S. H. Dudley

S. H. Dudley

Source: Dave Whitaker

Born Samuel Holland Rous on 15 January 1864 in Greencastle, Indiana, baritone, S. H. Dudley, is best not confused with vaudeville performer, Sherman Houston Dudley, born in Dallas in 1872. This Dudley dropped out of school at age thirteen to support his father who had been a teacher but been struck deaf. His first professional employment was with a traveling light opera (comic opera) outfit in the latter eighties that toured as far south as Mexico and South America. Dudley was early a minstrel singer whose repertoire included the "coon" songs typical of minstrel shows in the eighties and nineties. Coon songs were parcel to ragtime which reached the height of their popularity as the calendar arrived to the 20th century and into the golden years of ragtime roughly concurrent with Teddy Roosevelt during its first decade. Coon songs began to fall out of favor as racially derogatory around 1910 until their final disappearance, in so many words, in the twenties as black jazz musicians began to take a preeminent role in American music. As now so then, because there were all variety of white folk and black folk, coon songs and the like ranged from affectionate to deeply objectionable in a hard world where the realities of no two individuals match. The contribution of blacks to early popular music was much by way of damage borne as topics for entertainment, until blues and jazz gave relatively rhythmless ragtime its notice, swing to put the nails its coffin after its yet great popularity during Roaring Twenties.

In 1896 Dudley became an original member of the Edison Male Quartet (EMQ) with John Bieling (tenor), Jere Mahoney (tenor) and William Hooley (bass). The EMQ is identical to EQ or, the Edison Quartet with "Male" left out. Mahoney would soon be replaced by Harry Macdonough in 1898. RYM has the EMQ issuing 'Camp Meeting Jubilee' on Edison 2226 in 1897. Though that date is unconformable by myself, 'Camp Meeting Jubilee' contains the first known instance of rock and roll in recorded music per the lyrics "rocking and rolling in your arms." RYM also has 'Sunshine Will Come Again' issuing on Edison 2234 in 1897. Norman Bruderhofer, however, doesn't have the latter recorded until 1899 with a reissue in 1901 [Internet Archive; see also Talking Machine Forum]. The Edison Quartet existed until 1908 when it was replaced by the Knickerbocker Quartette.

In order to record for companies other than Edison, the EQ (EMQ) quickly acquired another name as the Haydn Quartet (HQ) the same year as the EQ had been formed (1896). DAHR initiates its sessionography of the HQ per 'The Little Alabama Coon' on 27 June of 1898 toward Berliner 870. The Haydn Quartet became the Hayden Quartet in 1910 until its abandonment in 1914.

As for Dudley himself, DAHR has him recording 'Tramp, Tramp, Tramp' in his own name on 10 June 1898 toward Berliner 157. Most data herein is harvested from DAHR (ADP).

'Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'   S.H. Dudley

Disc recorded 10 June 1898 in NYC   Berliner 157

Composition: George F. Root

'Just Suppose'   S.H. Dudley

Disc recorded 28 Oct 1899 in NYC or Philadelphia   Berliner 0675

Music: Lyn Udall   Lyrics: Karl Kennett

'I'd Like It'   S.H. Dudley

Disc recorded 18 Nov 1899 in NYC or Philadelphia   Berliner 0743

Music: Victor Herbert   Lyrics: Frederic Ranken / Kirke La Shelle

I've commented elsewhere on the technical dubiety of representing early popularity charts before national Billboard. Despite the disparities between methods used to gauge the popularity of early artists and their actual record sales, such charts were likely on the money a lot. Bearing in mind the possibility of some warpage of data along the way, Music VF has the HQ topping the charts at #1 in Oct 1900 w 'Because'. The group issued 38 more Top Ten titles to 'Cross the Great Divide' in April of 1914 at #4. Other titles topping the charts at #1 were 'In the Good Old Summer Time' (1903), 'Bedelia' (1904), 'Blue Bell' (1904), 'Sweet Adeline' (1904), 'Sunbonnet Sue' (1908) and 'Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet' (1909).

In the meantime, Dudley continued recording his own name titles, not a few of which scored high on the charts as well, from 'When Reuben Comes to Town' at #1 in 1901 to 'Give My Regards to Broadway' at #4 in 1906 [Music VF]. Dudley also recorded as Frank Kernell, having grooved 'The Whistling Coon' among such in February of 1903 for issue on Victor 1982.

'When Reuben Comes to Town'   S.H. Dudley   Charting as #1 in March 1901

Disc recorded 15 Nov 1900 in Camden, New Jersey   Victor 519

Music: Maurice Levi   Lyrics: J. Cheever Goodwin

Three master takes per Victor 519   Also issued on Berliner 276 in Canada

'The Tale of the Kangaroo'   S.H. Dudley

Disc recorded 3 Jan 1901 in Camden, New Jersey   Victor Monarch 3002

A second session of this on 30 Oct 1901 in Philadelphia also issued on Victor Monarch 3002

Music: Gustav Luders   Lyrics: Frank Pixley

'Oh! Oh! Miss Phoebe'   S.H. Dudley

Cylinder recorded 15 Feb 1901 in NYC   Edison 7762

Music: Harry Von Tilzer   Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling

'In the Starlight'   S.H. Dudley duet with Harry MacDonough

Disc recorded 26 May 1903 in Philadelphia   Victor Monarch 2340 / Berliner 632

Music: Stephen Glover   Lyrics: Joseph Edwards Carpenter

'Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis'   S.H. Dudley   Charting as #2 in Aug 1904

Disc recorded 16 May 1904 in Philadelphia   Victor 2807

Music: Kerry Mills   Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling

World's Fair in St. Louis opening date of 30 April 1904

'My Gasoline Automobile'   S.H. Dudley as Frank Kernell

Disc recorded 24 Aug 1904 in Philadelphia   Victor 4042

Music: Robert Hood Bowers   Lyrics: Richard Carle

'The Whistling Bowery Boy'   S.H. Dudley

Cylinder recorded 1903   Chicago?   Lambert Indestructible 593

Music: Thomas W. Thurban   Lyrics: Charles Bradford

'Give My Regards to Broadway'   S.H. Dudley as Frank Kernell   Charting as #4 in Sep 1905

Disc recorded 21 June 1905 in Philadelphia   Victor 4385

Composition: George Cohan

'The Whistling Coon'   Whistling S.H. Dudley backing Billy Murray (vocal)

Disc recorded 3 Oct 1910 in Camden, New Jersey   Victor 16821

Dudley retired from the music industry in 1919 by way of leaving the United States to France with his wife. Returning to the States shortly before World War II, he died in Los Angeles on 6 June 1947, his wife the next day.