is paid a half-million dollars to star in Song O' My Heart in 1929. Film exposes McCormack's lack of acting talent and he only appears in one other film as himself.

According to Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories; 1890-1954, The History of American Popular Music McCormack had 73 charted hits with 8 of them reaching the #1 spot. These included "Mother Machree," and "It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary." Only five of the seventy-three charted hits did not make the top ten. Other Irish songs of his that made the top ten include "Killarney," "Come Back to Erin," and eight others.

A deeply religious man McCormack was made a count by the Catholic Church and sang many concerts for Catholic charities worldwide. He was also respected as a great art collector and his homes in America and Ireland were a gathering place for all the great performers, artists and politicians of his day. In 1939 he moved back to Ireland and in 1945 he died peacefully in his home in Dublin.

The Ward Irish Music Archives has one of the largest John McCormack record collections in the world.