GERT AND DAISY WRITE A LETTER
(Waters)
COLUMBIA DX577 recorded 24 March 1934
GERT, DAISY AND THE BLACKOUT
(Waters)
DECCA F7281 recorded 16 October 1939
Elsie and Doris Waters started in a small way as a sister act doing quietly amusing songs in concert party and Masonics: they made a few records along these lines. One day they realized that they had to make a record the next day and hadn't planned a second side: they created a couple of Cockney women Gert and Daisy, in a dialogue with a few gags (click here for a brief clip of Elsie Waters talking about this).

They recorded it and didn't think any more about it until the record became a surprise success and they were asked to do Gert and Daisy everywhere they went. They rapidly became popular in music-hall and on radio, and kept the characters going for the rest of their careers.

In a period when most comics presented exaggerated characterizations they were remarkable for playing the characters naturally and keeping the comedy within the bounds of realism - something almost no-one else did until the development of situation comedies such as Hancock's Half Hour in the 1950s. Their records give a good idea of their relaxed style, and I've chosen two typical ones.

You can hear some more Gert and Daisy here and here.
(Mouse over the details for notes on each record)