Born in London, Hurley began a boxing career, during which he would perform a song entitled "The Strongest Man on Earth" after his fights.

He started performing in London music halls, and became known to his audiences as a "coster" singer, similar to Gus Elen and Albert Chevalier.

[3] After appearing briefly in a double act with his brother, Hurley started work as a tea packer at London's docklands and began to exercise excessively in his spare time.

During his time as a boxer, he would regularly perform the song "The Strongest Man on Earth" by Edward Roden and F. F. Venton after fights.

He found his niche as a "coster" singer and entertainer, and was likened to Albert Chevalier,[1] though Hurley performed "with more realism and less histrionics",[3] and "eschewed all the raucousness of the music hall".

[12] Furious, Hurley initiated divorce proceedings, the strain of which caused him to drink heavily, which signalled the end of his theatrical career.