John Goss (3)

John Goss (10 May 1894 – 13 February 1953) was a baritone recital singer and teacher. He was a key figure in 1920s English musical life, befriending composers such as Rebecca Clarke, Frederick Delius, Bernard van Dieren, E J Moeran and Peter Warlock. He became well known for his concerts mixing classical lieder and English art song with what he called "sociable songs" - folk song, popular drinking songs, army songs and sea shanties. He moved to Canada in 1939. While attending a peace conference in New York in 1949, Goss was evicted from America due to his Communist sympathies and sent back to Canada. The negative publicity proved to be a barrier to future employment there, so he returned to England in 1950 to live in Edgbaston, Birmingham. He died in Birmingham only three years after his return, aged 58.