Their father Arthur was a plasterer, but their mother Emily Smiles (performing under her maiden name) was a contralto singer who belonged to the Moody-Manners Opera Company.
At the North of England Music Festival in 1921, with composer Ralph Vaughan Williams as adjudicator, Bob was winner of the Boys' Solo class; in 1924, three years later, Alf also won the prize.
When his voice broke, he began to sing with a St Gabriel's Church group, the Blue Boys, whilst Bob was training to be a classical pianist.
[7][9] Realising that he couldn't play on the pianos in church halls, Bob suggested they sing duets, finishing with Negro spirituals such as "I Got a Robe", "Tis You O Lawdy" and "Standing in the Need of Prayer".
[7] In 1928, when their father Arthur got a contract for a new house-building development at Tolworth on the Kingston bypass, the family moved to Surrey, and the brothers performed on stage in music halls.
Their recording manager asked them to copy the style of two Americans, but the brothers said it was "too simple" for their tastes, as it featured singing in thirds for the whole duration.
[3] Instead, the Pearsons were signed up by Piccadilly to make records; these were played on BBC Radio by Christopher Stone, who had become Britain's first disc jockey in 1927.
[11] Following the Columbia competition, music publisher Bert Feldman heard Bob and Alf singing and came up with a publicity stunt.
[8] Despite their initial setback with Columbia, the brothers had also started a prolific recording career, with regular releases during the early 1930s on Broadcast, Imperial and Rex.
[13] These labels also issued records by British dance bands such as Harry Bidgood, Jack Payne and Jay Wilbur, which featured the duo singing a (usually uncredited) vocal refrain; occasionally, however, Bob or Alf would appear on the disc as a solo vocalist.
[4][15] The Pearsons recorded several songs in the 1930s which would prove durable when revived by other artists in later decades: "Walkin' My Baby Back Home", a hit for Johnnie Ray in 1952, "You're Driving Me Crazy", a number 1 for The Temperance Seven in 1961 and "Tears", which topped the charts for Ken Dodd in 1965.
[16] During World War II, they formed a concert troupe with ENSA, performing at army bases and singing for troops across Europe and Africa.
They appeared on variety shows such as Seaside Nights (on the BBC Home Service), Second House, Round The Halls, Music-Hall and had guest spots on The Happidrome.
That Christmas, whilst appearing at the Glasgow Empire, the duo heard from comedian Ted Ray, informing the brothers that he had specified their names when asked who he wanted for his radio show.
"[1] In October 1985, the brothers sang a medley of World War II songs on the television series Highway, hosted by Harry Secombe.
[9] Bob died in his home town of Sunderland ten weeks later, aged 78, bringing the curtain down on their act after more than 50 years.
[28] Continuing his association with the Grand Order of Water Rats, he raised £900 by donating two of his art works for auction; he had begun painting as a hobby in the early 1980s.
The collection was co-ordinated by skiffle musician and fellow Water Rat Chas McDevitt, who also wrote the sleeve notes, and, at the age of 91, Alf's voice could be heard linking the tracks.
[29][9] In 2007, after 30 years living on his own in Surbiton, Alf moved into Brinsworth House in Twickenham, the retirement home for showbusiness professionals in south-west London.
[3] Aside from their numerous 78rpm singles, there have been three albums collecting recordings by Bob and Alf Pearson – all titled My Brother and I after the opening of their Ray's a Laugh signature tune.