Danny Malone

Danny Malone was the professional name of John York Millar Johnston, an Irish tenor born on 15 July 1909 in Ballyclare, near Belfast, County Antrim, to William Henry and Isabella Johnston. One of eight children raised in poverty, he left school early to sell newspapers for three years in order to help support his family. He later worked at the Belfast shipyards before leaving due to poor conditions and traveling throughout Ireland in search of employment.

Unable to find steady work, Malone secured a position as a deck boy on a ship bound for Australia, earning a shilling a month. After disembarking in Sydney, he traveled through the eastern states, busking in remote towns when his money ran out. During this period he slept outdoors, learned to jump trains, and took on a range of jobs including boundary rider, roustabout, rabbiter, and cane cutter. Homesick, he eventually found passage home on a Swedish steamer.

In November 1932, Malone left for London hoping his fortunes would improve, but he again found himself without work or shelter, sleeping rough and singing outside pubs to earn money. A visit to the London office of Australian songwriter and music publisher Basil Charles-Dean proved to be the turning point in his life. When Charles-Dean played extracts from Irish songs on the piano, Malone sang along, and Charles-Dean was sufficiently impressed to contact Martin Webster at the BBC and arrange an audition. Though Malone fainted from hunger following the audition, his performance secured him a booking for the following day on a program that also featured Gertrude Lawrence and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The rapid rise in his profile earned him the nickname "Fame in a Night Tenor," and his voice drew comparisons to fellow Irish tenor John McCormack.

Malone went on to complete approximately 500 broadcasts with the BBC Empire Service, including a special St. Patrick's Day performance. He recorded for His Master's Voice, Decca, and Columbia, building a catalogue that included "Danny Boy," "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," "Somewhere a Voice is Calling," "Silver Threads Among the Gold," "Mother Machree," and "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms." Charles-Dean also composed a song specifically for him titled "Though There's Millions Around (I'm Alone)." Malone toured extensively throughout England, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, and performed on the NBC Radio Network for four and a half months in 1937 ahead of his American tour. It was during this period, in 1934, that he appeared on Broadway in the play Church Street.

In 1934, Malone married Hazel Emily Knight from Chiswick, London. The couple had a son together, but Knight divorced Malone in 1943 on the grounds of adultery committed during their 1937 Australian tour. Malone subsequently married Blanche Huxley, known as Jean, from the Queensland gold mining town of Charters Towers, in Southend-on-Sea in 1938.

Following a successful season at the London Palladium, Malone returned to Australia in 1939, appearing at the Prince Edward Theatre in Sydney alongside the ABC's New Note Octette under the direction of Albert Fisher. His career slowed during the 1940s, in part because he was conscripted in 1942 to work as a bevin boy in the underground coal mines of Doncaster for two years during World War II. He also appeared in several films, including Rose of Tralee, Stepping Toes, and the 1948 production Bonnie Prince Charlie, which starred David Niven.

In the late 1940s, Malone was living in Brisbane with no work and no money, and in a 1951 interview he acknowledged having battled alcoholism during this period. He credited the Salvation Army with helping him recover, stating that he had followed their brass band back to their temple and immediately converted. He became involved with the Theatre Royal in Brisbane, appearing in productions including the musical comedy Stars and Stripes and the burlesque ballet Swan Song, and performed in regional Queensland cities to receptive audiences. A review in Rockhampton's Morning Bulletin following his appearance at the Rockhampton School of Arts on 21 June 1951 noted his powerful voice, beautiful delivery, and technique.

In July 1951, Malone headlined a vaudeville tour of regional Queensland, performing in Townsville, Charters Towers, Cloncurry, Bowen, and Mackay. His final performance took place on 15 August 1951 at the Olympic Theatre in Mackay. Traveling by train toward Gladstone for a scheduled engagement, Malone collapsed and died on 21 August 1951 between the stations of Marmor and Raglan. His body was removed at Raglan and taken to Rockhampton, where a post-mortem conducted by Norman Talbot determined the cause of death to be cardiac arrest due to hypertension with hypertrophy of the heart, caused by arteriosclerosis of the kidneys with pyelitis. The Salvation Army conducted his funeral service on 23 August 1951, and he was buried at the North Rockhampton Cemetery. A testimonial show was held in his honor at the Tivoli Theatre in Rockhampton on 26 August 1951. At the time of his death, Malone had been living in Queensland for approximately three years, with his address recorded on his death certificate as Abuklea Street, Newmarket.