Albert Campbell

Albert Campbell

Source: Dave Whitaker

Born on 17 August 1872 in Brooklyn, Albert Campbell was a member of the vaudeville team, the Diamond Comedy Four, with Steve Porter, Jim Reynard and Billy Jones. His first cylinder recordings may have been with that troupe, also the Diamond Four (Quartette), in 1897 upon the formation of the brief-existing Universal Phonograph Company early that year by Joseph Stern and Edward Marks. Among first tracks were 'Imitation Medley' and 'Cornfield Medley' on unidentified recording dates.

Campbell's initial flat disc recordings with Berliner were also in 1897. DAHR has the Diamond Four recording possibly as early as June. It lists a first certain date as of October 7 in New York City for 'Down Yonder in the Cornfield' (#869), 'My Old Kentucky Home' (#861), 'Sally in Our Alley' (#875) and 'Sweetest Story Ever Told' (#893). Advertisements in 'The Phonoscope' have Campbell recording for Universal Phonograph w the George Rosy Orchestra in latter 1898 and early 1899.

'Down Yonder in the Cornfield'   The Diamond Four

Recorded 7 Oct 1897   Take W   Berliner 869

Campbell was an original member of the Columbia Male Quartet(te), its alternate version being the Columbia Quartet(te). Probably formed the same year as the Edison Quartet in 1896, the CQ was the EQ's main rival in cylinder recording. The EQ would gave rise to the Haydn Quartet which was the main rival of the Peerless Quartet which the CQ would become. Due to the difficulty of distinguishing the Columbia from the Peerless, the former sometimes gets lumped as the latter. Though the Peerless much later recorded on cylinder for Indestructible, Edison and U.S. Everlasting, cylinder recordings prior to the 20th century were the CQ, not the Peerless, such as 'Honey, You'se My Lady Love' scratched sometime between 1897 (perhaps '96) and the turn of the century. The Columbia Quartet recorded anonymously as well, not named on some releases, credited something simple like "quartet" or "vocal quartette" instead.

Campbell had become a well-known solo artist while with the Columbia Quartet prior to the Peerless. MusikTitelDB begins its list of Campbell solo titles on cylinder for Edison w a session on Oct 15 1899 for 'For All Eternity' (Edison 7296). 'If You Were Only Mine' (Edison 7352) charted at #3 in Jan of 1900. 'Mandy Lee' (Edison 7297) rose #2 the same month. 'Ma Blushin' Rosie' (Berliner Gram-o-Phone 219) followed at #1 in December (Victor A-219 in DAHR). Several more Top Ten titles followed to 1908 before Campbell focused wholly on the Peerless Quartet. One of those, 'Love Me and the World Is Mine' (Victor 4823), topped the chart at #1 in October of 1906.

'Rock of Ages'   Albert Campbell

Recorded sometime before Oct 1898   Berliner 917

Music: Thomas Hastings   Text: Augustus Toplady

'Bred in Old Kentucky'   Albert Campbell

Recorded 22 March 1899   Berliner 019

Music: Stanley Carter   Text: Harry Braisted

The Columbia Quartet also recorded as the Climax Quartette in 1901-02 for the Climax flat disc label which preceded Columbia's launch from cylinders to shellac. Columbia's Climax corresponds to Victor's Monarch label of the same initial period. Columbia was Edison Records' main competition until it abandoned the cylinder recording altogether in 1909, henceforth to record fresh artists only on 78 rpm shellac. By the time Edison Records entered the flat disc market with its proprietary Diamond Discs in 1912 it was too late to compete well with the big dogs that were Columbia, Victor (merging with Berliner in 1901) and Brunswick by that time. Though discs were clearly favored to cylinders by then, Edison Records persistently resisted the trend, continuing to produce them for the brand-faithful until the last in 1929. The Edison operation had become such a behemoth that it took a generation for competing companies of no small means to put it out of business.

'My Louisiana Lou'   Climax Quartette

Recorded c 1901-Sep 1902   Climax 448

Composition: Leslie Stuart

Music VF has the CQ charting (as the Peerless Quartet which the CQ would become) at #1 in Nov of 1904 w 'Sweet Adeline' (Columbia cylinder 32584). Personnel on that are thought to have been Campbell with tenors, Steve Porter, Henry Burr and Tom Daniels, the latter replaced by Frank C. Stanley in 1906. Porter would be replaced by Albert Collins in 1909. Stanley would be replaced upon his death of pleurisy in 1910 by John H. Meyer.

'You're the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline'   Columbia Quartette

Columbia cylinder 32584   #1 Nov 1904

Music: Harry Armstrong   Text: Richard Husch Gerard

As the Columbia Quartette was generic to Columbia, the Peerless Quartet was founded to broaden the group's possibilities. Columbia handled the PQ as well, led by Stanley until his death in 1910 to be succeeded by Burr. Left to my own auspices, I've not been able to determine just when the Columbia began to use the Peerless name, and have found nothing issued by the Peerless clearly distinguishing them from the CQ until 1906 (the year Frank Stanley replaced Tom Daniels). The PQ in particular was a super group that consistently charted in the Top Ten on above ninety releases to as late as 1926. Four of their titles topped the charts at #1 from 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' (Nov 1911) and 'The Lights of My Home Town' (March 1916) to 'Over There' (Oct 1017) and 'I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way' (Jan 1918). With vocal harmony around like the Columbia and Peerless Quartets, one can say that the popular genre in the United States was largely wrought of the barbershop quartet. The Peerless also recorded as the Invincible Four with Byron Harlan as second tenor and the Sterling Trio minus baritone.

'Dreaming'   Albert Campbell   #4 Oct 1907

Columbia disc 3701   #4 Oct 1907

Composition: L.W. Heiser / J. Anton Dailey

'Let Me Call You Sweetheart'  Peerless Quartet   Lead: Henry Burr

Recorded 28 July 1911   Columbia 1057   #1 Nov 1911

Composition: Leo Friedman / Beth Slater Whitson

Between 1911 and 1925 Campbell and Henry Burr proved a lucrative recording super duo, issuing above forty Top Ten titles from 'On Mobile Bay' in April 1911 at #3 to 'I'm Sitting Pretty in a Pretty Little City' at #6 in Feb 1925, that followed by 'At the End of the Road' at #11 in April '25. Five of their duets topped the charts at #1: 'When I Was Twenty-One and You Were Sweet Sixteen' (May 1912), 'Close to My Heart' (Sep 1915), 'Lookout Mountain' (July 1917), 'Till We Meet Again' (Feb 1919) and 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' (May 1919).

'When I Was Twenty-One'  Albert Campbell w Henry Burr

Recorded 30 Jan 1912 in NYC   Columbia 1138   #1 May 1912

Music: Egbert Van Alstyne   Text: Harry Williams

'Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay'  Albert Campbell w Henry Burr

Recorded 9 July 1913 in NYC   Columbia 1378   #2 Nov 1913

Music: George Botsford   Text: Jean Havez

'I'm on My Way to Mandalay'  Albert Campbell w Henry Burr & Will Oakland

Recorded 18 Nov 1913 in Camden NJ  Victor 17503   #1 Feb 1914

Music: Fred Fisher   Text: Alfred Bryan

'1915 San Francisco'  Albert Campbell w Henry Burr

Recorded 27 Oct 1914 in NYC   Columbia A-1623

Composition: S. Jacoby / P.I. Jacoby

'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles'  Albert Campbell w Henry Burr

Recorded 22 Jan 1919 in NYC   Columbia A-2701   #1 May 1919

Composition: John Kellette / Jaan Kenbrovin   1918

On 10 February 1925 Columbia made the first electric (versus acoustic) recording which was Helen Clark performing a piece by Josef Pasternack at piano, though that wasn't issued. That was followed on the 11th with a duet by Olive Kline and Elsie Baker, also unreleased. On 26 February of 1925 Campbell participated in the first electrical recordings to see issue together with Henry Burr and Billy Murray. This was 'A Miniature Concert' consisting of several titles issued in June on Victor 35753. The first electrical recordings issued went down later on March 16 and 20, released in April on Victor 19626. Those were 'Joan of Arkansas' by the Mask and Wig Glee Chorus and 'Buenos Aires' by the International Novelty Orchestra. On 21 March classical pianist, Alfred Cortot, also recorded electronic titles to issue for Victor.

'A Miniature Concert' including 'Sweet Genevieve' by Campbell and Burr

Victor 35753 recorded 26 Feb 1925 in Camden NJ   Matrices CVE-31874 / CVE-31875

First electrical recordings to see commercial issue   June 1925

'Joan of Arkansas' by the Mask and Wig Glee Chorus   (not Campbell)

Victor 19626-A recorded 16 March 1925   Matrix BVE-32160

Side A of first electrical recording issued   April 1925

'Buenos-Aires' by the International Novelty Orchestra   (not Campbell)

Victor 19626-B recorded 20 March 1925   Matrix BVE-32170

Side B of first electrical recording issued   April 1925

Upon the disbanding of the Peerless Quartet in 1925 (Burr continuing with new members until 1928), Campbell issued several duets w Jack Kaufman in 1926 and 1927 [DAHR, Discogs]. Just as electronic recording began Campbell returned to his career on the vaudeville circuit. Albeit considerably more famous than when he first stepped on stage three decades earlier as a young man, tastes were changing and vaudeville on the wane. Campbell then busied himself as a booking agent in New York City for several years before his death in New York on 25 January 1947.