George Gaskin

George Gaskin

Source: Discogs

Born in February of 1863 in Belfast, tenor vocalist, George Gaskin, was raised in Ireland before migration to to the United States about age seventeen, arriving in New York City in June of 1880. At the vanguard of popular music in the United States, he is known to have recorded as early as the next year in 1891 on both cylinder and flat disc, beginning on cylinder for the North American Phonograph Company (NAPC) on 2 June 1891. Those were one day after George Johnson's first recording for the same label. Gaskin began recording for the New Jersey Phonograph Company in 1892 per the December 1892 issue of 'The Phonogram', releasing the ballads, 'Fatal Wedding' and 'Sweet Marie' in 1893 per David Steffan. UCSB has Gaskin on 'After the Ball' circa 1893 for the United States Phonograph Company, formed by the manager of the New Jersey Phonograph Company, Victor Hugo Emerson, in early 1893. (Emerson would later found the Emerson Phonograph Company in 1915.) Thomas Edison would purchase North American in 1896, changing its name to National. Tim Gracyk has Gaskin recording cylinders for the Columbia Phonograph Company in 1896. See reference below for Columbia 1896-1900 commencing w 'Sweet Marie' (4001).

Gaskin at the fore of cylinder recording also made him among the first to record on flat disc, starting with Berliner in 1891. DAHR doesn't begin its sessionography of Gaskin on disc until 'My Old Kentucky Home' recorded on 5 Sep 1894 toward Berliner 175. 'Sweet Marie' went down on 13 September 1894 toward Berliner 158. The Berliner label was the first to distribute disc recordings, founded by Emile Berliner who had also invented disc recording and the gramophone in Washington D.C. in 1887, the first getting recorded in 1891. The first Berliner catalogue saw print on 1 November 1894. Gaskin also recorded heavily for Columbia, Zonophone and Leeds & Catlin.

'Drill Ye Terriers Drill'   George Gaskin

Recorded 31 Oct 1891   Issued on Berliner 0064

Composition: Thomas Casey

'Black Knights Templar'   Minstrel by George Gaskin

Recorded April or July 1895 [Young]   Issued on Berliner ?

This may be a later version of Berliner 191 advertised on 1 Nov 1894 ?

45 Worlds nevertheless mentions a session date of March 1895 in NYC for Berliner 191

'My Old Kentucky Home'   George Gaskin

Recorded 31 Oct 1895   Issued on Berliner ?

Composition: Stephen Foster

'Sidewalks of New York'   George Gaskin

Recorded 31 Oct 1895   Issued on Berliner 175

DAHR has several versions of 'Sidewalks' recorded between 1894 and 1899, all issued as Berliner 175

Music: Charles Lawlor   Lyrics: James Blake

'Jane'   George Gaskin

Recorded 16 Dec 1896 in Philadelphia   Issued on Berliner 1615

'On the Banks of the Wabash'   George Gaskin

Brown wax cylinder recorded 1898   Issued on Columbia 4130 [UCSB]

Composition: Paul Dresser 1897

Adopted as Indiana state song 14 March 1913

'She Was Bred in Old Kentucky'   George Gaskin

Brown wax cylinder recorded 1898   Issued on Columbia 4166 [UCSB]

Composition: Stanley Carter

Insofar as charts at the time could truly approximate the commercial success of phonograph recordings, Music VF begins its list of best-selling titles in 1900 w 'When Cloe Sings a Song' (Columbia 4248) and 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen' (Columbia 4281), both topping the charts at #1. 'Bedelia', charted at #3 in 1904:

'Bedalia'   George Gaskin

DAHR has 6 takes of this recorded c 1903-04   Takes 2 & 6 issued as Columbia 1609

Music: Jean Schwartz   Lyrics: William Jerome

Despite his success as the golden boy of early popular recording, Gaskin ceased making records in 1904, the year he began directing the annual Robert Emmett tribute concerts at the Phillip Sheridan Club in Passaic, NJ, that an an Irish-American society. Ceasing in that capacity in 1910, Gaskin emerged again to make a few final recordings in 1916: "Come Back to Erin" / 'Killarney' issued on Pathe 29115, and 'Molly O' / 'Come Back to Erin' released on Rex 5255. He held a test session for Columbia on 30 Nov 1917 but nothing is known about it. Gaskin died on 14 December 1920 in New York.