Wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year! Good fortune to you all in the Year of the Dog – as it's Friday (and Rock'n'Roll London Day) here's the world's most famous musical dog…
His name is Nipper, he's the emblem of the famous HMV record label and store, and he was painted in 1898 by Liverpool-born painter Francis Barraud. Barraud has a plaque in his honor at 126 Piccadilly…
The story goes that Nipper had been found as a stray in 1884 and was adopted by Barraud’s brother Mark. Barraud noticed how the dog would seem perplexed when the cylender phonograph was played, cocking his head to one side as if trying to ascertain how a human voice could emerge from a machine. Inspiration struck and failure came hot on its heels: the Royal Academy rejected the picture, as did a plethora of magazines.
It wasn’t until Barraud approached The Gramophone Company in 1899 that he was able to sell the piece. Even then, The Gramophone Company insisted that he replace the original cylinder phonograph with one of their own patented models. Thus a classic trademark was born.
Here's a playlist of 10 dog-related songs to get the Chinese New Year celebrations underway…
The Rock'n'Roll London Walk meets at 2pm Tottenham Court Road station (exit 1) every Friday all year round. You can follow the Rock'n'Roll London Walk on Facebook – www.facebook.com/rocknrolllondonwalk.
Here's the trailer…
A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
