Jethro

Geoffrey McIntyre Rowe (8 March 1948 – 14 December 2021), known by his stage name Jethro, was a Cornish stand-up comedian and singer. Early life Rowe was born in St Buryan, Cornwall, on 8 March 1948, the son of a farmer. After leaving school, he apprenticed as a carpenter and worked in the Levant tin mine. His father, Hugh, founded the St Buryan Male Voice Choir, and Jethro made his first stage appearances with the St Just District Operatic Society in St Just as a bass singer. Career Rowe started touring pubs and clubs in Cornwall, singing traditional songs. One night, he ran out of voice and could not sing any more, so he told a joke instead. It was well received, and so he began developing his comedy act. His gags included misogyny, bodily functions, and jokes about genitalia, which always went down well in the working men's clubs and stag parties. This changed little when he started theatre tours, with fellow comedian Dawn French describing him as "gloriously un-PC". From 1967 he also played rugby as a prop forward in over 100 matches for Penzance & Newlyn RFC, a team that later became the Cornish Pirates. It was here that Geoff Rowe acquired the name "Jethro", influenced by the character of Jethro Bodine in the American television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.