Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-02-27 | Page 7 | Crooks Began Singer Career at Nine Years

Crooks Began Singer Career At Nine Years -Richard-C s aa k A-Meuweeiltan opera tenor, who appears here next Friday at the tabernacle, at 8:15 p. m, began his career as a boy soprano soloist at tha ags of nine. Toung Richard waa not born with a ailver spoon in hia mouth. Hia mother was his first teacher. Every step of hla way to tha top of tha ladder has been achieved by dint of application and hard work. His first eb was painting gas tanks for a Trenton, N. J, gas company. com-pany. By sitting perched at the top of an sO-f oot ladder and painting tha top aectiona, Richard Crooka made "time and a half" and netted $10 a week. His next job was loading load-ing Ice wagons at 30 cents an hour. For this work he bad to present himself at 1 a. m. When he went to New York, he ahared a IS a week room with five other lads, who slept in relays to reduce expenses. Many a meal, he sacrificed so that hs could buy standing room at ths Metropolitan Opera House to hear Caruso sing. Offered a flO.000 loan to go to Europe, he refused. At the age of 21, he married and settled down to housekeeping on 110 a week expense ex-pense money. When he and his wife had saved $1000, they shoved off to Europe, where the young tenor won fame In the great opera houses of the continent Final preparations ars being made for tha Friday evening concert con-cert The 300 men making up tha Associated Glee Clubs of Utah will gather at the tabernacle at 3:10 p. m. Sunday for a final rehearsal. Four clubs The Orpheus club and the Gustav Adolf Male chorus of Utah, the Mendelssohn Chorus of Provo and ths Ogdsn Mais Singers are sponsoring the concert