# The Two Bobs

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{{Short description|American vaudeville duo}}
{{confused|The Bobs (disambiguation){{!}}The Bobs|ReBoot: My Two Bobs{{!}}My Two Bobs}}
{{About|the Vaudeville duo|similarly named topics|2 Bob (disambiguation){{!}}2 Bob}}
'''The Two Bobs''' were an American [vaudeville](/source/vaudeville) duo who performed successfully in British [music hall](/source/music_hall)s, and recorded, in the early twentieth century.  They were '''Robert Lee Alden''' (1876–1932) and '''Robert Joseph Adams''' (1874–1948).

==Biography==
Bob Adams and Bob Alden met and joined forces when they were both performing in shows in [Chicago](/source/Chicago).  They wrote and sang songs such as "My Girl in Dixie" and "You've Met All Comers But You've Just Met Me", and performed together on stage in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) in the late 1890s before touring on the vaudeville circuit around the United States.   After a journalist misinterpreted a passing comment as meaning that they were about to travel to England, and published it as fact, they decided to do that, and found work at [Charles Morton](/source/Charles_Morton_(impresario))'s [Tivoli Theatre](/source/Tivoli_Theatre_of_Varieties) in London.<ref name=adelaide>[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5424732  "Real Life Romance: Story of "The Two Bobs"", ''The Advertiser, Adelaide'', 18 April 1914, p.19]</ref>

They became successful in London as singers and comic entertainers, and toured in Britain and, in 1914, Australia.<ref name=adelaide/>  From 1912, the Two Bobs recorded in Britain for the [Columbia Phonograph Company](/source/Columbia_Phonograph_Company), and introduced such American songs as "[Alexander's Ragtime Band](/source/Alexander's_Ragtime_Band)", "[Casey Jones](/source/The_Ballad_of_Casey_Jones)", and "[Waiting for the Robert E. Lee](/source/Waiting_for_the_Robert_E._Lee)".<ref>[https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1292473/alexanders-ragtime-band-sheet-music-berlin-irving/ "Alexander's Ragtime Band", ''V&A'']. Retrieved 25 November 2020</ref>  From 1916, they recorded for [Edison Bell](/source/Edison_Bell)'s ['The Winner'](/source/The_Winner_Records) label.  They wrote many of their own songs, and increasingly focused on [novelty song](/source/novelty_song)s.  They also wrote with English songwriters [Bert Lee](/source/Bert_Lee) and [R. P. Weston](/source/R._P._Weston), and found success with "When [Paderewski](/source/Paderewski) Plays" (1916)<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/635963457  "When Paderewski plays", ''Worldcat.org'']. Retrieved 25 November 2020</ref> and with "[Paddy McGinty's Goat](/source/Paddy_McGinty's_Goat)", a song which they recorded and which was popularised in the 1960s by singer [Val Doonican](/source/Val_Doonican).<ref>[https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1295175/paddy-mcgintys-goat-sheet-music-weston-rp/ "Paddy McGinty's Goat", ''Victoria and Albert Museum'']. Retrieved 25 November 2020</ref><ref>[https://www.musichallcds.co.uk/cdr34_page.htm  "The Two Bobs", ''MusicHall CDs'']. Retrieved 25 November 2020</ref>
 
Adams married the French-born violinist and entertainer [Odette Myrtil](/source/Odette_Myrtil) in 1917, and returned to the U.S.; they later divorced.  After he returned to England, he ran a club in [Maidenhead](/source/Maidenhead), [Berkshire](/source/Berkshire).  
Alden and Adams continued to perform together in England until at least 1927.<ref>[https://idnc.library.illinois.edu/?a=d&d=VVN19270625.2.28&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN---------  "On the Fourth", ''Vaudeville News'', 25 June 1927]</ref>   

Alden died in London in 1932, aged 55.  Adams died in 1948, aged 74.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=g_UDAAAAMBAJ&dq=adams+alden+entertainers+%22two+bobs%22&pg=PA47  "The Final Curtain", ''Billboard'', March 13, 1948, p.47]</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{discogs artist|2253338}}
* {{findagrave|90809130|Robert Lee Alden}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:The Two Bobs}}
Category:American comedy duos
Category:American music hall performers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [The Two Bobs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Bobs) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Bobs?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.