Biography of john charles thomas

American opera singer

For the former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, see John Charles Thomas (judge).

Musical artist

John Charles Thomas (September 6, 1891 – December 13, 1960) was an American opera, operetta and concert baritone.

Biography

John Charles Thomas was born on September 6, 1891, in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania.^[1] He was the son of a Methodist minister of Welsh descent while his mother, of German immigrant stock, had been an amateur singer.

After studying initially for a medical career, Thomas won a scholarship to the Peabody Institute in Baltimore in 1910. He remained there for two years, receiving vocal tuition from Adelin Fermin.

In 1912, Thomas left the Peabody and toured briefly with a musical troupe.

He then went to live in Manhattan, New York City, where he performed with a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta company before being contracted by the Shubert brothers to perform in the show The Peasant Girl