Billy Merson (born William Henry Thompson; 29 March 1879 – 25 June 1947)[1] was an English music hall performer, comedian and songwriter.

[2] Under the name Billy Merson, he made his solo West End debut in 1909, and thereafter featured in a range of revues, pantomimes, and other variety engagements.

[2] He wrote songs and sold some of his compositions to other performers, including Wilkie Bard and Harry Ford, before finding success with a song that he performed himself in pantomime, "The Spaniard That Blighted My Life", sung in a pseudo-operatic style.

Merson took Jolson to court over performing the song without authorisation; he lost on a technicality, and the costs of the legal action left him bankrupt.

[6] He performed in revues, including Hullo America in 1918 with Elsie Janis and also featuring the London debut of Maurice Chevalier, who later wrote of Merson that he "was not only very funny, but he was fast on his feet as well and had a good baritone voice...