Harry Tate (1872-1940), born Ronald McDonald Hutchison, assumed his stage name from the company Henry Tate & Sons, Sugar Refiners, for whom he worked before becoming a professional performer. He first appeared under it at the Oxford Music Hall on 13 April 1895 when his early act consisted of sketches in which he mimicked music-hall stars of the day, using clip-on paper costumes to allow as many as forty-two changes in one act. He went on to develop various sketches based on middle-class leisure pursuits such as fishing, golfing and gardening which he performed with a small company.

Motoring,Tate's first great success, became hugely popular for his company in the music halls. The sketch is about a father, an idiotic son in his Eton suit, and a chauffeur attempting to take the son back to school in a car that won’t start. The son sat in the back of the car making inane comments such as ‘It’s amazing, pa-pa’, and ‘Goodbye-eee’. 'Goodbye-eee' became Tate’s best-known catchphrase and the inspiration for the popular World War I song.