Pish Tush in The Mikado (1917); sang Luiz, Francesco and parts of Marco in The Gondoliers (1919), and Leonard Meryll and the First Yeoman in The Yeomen of the Guard (1920). He sang the Duke of Dunstable in Patience (1921). In 1918 he sang Silas Simkins in HMV's complete recording of Merrie England by Edward German. In the acoustic recording era it was accepted practice for recordings to be made by "studio singers" (in this case provided by HMV) rather than by the singers who would have performed the same roles in stage productions. By 1922 Carte was insisting that his company's own singers be allowed to perform in the recordings, a move that prevented Pike and several others from singing further solo parts. In Iolanthe (1922), Pike was relegated to the chorus. After this he did not participate in any further recordings of G&S operas made by HMV. Popular recordings Pike is probably best remembered for his prolific output of the popular songs of his day. He became well known for his recordings of First World War songs, for example the American song "There's a Long Long Trail" in 1916 and "Take me Back to Dear Old Blighty" (as Eric Courtland) in a duet with George Baker (as Walter Jeffries) in 1917; he also made one of the earliest recordings of the famous ballad "Roses of Picardy" in 1918 shortly after it had been written. He collaborated with other well-known artists, for example with Peter Dawson in Dawson's recording of "The Lost Chord" made in 1907 and with Stanley Kirkby in "When You Wore a Tulip" in 1916 (as Cobbett and Walker) and "She Sells Sea Shells on the Seashore" in 1908 (as Herbert Payne with Fred Cooper). Occasionally he would form part of a backing group or chorus in the recording studio known as "The Minster Singers" along with some or all of the following: Stanley Kirkby, Eleanor Jones-Hudson, Peter Dawson and Thorpe Bates; sometimes there were additional singers in this group. The Minster Singers also recorded songs in its own right, for example "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" in 1906. Below is a selection of some of Pike's solo songs which typify the popular repertoire that he recorded for HMV. The year of recording and any pseudonyms used are also given: "Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes", 1904 "When the Sunset Turns the Ocean's