Peter Bijou Sherry was a singer, clog and step dancer, acrobat and musician on the professional music hall stage.
Peter Bijou Sherry 9/10/1910-3/1979, the eighth child of James Bernard Sherry and Alice Louise Bradley-Trueman, at the Red Lion Inn, Costock, Nottinghamshire. By the time he was born, his elder brothers and sisters were already established music hall performers and he grew up being taken to the theatre to watch them. Peter, with his younger brother Sam, were taught to dance from a very early age and by the age of four or five he was being trained to do acrbatic work. When a little older he learned the violin and piano. Peter began his performing career on the small stage at the rear of the Red Lion, but soon graduated to the local concert hall.
He left school at 14 and worked in a bakery for a year while waiting for Sam to leave school also. Formed a double act with Sam in 1925, making their first professional appearance at the Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen, where their three older brothers, Dan, Jim and Harry were appearing.
They were so popular that they were immediately engaged to appear regularly at the enormous wage (for those days) of £3 each per week, doubled to £6 after a few weeks because of their success.
Joined with his brothers and sistersin January 1929 to work in “A Sherry Cocktail”, performing a double act with Sam. Eventually, after various twists and turns this became the Five Sherry Brothers and performed in most of the major venues in the UK. Served as a physical training instructor in the RAF during WW2. After the war he initially performed with his two elder brothers, Dan and Jim, but then joined up with Sam again as a double act.
Continued to perform both with Sam and on his own account until 1956 when an injury which had occurred during his wartime service finally caused him to retire to Bembridge, on the Isle of Wight where he ran a small market garden. Died Tenerife, Spain, March 1979.
