City Readers Digital Historic Collections at the New York Society Library

Charles Dibdin (before 4 March 1745 – 25 July 1814) was a British musician, songwriter, dramatist, novelist and actor. With over 600 songs to his name, for many of which he wrote both the lyrics and the music and performed them himself, he was in his time the most prolific English singer-songwriter. He is best known as the composer of the song "Tom Bowling", which often features at the Last Night of the Proms.