Maloney the Rolling Mill Man

DESCRIPTION: His cousin sings the praises of Daniel Maloney, a good friend and church-goer. Those that object to his beer drinking should mind their own business. He would make a fine mayor.
AUTHOR: J. W. Kelly (John Walter Shields (1857-1896) (see Notes)
EARLIEST DATE: before 1887 (see Notes)
KEYWORDS: virtue drink nonballad political religious husband wife worker
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW)
RECORDINGS:
Mick Moloney, "Maloney the Rolling Mill Man" (on MoloneyCrownFarFromShamrockShore, MoloneyShenachieFarFromShamrockShore)
NOTES [400 words]: Mick Moloney, "Maloney the Rolling Mill Man" (on MoloneyCrownFarFromShamrockShore, MoloneyShenachieFarFromShamrockShore)
NOTES: J. W. Kelly's obituary, June 27, 1896, begins, "J. W. Kelly, the 'Rolling Mill Man,' than whom there was no one more prominent or more generally liked among his associates on the vaudevill stage, is dead. ...In 1876 ... he resolved ... to become a professional [entertainer], so he went into partnership with 'Lou' Hawkins, since well known as a negro minstrel entertainer ... This continued three years, when Mr. Kelly decided to become independent of all partnerships, and ... he soon became noted as an Irish comedian of note all through the West. It was while he was at the Park Theatre, in Chicago that he became knon as the 'Rolling Mill Man,' because of a song he wrote with the title. Every Saturday night the iron workers from about Chicago were in the habit of visiting the Park Theatre, and no matter what else was on the bill, Mr. Kelly was obliged by them to sing the 'Rolling Mill Man'" (New York Herald, June 27, 1896, p. 7, "J.W. Kelly is Dead.") A brief biography notes, "Kelly entered the workforce as a telegraphic key operator for the Western Union Company.... Unstisfied with his work, Kelly gave up his job and left his family to travel western Pennsylvania as an apprentice tinsmith. Eventually he ended up as a steelworker in the mills around Pittsburgh, Gary, Indiana and Chicago. He capitalized on the experience when he entered vaudeville as "Rolling Mill Kelly." (Frank Cullen with Florence Hackman and Donald McNeilly, Vaudeville Old & New (New York: Routledge, 2007), pp. 624-625, "J.W. Kelly"). A partial ad for May 10, 1886, probably for the Olympic Theatre in Chicago, has "J.W. Kelly, The original and only 'Rolling Hill Man." (The ad has George Castle as Manager. Castle managed the Olympic Theatre in 1884 (Douglas Gomery, "Vaudeville" at Encyclopedia of Chicago @ http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1299.html).
You can see the partial ad @ https://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html. Search for "original and only rolling mill man"; scan down to 40% "Midwest Theatre Programs 1870-1940 1610105.pdf"." There is a more direct URL but it is very long. I use that year as the end span for earliestdate. - BS
I've seen it suggested that J. W. Kelly wrote the well-known song "The Homestead Strike," but I have no proof. - RBW
Last updated in version 7.1
File: RcMtRMM

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