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"The irreverent humour that inspired the likes of The Wayne and Shuster Hour and Monty Python was born in the trenches of the First World War, and The Dumbells -- fighting soldiers who entertained at concert parties -- were central to that birth. Soldiers of Song tells their story. Lucky soldiers who could sing a song, perform a skit, or pass as a "lady," were taken from the line and put onstage for the benefit of their soldier-audiences. The intent was to bolster morale and thereby help soldiers survive the war. The Dumbells' popularity was not limited to troop shows along the trenches. The group managed a run in London's West End and became the first Canadian production to score a hit on Broadway. Touring Canada for some twelve years after the war, the Dumbells became a household name and made more than twenty-five audio recordings. If nationhood was won on the crest of Vimy Ridge, it was the Dumbells who provided the country with its earliest soundtrack. Pioneers of sketch comedy, the Dumbells are as important to the history of Canadian theatre as they are to the cultural history of early-twentieth-century Canada."--Back cover.

Popular music --- Revues --- World War, 1914-1918 --- Music, Popular --- Music, Popular (Songs, etc.) --- Pop music --- Popular songs --- Popular vocal music --- Songs, Popular --- Vocal music, Popular --- Music --- Cover versions --- European War, 1914-1918 --- First World War, 1914-1918 --- Great War, 1914-1918 --- World War 1, 1914-1918 --- World War I, 1914-1918 --- World War One, 1914-1918 --- WW I (World War, 1914-1918) --- WWI (World War, 1914-1918) --- History, Modern --- Musical revues --- Musical revues, comedies, etc. --- Musical shows --- Revues (Musical) --- Shows, Musical --- Table entertainments --- Variety shows --- Vaudeville shows --- Dramatic music --- Minstrel music --- History and criticism. --- Music and the war. --- Dumbells (Musical group) --- Canadian soldiers. --- Canadians in first world war. --- Canadians in world war I. --- drag show. --- dumbells. --- entertain the troops. --- military music. --- military skits. --- soldier musicians. --- theatre in First World War. --- theatre in World War I. --- wartime entertainment. --- wartime musicians. --- wartime skits.