Group & Last Name Index to Full History:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Tracks are listed in chronological order by year, then alphabetically.
Listings do not reflect proper order by month or day: later oft precedes earlier.
Find on Page = F3. Not on this page? See history tree below.
Featured on this page loosely in order of first recording if not record release (as possible).
Names are alphabetical, not chronological, per year:
| Ben Harney Scott Joplin Tom Turpin Joe Jordan | |
| 1888 | Len Spencer |
| 1891 | |
| 1892 | John Bieling Richard Jose JW Myers |
| 1893 | Ada Jones Vess Ossman |
| 1896 | SH Dudley |
| 1897 | Albert Campbell Billy Murray(?) Steve Porter Fred Van Eps |
| 1898 | Arthur Collins Harry Macdonough |
| 1899 | Byron Harlan |
| 1902 | Henry Burr Caruso |
| 1903 | Billy Murray |
| 1906 | Charles Harrison Elise Stevenson |
| 1907 | The Peerless Quartet Florenz Ziegfeld |
| 1908 | Will Oakland |
| 1910 | Sophie Tucker |
| 1912 | Al Jolson |
| 1916 | George Gershwin Marion Harris |
| 1917 | Eddie Cantor |
| 1919 | Gertrude Lawrence |
| 1920 | Aileen Stanley |
| 1921 | Vaughn De Leath |
| 1924 | Gene Austin Phil Harris Guy Lombardo Emmett Miller Rudy Vallée |
| 1925 | Hoagy Carmichael Whispering Jack Smith |
| 1926 | Josephine Baker Bing Crosby Ruth Etting Annette Hanshaw Kate Smith |
| 1927 | Horace Heidt Frank Luther Helen Morgan |
| 1928 | Russ Columbo Marlene Dietrich Gracie Fields Dick Robertson Anson Weeks Elisabeth Welch Lawrence Welk |
| 1929 | Eddy Duchin Freddy Martin |
| 1932 | Three X Sisters |
| 1933 | Richard Himber |
| 1934 | Buddy Clark |
1922 Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye
|
Caveats in the employment of this page: 1. It descends in chronological
order by the year the artist or band is first found on a commercial record
issue (ideally) by year only, alphabetical thereat. One musician above
another doesn't necessarily translate to earlier issue unless the year
changed. 2. Though release dates are the aim with links to YouTube, some
are recording dates and may not be everywhere clearly distinguished. 3.
Reissues are used to represent originals without much discussion. 4.
Charts: see Billboard below. |
||
| This page concerns popular
music, largely vocalists, from the inception of commercial recording in
the United States to the demise of vaudeville and minstrelsy in the
thirties, capping the period with Al Jolson's 'All That Jazz' and some
memory lane per Lawrence Welk. It commences with early recording artists preceding
ragtime and moves onward to early theatre, cabaret and film stars.
Included are such as balladeers, comedians, crooners and torch singers. The very
first
song recorded, incidentally, was also the
first
recorded sound, made on April 9, 1860, by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville,
who invented the phonoautograph some 17 years before Thomas Edison [1,
2,
3,
4,
5]
invented the phonograph in 1878. The recording is a verse from 'Au Clair
de la Lune', sung by a woman. Not a few of the early recordings on this
page sound nigh as bad as a little prehistory of ragtime is traced,
much via the ballad. See Gracyk
for a thorough examination of this period. See also Hoffmann/Birkline at
1,
2. Nice accounts of ragtime at
1,
2,
3
[see also major ragtime composers].
Important musical venues concurrent with ragtime were
minstrelsy [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] and the
vaudeville variety show [1,
2,
3,
4].
Minstrelsy in
particular would disappear as black musicians took the helm in jazz.
See also Clarke's
account of early popular music and Scaruffi on early
musicals. Jazz sessions on this page are generally
Lord's Disco for
jazz only, otherwise largely DAHR [1,
2].
Links to Red Hot Jazz (RHJ
1,
2,
3)
also point to sessions.
A good source for lyrics for this period is
Lyrics Playground. Ditto songwriting credits at
Cafe Songbook,
Songfacts and
Second Hand Songs.
See also
Lyrics
(credits occasionally inaccurate), OldieLyrics
and
SongMeanings. Other early popular musicians such as Whiteman, Gershwin or Carmichael at
Early Jazz
1,
2. See also early recording and film (black & white) of the thirties at
Popular 2. Caution: a lot of
Irish ballad
and barbershop quartet during this period. The barbershop quartet
would later evolve into
doo wop R&B. See
'Chronology of American Popular Music 1900-2000' by Frank Hoffman (Routledge
2008) for a thorough account of this period.
See also radio
(first news broadcast 31 August 1920 from station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan).
Popular music in general in the United States see Donald Clarke.
As for popular music worldwide, see this interesting chart
of the most popular music genres from 1910 to present based on record sales.
|
||
 First issue 'Billboard' 1894 Source: Wikiwand |
Before dropping too deeply into
this period it is apt to remark on 'Billboard'
magazine, the major thermometer of musical popularity with which most are
acquainted in the States, was founded in
1894. Originally producing posters as an advertising firm, Billboard began charting
sheet music sales upon the issue of
its first paper
(to become a magazine)
on Nov 1 of 1894. Music VF (US/UK
Rock VF 1965>) and
TsorT begin their charts in 1900, the year
Billboard became a weekly rather than monthly publication
[*]. About 3 million
records in all were sold that year [*],
being fairly expensive at the time. Billboard published its
first 'Hit Parade" in 1936
[1,
2],
Bing Crosby's 'Pennies from Heaven' being the highest-selling release that
year. Billboard had and would track the popularity of all variety of
performers in all variety of venues from early circus acts and coin-operated
amusement machines to radio and film. Among the more important dates along
its path was its 'Best Selling Records Chart' first issued on 27 July 1940
[1,
2].
Its Top 100 list of 12 Nov 1955 transformed to the Hot 100 on 4 August 1958
[*].
Billboard [today: 1,
2] has been
in business a long time, currently charting streaming as well. Other major charting companies were Music Vendor as of 1946 to become Record
World in '64 [1,
2,
3] and
Cashbox as of 1952 [1,
2]. Be as may, references to such as the "Top Ten"
are here a convenience. Ditto "Top Forty" et al, albeit the Top 40 is a standard
format introduced by
Todd Storz
in the early fifties. For the most popular music in the United States and
globally in any genre see
diamond LP sales.
Other online charts including global at Alaska Jim's,
Kluss, Music
VF France and
TsorT. See
also collector, Joel Whitburn [1,
2,
3,
4].
Charts, however, come w caveats, especially during the acoustic and electric
eras preceding magnetic tape. Though charting by one method or another
quickly followed upon cylinder recording becoming popular in the 19th
century, such are obscure and likely owned prejudice for commercial reasons
such as advertising. No national chart existed before 1936, meaning a long gray
period: Though they generally agree, Music VF, Wikipedia and TsorT
can differ. One caveat w any of them, along w charts
at
JazzStandards,
is that
they are
cited as likely incorrect due to chart fabrication. See Tim Brooks
[1,
2,]:
1,
2. Note: 'Billboard' magazine's first issue was 1 November 1894 costing a dime. It had begun as a poster advertising company. 'Billboard' announced all variety of live entertainment from carnivals and circuses to minstrels and vaudeville. It began to cover silent film in 1909 and radio in the twenties. With the rise of the jukebox in the thirties Billboard began charting songs. Its first three categories were Pop, Rhythm and Blues, and Country and Western. The Hot 100 chart was conceived in 1958. Billboard had also begun covering television in the fifties.
|
|
|
Ben Harney Source: Study Com
Tom Turpin Source: Music Timeline
|
As the era of recording began, the most popular music in the land was ragtime. The calendar turned from the 19th to the 20th century in a ragtime zeitgeist which would express the period of the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and continue into the Roaring Twenties as it transformed into jazz. The history of ragtime much corresponds with that of famed (and notorious) Tin Pan Ally in New York City where publishers peddled their sheet music. The heydays of sheet music and Tin Pan Alley began in the last decade of the 19th century, their decline, together with the piano roll, occurring during the Great Depression, upon radio and the phonograph becoming major vehicles of musical expression. Among the greatest ragtime composers and musicians were those too early for recording, including Ben Harney [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], Scott Joplin [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] and Tom Turpin [1, 2]. Ben Harney composed 'You've Been a Good Old Wagon' in 1895. None of his compositions were recorded, however, until some years later. Neither the date nor vocalist of the recording below are certain. Scott Joplin first began publishing music in 1895. His were also among the first piano rolls produced in 1896. The tunes by Joplin below are piano roll recordings at later dates than when composed. The pianists are unknown. Joplin's contributions to early American music brought him a posthumous Pulitzer Special Award in 1976. 'St Louis Blues', by Tom Turpin, is recorded from a later piano roll. Again, the pianist is unknown. 'Harlem Rag' is his first published tune (1897), performed by Ann Charters some sixty years later. Joe Jordan [1, 2] was another great ragtime composer and musician who never recorded. He first published in 1902, 'The Century March' and 'Double Fudge'. The song below, 'That Teasin' Rag', was composed in 1909. It is played more than ninety years later in 2001 by Robert Darch. See also HMR Project. Tom Turpin Composition: 1892Ben Harney Composition: 1895 Scott Joplin Composition: 1899 Scott Joplin Composition: 1902 Tom Turpin Composition: 1903 Joe Jordan Composition: 1909
|
Scott Joplin Source: Britannica
Joe Jordan Source: Amoeba |
| Born in 1867 in Washington D.C.,
Len Spencer was a baritone vocalist
who fits well in the annals of popular music,
here inserted as a sample both of early vocal recording, largely
advertisements in Spencer's case, and ragtime. All of Spencer's Planck
lengths and Planck instants had arrived to an arrangement coinciding
with those of early cylinder recording [1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6] such that he would become known as
the granddaddy of phonograph recording as the first popular cylinder
recording artist, he also to specialize in comedy and the "coon" (black
folk) songs
[1,
2,
3] of minstrelsy
[1,
2,
3,
4,
5] having their heyday
between 1880 and 1920, that is, until black musicians began showing the
way to rhythm. Also work the vaudeville variety show
[1,
2,
3] circuit,
Spencer had begun teaching at his father's business college in D.C. at age
eighteen, which he did three years until hiring on with the Columbia
Phonograph Company [*] as a vocalist circa '88. Historical Voices has him
recording 'I Am the Edison Phonograph' auf Deutsch for Edison Phonograph
[*]
in '88 as well. Spencer signed up w the U.S. Phonograph Company (producing
for Edison) about 1890 though his first issue, 'Liza Loves You', was in
1891 on Columbia. 'Ta Ra Ra Boom Der E' saw issue in 1892
on Columbia. Other early cylinder issues included 'The Old Folks at Home' (New
Jersey '92), 'Near It' (New Jersey '93), 'Mamie, Come and Kiss Your Honey
Boy' (New Jersey '93), 'Dat New Bully' (Columbia 2107 '95) and
'Little Alabama Coon' (Columbia 7156). New Jersey Phonograph was an arm of the
North American Phonograph Company
[1,
2].
Another major recording company, Victor, didn't enter the cylinder
industry until 1901. Spencer at the fore of cylinder recording also made
him among the first to record on flat disc. DAHR begins its
sessionography
of Spencer on disc per 'Ma Onliest One' recorded on 17 April 1886 toward
Berliner 991 and 'Nearer, my God, to Thee' recorded on 4 May toward
Berliner 915. The Berliner label [1,
2,
3,
4] 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 [1,
2],
the first getting pressed in 1894. 1897 saw Spencer's
arrest for stealing cylinder recordings from U.S. Phonograph
presumably for purchase by Columbia. Other early issues by Spencer in the
last decade of the 19th century at 1,
2.
Albeit record charts were variously devised soon upon the advent of
recording, most came with advertisements to not entirely be trusted.
Having touched on that a little elsewhere, we find MusicVF commencing it's list of Spencer at #1 in 1900 per 'Ma Tiger Lily'
(Columbia 7502).
[See also charts 1900
and charts first decade of the 20th century
at TSORT.] Spencer's title, 'The Arkansas Traveler' (Columbia 11098), is
listed at #2 in November of 1900. The 1902 version of that on Edison Gold
Moulded 8202 reached #1. The first decade of the 20th century witnessed Spencer recording with Ada
Jones on titles like 'Peaches and Cream' (Edison Gold '06), 'Henny and
Hilda at the German Picnic' (Edison Amberol 23 '08), 'Sweet Peggy Magee'
(Edison Amberol 148 '09) and 'The Golden Wedding' (Edison Amberol 312
'09). Spencer ran a booking agency called Len Spencer's Lyceum in New York
City before his death there on December 15, 1916. Several of the entries below
are representative of early
""specialty" recording due to Spencer's proclivity for humor. References:
Wikipedia,
DAHR,
45Worlds,
Discogs,
RYM.
Archives: 'The Phonoscope' 1896,
Internet Archive,
LOC,
Phonozoic. Further reading: 'Popular American Recording Pioneers
1895-1925' by Tim Gracyk, Frank Hoffmann and B. Lee Cooper, Psychology
Press, 2000. Len Spencer 1888 Deutsch Date unconfirmed Len Spencer 1899 Composition: Ida Emerson/Joseph Howard Music: John Stromberg Lyrics: Edgar Smith Len Spencer 1902 Recital Composition: King David Circa 1000 BC Recital Composition: Sermon by Jesus Circa 28 CE Composition: See TTA Len Spencer 1903 Len Spencer 1906 With Ada Jones With Alf Holt Composition: Len Spencer With Ada Jones Composition: Len Spencer Len Spencer 1907 Bronco Bob and His Little Cheyenne With Ada Jones Composition: Len Spencer Len Spencer 1908 With Ada Jones Len Spencer 1909 With Ada Jones Len Spencer 1910 Return of the Arkansas Traveler With Ada Jones Dialogue: Len Spencer Len Spencer 1914 With Ada Jones
|
Len Spencer Source: Pop Music History |
|
| Thought to have been born in Boston in 1860,
tenor William F Denny's
first recordings for the
New England Phonograph Company went down in 1890, issued in 1891
[LOC, Wikipedia]. Denny
had gotten his start in music doing vaudeville [1,
2,
3].
Denny at the fore of cylinder recording also made him among the first to
record on flat disc. DAHR begins its
sessionography
of Denny on disc per 'Czar of the Tenderloin' on Berliner 1748 in 1887.
The Berliner label [1,
2,
3,
4] 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 pressed
in 1894. Denny's last recording is thought to have been 'You'll
Have to Get Off and Walk' issued in July 1907. He was still traveling
the vaudeville circuit when he died in Seattle on October 2, 1908, of atherosclerosis.
Further references: 'Popular American Recording Pioneers 1895-1925' by Tim Gracyk,
Frank Hoffmann and B. Lee Cooper, Psychology Press, 2000; Catalogues:
1,
2,
3.
Per 'Meet Me in St. Louis' in 1904 below, that had been written for the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition at the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904
celebrating the Louisiana Purchase
from Napoleon in 1803. Will F Denny 1897 Will F Denny 1899 How'd You Like to Be the Iceman? Will F Denny 1903 Composition: Thomas Allen I'm the Man Who Makes the Money in the Mint Music: Gus Edwards Lyrics: Will Cobb Will F Denny 1904 Music: Kerry Mills Lyrics: Andrew Sterling Wil F Denny 1906 Composition: Collin Davis Will F Denny 1907 You'll Have to Get Off and Walk Composition: David Reed
|
William F Denny |
|
|
George Gaskin Source: Discogs |
Born in 1863 in Belfast,
Ireland, tenor
vocalist,
George Gaskin, he migrated to the
United States in 1880 at about age seventeen. He
is thought to have made his debut recordings as early as 1891 for the
North American Phonograph Company
[1,
2]. Those were on June 2
one day after
George Johnson's first
recording for the same (Johnson
listed below per alphabetical order for 1891). He began recording for the
New Jersey Phonograph Company in 1892 per the December 1892 issue of 'The
Phonogram'. UCSB has
Gaskin on 'After the Ball' circa 1893 for the U.S. Phonograph
Company formed by Victor Emerson in early 1893. Thomas Edison
[1,
2,
3,
4,
5] would
purchase North American in 1896, changing its name to National
[1,
2]. See also
Tim Gracyk's discography for Gaskin on Columbian cylinders at
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 begins its
sessionography
of Gaskin per 'My Old Kentucky Home' recorded on 5 Sep 1894 toward
Berliner 175 in 1894. 'Sweet Marie' went down on 13 September 1894 toward
Berliner 158. The Berliner label [1,
2,
3,
4]
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 [1,
2]. Albeit various charts began to be made upon the advent of the
commercial dissemination 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. Wikipedia has Gaskin retiring in 1904 despite his highly popular
release early that year of 'Bedelia', charting at #3. He died on 14
December 1920 in New York.
References: Mainspring; 'Popular American Recording Pioneers 1895-1925' by Tim Gracyk,
Frank Hoffmann and B. Lee Cooper, Psychology Press, 2000; Tinfoil;
Wikipedia.
Catalogues: 1,
2,
3.
George Gaskin 1891 Composition: Thomas Casey George Gaskin 1893 Composition: Charles Harris George Gaskin 1895 I Don't Want to Play In Your Yard Composition: Henry Petrie Composition: Stephen Foster Music: Charles Lawlor Lyrics: James Blake George Gaskin 1896 Composition: James Thornton 1894 George Gaskin 1898 Composition: Paul Dresser 1897 Composition: Stanley Carter George Gaskin 1899 America (My Country 'Tis of Thee) Composition: See LOC George Gaskin 1903 Composition: Harrison Millard
|
|
|
|
Born in 1846 in Virginia,
George W. Johnson
was a minstrel [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] and vaudeville
[1,
2,
3,
4] singer believed to be the first black to record.
Johnson began putting away tracks for the Metropolitan Phonograph Company
of New York in 1890, evidence of which is a refund for a defective
cylinder of 'The Laughing Song' registered on 22 May 1890. 'The Whistling
Coon' went down in 1890 as well. Johnson was performing in
Manhattan when he was offered twenty cents per two minutes of recording by
Charles Marshall of the New York Phonograph Company and Victor Emerson of
the New Jersey
Phonograph Company. Among the first of those recordings was 'The Whistling
Coon' followed by 'The Laughing Song', both of which became best-sellers.
Gaskin at the fore of cylinder recording also made him among the first to
record on flat disc. DAHR begins its
sessionography
of Johnson on disc per 'Whistling Coon' on Berliner 196 in 1894. The
Berliner label [1,
2,
3,
4]
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 [1,
2,
3]. Johnson's popularity
continued into the 20th century.
But it couldn't last, he ceasing record in 1909 or 1910 upon final
renditions of 'The Laughing Song' and 'The Whistling Coon' issued on U.S.
Everlasting 324 and 358 (cylinder). Johnson took employment as an office doorman
unti his death on 13 January 1914. The 1891 recordings below were for the New Jersey
Phonograph Company. He began recording for
North American Phonograph Company
[1,
2] later the same year.
References: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
'Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1890-1919' by
Tim Brooks, University of Illinois Press, 2004
Catalogs: 1,
2,
3,
4.
Internet Archives. George Johnson 1891 Composition: Sam Devere George Johnson 1898
|
George Johnson Source: Library of Congress
|
| Born in 1869 in New York City, tenor
John Bieling [1,
2] sang with various vocal
groups while working in a stained glass factory. Bieling first recorded in 1892 with the
Manhansett Quartet, other members
of which were George Gaskin,
Joe Riley and Walter Snow. In 1898 he formed the Edison Male Quartet
[1,
2,
3,
4] to record
for Thomas Edison's [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] phonograph company. That group would be renamed the
Haydn Quartet in order to record for other companies as well
('Sweet Adeline You're the Flower of My Heart'/ Monarch 2923/ '04). Bieling began singing
with Billy Murray's
American Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4] in 1909.
He began featuring in the Heidelberg Quintet in 1911. In
1913 he gave up singing due to damaged (overworked) vocal chords, his last
recording thought to have been w the American Quartet in 1913: 'Float Down
the River' (Victor 17438). Replaced by Robert Armour, Bieling then began
to work in sales for Victor Records [1,
2,
3]. Bieling later sold Victrola phonographs.
Retiring from that in 1926, he died in Hempstead, Long Island, in 30 March 1948.
DAHR.
Discogs.
HMR Project. Bieling
issued no solo name records of which I know. The index below is comprised
of major early vocal
recording groups and with whom he recorded. John Bieling 1892 With the Manhansett Quartet Composition: Frank Bridge John Bieling 1895 With the Manhansett Quartet Composition: Lady John Scott John Bieling 1902 With Steve Porter Music: Henry Tucker Lyrics: George Cooper John Bieling 1903 I'll Wed You in the Golden Summer Time With Harry Macdonough Music: Stanley Crawford Lyrics: Alfred Bryan I'm Wearing My Heart Away for You With Harry Macdonough Composition: Charles Harris Somebody's Waiting 'Neath Southern Skies With Harry Macdonough Music: John W. Bratton Lyrics: Arthur J. Lamb John Bieling 1904 The Little Rustic Cottage by the Stream With Harry Macdonough Music: John Heinzman/Otto Heinzman Lyrics: Monroe H. Rosenfeld John Bieling 1906 With Harry Macdonough Composition: George C. Stebbins John Bieling 1908 With the Haydn Quartet Music: Joseph Philbrick Webster Lyrics: Sanford Fillmore Bennett John Bieling 1911 That Fellow With the Cello Rag With the American Quartet Composition: Victor H. Smalley John Bieling 1912 With the American Quartet Music: Albert Von Tilzer Lyrics: Harry Porter I Want to Love You While the Music's Playing With the Heidelberg Quintet Music: George Botsford Lyrics: Jean C. Havez John Bieling 1913 With the American Quartet Composition: Paul Dresser With the Haydn Quartet Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Richard Henry Buck With Billy Murray Composition: Nat Mann/Steve Porter
|
John Bieling Source: Library of Congress |
|
| Born in Cornwall, England, in 1862,
Richard Jose [1,
2,
3]
was more a minstrel [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] than ragtime
[1,
2,
3]
singer. He immigrated to Nevada as a teenager upon the death of his
father, a copper miner, in 1876. Not finding the uncle he was in search
of, he began singing professionally in 1881 with Thatcher's Minstrels
[Wikipedia]. He first recorded in 1892, a cylinder [1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6] for the
New England Phonograph
Company called 'The Blind Boy', then largely disappears from record until
composing the music for baritone vocalist,
J. W. Myers', release of 'I
Went to See Them March Away' in 1902. Jose began recording on flat disc w the
Victor Talking Machine Company [1,
2]
in 1903: 'Silver Threads Among the Gold'
(Victor 2556) [DAHR].
Music VF has that topping the charts in February of 1904.
'The Day That You Grew Colder' (Victor 31348) found #3 in 1905, followed
by 'When I'm Away from You, Dear' (Victor 4259) at #4 the same year.
Jose's last releases for Victor were in 1906, including his highly popular
'When You and I Were Young, Maggie' (Victor 31485), 'Home Sweet Home'
(Victor 31515) and 'Nearer My God to Thee' (Victor 4818). In 1915 Jose appeared in
the silent film, 'Silver Threads Among the Gold', which songs he lip synced
from the wings of Madison Square Garden, marking the Garden's first use as
a theater. Jose continued with theatre until 1919, presenting the pastoral
play, 'Silver Threads', on tour. Jose eventually took employment with the
state of California, rising to Real Estate Commissioner in the thirties. He
died on 20 October 1941 in San Francisco. Archives: LOC;
'Monarchs of Minstrelsy' by Edward Rice 1911.
HMR Project. Richard Jose 1892 Composition: R. Lee/G. W. Moore Richard Jose 1904 Music: Francis Woolcott Lyrics: Thomas Elwood Garrett With All Her Faults I Love Her Still Composition: Monroe H. Rosenfeld Music: William Henry Monk Lyrics: Henry Francis Lyte Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Richard Henry Buck Composition: Possibly Kramer Composition: Paul Dresser Music: Hart Pease Danks Lyrics: Eben Eugene Rexford Composition: Paul Rodney Composition: Paul Dresser Your Mother Wants You Home, Boy Composition: Paul Dresser Richard Jose 1905 Composition: Berthold Tours Music: Nelson Kneass Lyrics: Thomas Dunn English Composition: Claribel Music: Thomas Hastings Lyrics: Augustus Toplady Composition: Herbert Taylor We've Been Chums for Fifty Years Composition: Thurland Chattaway Richard Jose 1906 When You and I Were Young, Maggie Composition: James Butterfield George Washington Johnson
|
Richard Jose Photo: Nevada Historical Society Source: o-n-e |
|
|
JW Myers Source: Last FM |
Baritone balladeer
JW Myers
(John Myers) is believed to have been born in Wales and immigrated to the
United States at age twelve (circa 1876). He is generally thought to have
begun recording in 1892 for the New Jersey Phonograph Company [1,
2].
Myers at the fore of cylinder recording [1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6] also made him among the first to
record on flat disc. DAHR begins its
sessionography
of Myers on disc per 'Anchored' on Berliner 155 sometime before 1895. The
Berliner label [1,
2,
3,
4]
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 [1,
2],
the first getting pressed
in 1894. In 1895 Myers joined a traveling opera company, then
became a founder of the Globe Talking Machine Company in 1896, a brief-existing cylinder recording
enterprise. Though charts were variously kept upon the advent of
commercial recording in the nineties Music VF and
TSORT begin their lists
of Myers' top-selling titles in May of 1900 w 'Good-Bye Dollie Gray'
(Columbia 7502) reaching the #2 tier on the charts. Four of his issues
topped the charts at #1 in 1901 and '02: 'In the Shade of the Palm', 'On a
Sunday Afternoon', 'Way Down in Old Indiana' and 'In the Good Old Summer
Time'. Beginning to lose audience some years later, in 1909 he invested in the U.S. Everlasting Cylinder Company (did
no recordings for them), then disappeared from history so thoroughly that
his last recordings for Columbia aren't known (circa 1913). That he died
or returned to Wales are the most likely. References: 1,
2,
3,
4,
'Popular American Recording Pioneers 1895-1925' by Tim Gracyk, Frank Hoffmann and B. Lee Cooper, Psychology Press, 2000.
Catalogs: 1,
2,
3.
Archives: 'Hobbies - The Magazine for Collectors' 1944,
LOC,
UCSB.
HMR Project.
Per 'The Bowery Grenadiers' in 1907, those were a volunteer fire
department in New York City. It was originally composed by J. W. Kelly.
Mitch Miller later issued the
same title in
1957 which composition is generally credited to John
Allison who himself learned it from one
Dr. Holmes
c 1924. Not known from where
Holmes picked it up, both titles are similar in music and lyric. JW Myers 1898 Music: Victor Herbert Lyrics: Harry B. Smith Composition: Paul Dresser JW Myers 1901 Music: Walter A. Phillips Lyrics: John P. Wilson Music: Harry B. Smith Lyrics: John P. Wilson Hello, Central! Give Me Heaven Composition: Charles Harris Music: Stephen Adams Lyrics: F. E. Weatherly Music: Leslie Stuart Lyrics: Owen Hall JW Myers 1902 I Stood on the Bridge at Midnight Music: M. Lindsay Lyrics: From Longfellow's 'The Bridge' Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling Composition: David T. Shaw JW Myers 1903 Come Take a Trip in My Airship Music: George Evans Lyrics: Ren Shields In the City of Sighs and Tears Music: Kerry Mills Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling Music: Kerry Mills Lyrics: Frank Pixley JW Myers 1904 Composition: Charles Harris I'm Wearing My Heart Away for You Composition: Charles Harris Composition: George Root JW Myers 1905 You're Just the Girl I'm Looking For JW Myers 1907 Composition: J. W. Kelly Composition: George M. Cohan JW Myers 1908 Composition: Sarah Flower Adams 1841
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The earliest commercial recordings were produced via brown wax cylinders by the Edison Phonograph Company founded in 1888 by Thomas Edison [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Edison had invented cylinder recording [1, 2, 3, 4] and the phonograph [1, 2, 3, 4] in 1877. Edison's technologically superior Amberol brand, a long-play cylinder of four minutes rather than two, entered the market in 1908. The Blue Amberol brand went into production from 1912 to its demise in 1929. Another big name in cylinder recording was Columbia founded in 1889 [1, 2, 3]. Disc recording had been invented a decade after cylinders in 1887: The Berliner label [1, 2, 3, 4] was the first to distribute disc recordings, founded by Emile Berliner who had also invented disc recording and the gramophone in Washington D.C. [1, 2], the first getting pressed in 1894. Columbia entered into disc recording in '98. Not long before the founding of the Victor Talking Machine Company [1, 2] in 1901 to manufacture discs. Edison's manufacture of Amberols was in defiance of discs overtaking cylinders in popularity in the first decade of the 20th century. Vocalist, Ada Jones, was born in just the situation to become the first female star of the emerging recording industry. Born in 1873 in Lancashire, England, Jones was six when her family brought her to Philadelphia, seven when she began performing, albeit as an epileptic that was a trick to handle. She is believed to have first recorded on cylinder with the North American Phonograph Company [1, 2] in 1893 w 'Sweet Marie' (North American 1289) and 'The Volunteer Organist' (North American 1292) yet extant. DAHR begins Jones' sessionography on disc on 29 December 1904 per 'Mandy, Will You Be My Lady Love?' (Victor 4231), 'You Ain't de Man I Thought You Was' (unissued), 'Reuben and Cynthia' (Victor 4304 w Len Spencer ) and 'The Hand of Fate' (Victor 4242). Popularity charts were well in existence at Jones' time, variously arising w the advent of commercial cylinder production in the last decade of the 19th century. Music VF and TSORT have Jones charting for the first time in May of 1905 per 'My Carolina Lady' (Edison 8948) at #3. Another 43 Top Ten tracks followed to as late as April of 1917, the same month that the U.S. entered into World War I, w 'M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I' reaching #9. Among Jones' important vocal partners was Len Spencer w whom she issued numerous titles such as 'The Golden Wedding' on cylinder in 1905 (Gold Moulded 9148) and on disc in 1906 (Victor 4549). Among titles w Billy Murray and the American Quartet [1, 3, 4] was 'Come, Josephine, in My Flying Machine' to top the charts at #1 in May of 1911. She and Billy Watkins released 'By the Beautiful Sea' (Columbia A1563) in 1914. Discogs and LOC have ''Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy Put Up the Kitchen Stove'' recorded and issued on Victor 18595 in 1919, that w Cal Stewart, 'Train Time at the Pun'kin Centre' flip side. Jones wouldn't live to experience the heyday of latter ragtime and early jazz in the Roaring Twenties, as she died of kidney failure in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on May 2 of 1922, only 35 years old. References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, synopsis. Catalogs: 1, 2, 3, 4. Archives: LOC, UCSB See also the HMR Project. Ada Jones 1906 Composition: Von Tilzer Ada Jones 1907 Don't Get Married Any More, Ma Lyrics: Fred W. Leigh If the Man in the Moon Were a Coon Composition: Fred Fisher Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Richard Henry Buck With Bill Murray & Frank C Stanley Music: Jean Schwartz Lyrics: Alfred Bryan/Grant Clarke Ada Jones 1908 Composition: George M. Cohan Ada Jones 1909 Lyrics: George Hobart With Bill Murray Music: William J. McKenna Lyrics: Frank J. Tannehill Jr. With Bill Murray Music: Jean Schwartz Lyrics: William Jerome I Can't Say You're the Only One With Bill Murray Lyrics: C. H. Borill Music: Charley O'Donnell Lyrics: Bobby Heath With Bill Murray Composition: Edgar Selden With Bill Murray Composition: Jack Norworth/Nora Bayes Ada Jones 1910 With Bill Murray Music: Alf Lawrence/Tom Mellor/Nora Bayes Lyrics: Harry Gifford/Jack Norworth With Bill Murray Music: John L. Golden Lyrics: Bob Adams Ada Jones 1911 All Alone With Bill Murray Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: William A. Dillon Come Josephine in My Flying Machine With Bill Murray Music: Fred Fisher Lyrics: Alfred Bryan Ada Jones 1912 By the Light of the Silvery Moon Composition: Gus Edwards With Bill Murray Music: Harry Armstrong Lyrics: David Reed Composition: Jean Schwartz Music: James V. Monaco Lyrics: William Jerome Ada Jones 1913 On the Old Front Porch With Bill Murray Music: Albert Von Tilzer Lyrics: Lew Brown Ada Jones 1914 With Bill Murray Music: Harry Carroll Lyrics: Harold Richard Atteridge Ada Jones 1915 With Will C Robbins Music: Albert Von Tilzer Lyrics: Sam Lewis/William Dillon Ada Jones 1922 With Billy Jones Composition: Charles Harris/Howard Johnson With Billy Murray Composition: Sol Violinsky
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Ada Jones Source: Heebie Jeebies |
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| Banjo player, Vess Ossman,
was born in 1868 in Hudson, New York, Ossman attained such popularity upon the turn
of the century as to tour England in 1900 and 1903, where he also recorded.
He later performed and recorded in the Ossman-Dudley Trio with Audley Dudley
and Roy Butin, after which he formed his own dance band, the Singing and Playing
Orchestra. Ossman's greatest upcoming rival was banjoist
Fred Van Eps, ten
years younger. Ossman's first recordings were produced on "phonograph"
cylinders which invention preceded that of record discs in 1888 by Emile Berliner.
The phonograph cylinder had been invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison, not to
play music, but to record and reproduce telegraph messages, the next to
record and reproduce communications via telephone, the telephone invented
in 1880 by Alexander Graham Bell. As for Ossman, Rag Piano has him
recording 'Washington Post March' and 'Love's Sweet Honor' in 1893 for
North American Phonograph 757 and 798 respectively.
MusicBrainz and
RateYourMusic have those issued the same year. He
shifted over to Edison in 1886 before his initial recordings on disc for
Berliner in 1897: 'Jolly Darkies' (457), 'In Old Madrid' (463),
'Narcissus' (464), et al. His most popular issues per
Music VF
were 'The Old Folks Home' and 'Coon Band Contest' in 1900. Ossman recorded prolifically up to his last
recordings for Columbia in 1917, though he continued to tour
(such as hotels, few huge stadiums in his days) in the Midwest while living
in Dayton, Ohio. Rag Piano traces Ossman to as late as 1 May '17 for 'He's
Just Like You' (Columbia 77018), 26 Nov for 'Policy King' (Columbia
77381), and 14 Dec for 'Old Dog Tray' (Columbia 77578) and 'The Little Old
Log Cabin in the Lane' (Columbia 77579). He died six years later of heart attack on December 7, 1923, after a
performance. References: 1,
2,
3. Partial list of
cylinder recordings.
Sessionographies:
DAHR, Lord's. Catalogues: 1,
2,
3.
'Ragtime: An Encyclopedia, Discography, and Sheetography' by David Jasen/
Routledge/ 2007. Vess Ossman 1897 Composition: Percy Wenrich Composition: John Philip Sousa 1896 Vess Ossman 1898 Composition: Ossman Vess Ossman 1899 Composition: Kerry Mills Vess Ossman 1900 Composition: Arthur Pryor Composition: George Rosey Vess Ossman 1901 Composition: S. R. Henry Composition: Ossman Vess Ossman 1904 Composition: G. L. Lansing Vess Ossman 1906 Composition: Tom Turpin Vess Ossman 1907 Composition: George Lowry Composition: Scott Joplin 1899 Vess Ossman 1908 Composition: Charles Johnson Vess Ossman 1909 From Charles Johnson's 'Powder Rag' 1908 Composition: Theron Bennett
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Vess Ossman Source: Classic Banjo |
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| Born Samuel Holland Rous in 1864 in Greencastle,
Indiana, baritone S. H. Dudley
(not to be confused w Sherman Houston Dudley born in Dallas in '72) 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 largely a
minstrel [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] singer whose repertoire included the "coon" (black) songs
[1,
2,
3] typical of minstrel shows in the eighties and nineties. Such began
to fall out of favor as racially derogatory around 1910 until their final
disappearance in the twenties as black jazz musicians began to take
a preeminent role in American music. In 1896 Dudley became an original member of the
Edison Male Quartet
[1,
2,
3,
4]
w
John Bieling (tenor), Jere Mahoney (tenor) and William Hooley
(bass). Mahoney was soon replaced by Harry Macdonough. RYM has
the EMQ issuing 'Sunshine Will Come Again' on Edison 2234 in 1897.
Internet Archive, however, doesn't have that recorded until 1899. The EMQ
also recorded as the
Haydn Quartet,
notably on disc for Berliner [1,
2,
3,
4].
DAHR has Dudley recording 'Tramp, Tramp, Tramp' in his own name on 10 June
1898 per Berliner 157. DAHR initiates its sessionography
of the HQ per 'The Little Alabama Coon' on 27 June of 1898 per Berliner
870. 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). Dudley also recorded as
Frank Kernell,
having grooved 'The Whistling Coon' among such in February of 1903 for issue on
Victor 1982.
In 1919 he retired from the music industry 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. References:
Wikipedia; 'Popular American Recording Pioneers 1895-1925' by Tim Gracyk,
Frank Hoffmann and B. Lee Cooper, Psychology Press, 2000. Discographies:
1,
2,
3 Archives:
1,
2.
See also the HMR Project. SH Dudley 1899 Music: Victor Herbert Lyrics: Frederic Ranken/Kirke La Shelle Composition: SH Dudley SH Dudley 1900 Composition: George Cohan Composition: SH Dudley SH Dudley 1901 Composition: SH Dudley Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling With Harry Macdonough Composition: John Flynn Music: Gustav Luders Lyrics: Frank Pixley SH Dudley 1903 With Harry Macdonough Music: Stephen Glover Lyrics: Joseph Edwards Carpenter SH Dudley 1904 Music: Kerry Mills Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling As Frank Kernell Music: Robert Hood Bowers Lyrics: Richard Carle Music: Thomas W. Thurban Lyrics: Charles Bradford SH Dudley 1905 Composition: Gus C. Weinberg As Frank Kernell Composition: George Cohan
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SH Dudley |
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Albert Campbell Source: Dave Whitaker |
Born in 1872 in Brooklyn,
Albert Campbell
was a member of the vaudeville [1,
2,
3,
4] 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
[1,
2,
3]. Among
first tracks were 'Imitation Medley' and 'Cornfield Medley' on
unidentified recording dates [*]. Campbell's
initial flat disc recordings w Berliner were also in
'97 [*].
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 '98 and early '99
[1,
2]. Campbell was
an original member of the
Columbia Male Quartet(te) [1,
2,
3], its alternate version being the
Columbia Quartet(te). They also recorded as the Climax Quartette
in 1901-02
for the Climax flat disc label which preceded Columbia's launch into discs.
At that point things get murky during
that period, there no clear record of confirmable sessions or releases
found for a group with rapidly rotating personnel. Among titles released
on cylinder by the CQ was 'Honey, You'se My Lady Love' sometime
between 1896 and the turn of the century. Music VF has them
charting
[grouped as the Peerless Quartet] at #1 in Nov that year w 'Sweet Adeline'
in 1904 (Columbia cylinder 32584). The Columbia
Quartette didn't begin recording as the Peerless Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4,
5]
until 1906. The
Peerless Quartet 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 from 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' (Nov '11) and 'The
Lights of My Home Town' (March '16) to 'Over There' (Oct '17) and 'I Don't
Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way' (Jan '18). The Peerless also
recorded as the Invincible Four w
Byron Harlan as second tenor
and the Sterling Trio minus baritone. Campbell had been a
well-known solo artist prior to the Peerless Quartet. 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' (Gram-o-Phone 219) followed at #1 in Dec.
Several more Top Ten titles followed to 1908 before focusing wholly on the
Peerless Quartet. One of those, 'Love Me and the World Is Mine' (Victor
4823), topped the chart again at #1 in Oct 1906. Between 1911 and 1925 Campbell and
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 '12), 'Close to My Heart' (Sep
'15), 'Lookout Mountain' (July '17), 'Till We Meet Again' (Feb '19) and
'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' (May '19). Upon the disbanding of the Peerless Quartet in 1925 Campbell
issued several duets w Jack Kaufman in '26 and '27 [DAHR, Discogs].
Continuing his career on the vaudeville circuit for a while, he had
established himself as a booking agent in New York City several years
before his death in New York on 25 Jan 1947. References:
1,
2,
3.
Further reading: 'They All Sang' by Edward Marks, Viking Press, 1935. Sessionographies and discographies of the early period of
recording beginning in the 19th century come w the caveat of songs
along w catalog or matrix numbers sometimes being shared by different groups.
Often it's the same group by another name; sometimes it's a wholly
different group. Such could be due to disc releases sharing data w
cylinder issues without further distinction, etc. The Columbia Quartet or
variations of that recorded anonymously as well, not named on early record
labels, being called instead simply something like "quartet" or "vocal
quartette" [see also 2 above]. Howsoever, cylinder recordings
by Campbell at
UCSB. Berliner flat discs at
DAHR.
Brunswick per Laird (Special Records for Ziegfeld).
Discos: 1,
2,
3.
Archives: LOC.
Columbia (Male) Quartet(te): Columbia cylinders: 1,
2,
3; Berliner flat
discs: 1,
2;
catalogues: 1,
2. Peerless Quartet:
sessions: 1,
2;
catalogues: 1,
2,
3,
4;
archives:
IA, LOC. See also
HMR Project. Albert Campbell 1898/99 Music: Frederick V. Bowers Lyrics: Charles Horwitz The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee Composition: Stanley Carter (F. J. Redcliffe) Harry Braisted (H. B. Berdan) Composition: F. J. Redcliffe/H. B. Berdan Albert Campbell 1902 I've a Longing in my Heart for You, Louise Composition: Charles Harris Composition: Paul Rubens Albert Campbell 1906 Music: Max S. Witt Lyrics: James John Walker Albert Campbell 1907 Music: Gus Edwards Lyrics: Will D. Cobb Albert Campbell 1908 Music: J. Anton Dailey Lyrics: L. W. Heiser Albert Campbell 1912 With Albert Collins Music: Ted Snyder Lyrics: Irving Berlin With Henry Burr Music: Egbert Van Alstyne Lyrics: Harry Williams Albert Campbell 1913 Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay With Henry Burr Music: George Botsford Lyrics: Jean Havez Albert Campbell 1914 With Henry Burr Composition: S. Jacoby/P. I. Jacoby With Henry Burr & Will Oakland Music: Fred Fisher Lyrics: Alfred Bryan Albert Campbell 1918 With Henry Burr Music: Turner Layton Lyrics: Henry Creamer
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Billy Murray Source: Soundtrack to My Day |
Born William Thomas Murray in 1877 in Philadelphia,
Billy Murray was raised since age five in Denver
before taking off with a traveling vaudeville [1,
2,
3,
4] troupe in 1893. He also performed
in minstrel shows [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] before making his
first recording in 1897 for one Peter Bacigalupi,
a distributor for Edison Records in San Francisco. Those cylinders aren't thought
to have survived. Releases, if any, aren't known. Ryan Bama has his
initial track per 'The Lass from the County Mayo' w yodeler, Matt Keefe.
1902 found him w the Al G. Field's Greater Minstrels. He left the next
year for New York City where he made his first cylinders to known issue, 'I'm Thinkin' of
You All of de While' (Edison 8452) and 'Alec Busby, Don't Go Away' (Edison
8453) issued in 1903 [Gracyk]. Murray was among the superstars of the age,
placing nearly 120 titles in the Top Ten of the charts from 'Tessie (You
are the Only, Only)' at #4 in April of '03 to 'Don't Bring Lulu' at #5 in
Aug '25. Fifteen of his issues reached #1: Bedalia 1/1904 Navajo 3/1904 Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis 7/1904 Alexander 9/1904 Come Take a Trip in My Air-Ship 1/1905 Yankee Doodle Boy 2/1905 Give My Regards to Broadway 6/1905 In My Merry Oldsmobile 10/1905 Everybody Works But Father 12/1905 The Grand Old Rag 10/1907 Harrigan 1/1908 Under Any Old Flag at All 2/1908 Carrie (Carrie Marry Harry) 1/1910 I Love a Piano 4/1916 Pretty Baby 10/1916 Murray joined the Haydn Quartet (Edison Quartet until 1901 *) circa 1905 in time to appear on 'Just a Little Rocking Chair and You' charting at #4 in Jan of '06. Murray hung w the Haydn through numerous Top Ten titles to as late as 'By the Light of the Silvery Moon' at #1 in April 1910. Murray signed up w the Victor Talking Machine Company [*] in 1909, where he picked up "The Denver Nightingale" for a sobriquet [Gracyk]. His duet with Ada Jones, 'Come, Josephine, in My Flying Machine', reached #1 in May of 1911. Another major duet partner was Ed Smalle w whom Murray charted at #9 in Nov 1920 per 'Dardanella Blues'. They topped the charts in Sep of '23 w 'That Old Gang of Mine'. Murray had partnered w Billy Jones for 'O-Hi-O' in 1921, that reaching #2 in March that year. Though Murray wasn't a jazz musician, as a major ragtime vocalist his career eventually veered a touch in that direction via the dance bands of Paul Whiteman and Jean Goldkette in the twenties. Others unmentioned w whom Murray recorded included the American Quartet [1, 2, 3, 4], John Bieling, Harry Macdonough and Aileen Stanley. Bama has Murray making his final recordings on 11 Feb of 1943 per two parts of the comedy dialogue, 'Casey and Cohen in the Army', w Monroe Silver. He retired from the music profession the next year. He died of heart attack on 17 August 1954 in James Beach, New York. References: 1, 2, 3, 4; as a comedian. Sessions: all labels (disc); Victor: 1903-13, 1914-41. UCSB cylinders library. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Best-selling titles in descending order (commencing w 'Give My Regards to Broadway' '05). Compilations: 'The Denver Nightingale' on Archeophone 5501 (2002). Archives: IA, LOC, Stanford. Murray in visual media. With Ada Jones: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Murray at Internet Archive with: Haydn Quartet, Aileen Stanley. More Billy Murray under Ada Jones. See also the HMR Project. Billy Murray 1903 Music: Jean Schwartz Lyrics: William Jerome Music: William Loraine Lyrics: George Ade It Takes the Irish to Beat the Dutch Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Edward Madden Composition: Egbert Van Alstyne Tessie (You are the Only, Only, Only) Composition: Will R. Anderson There's a Little Street in Heaven Composition: A. Baldwin Sloane/James T. Waldron Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Edward Madden Billy Murray 1904 Composition: Ed Rogers Music: Kerry Mills 1904 Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling For the St. Louis World's Fair Billy Murray 1905 Composition: George M. Cohan Music: C. M. Chapel Lyrics: Henry A. Gillespie Billy Murray 1906 Composition: George M. Cohan Genre: March Billy Murray 1908 Music: Percy Wenrich Lyrics: William Jerome/Jack Mahoney Billy Murray 1909 Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Jack Mahoney Music: A. Baldwin Sloane Lyrics: William Lee Under the Anheuser BushMusic: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling Music: Grace Le Boy Lyrics: Gus Kahn I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now Composition: Harold Orlob/Joseph Howard Frank Adams/Will Hough Composition: Lewis F. Muir With Ada Jones Composition: Jack Norworth/Nora Bayes Billy Murray 1910 By the Light of the Silvery Moon Music: Gus Edwards 1909 Lyrics: Edward Madden Composition: Irving Berlin Billy Murray 1911 Music: Nat D. Ayer Lyrics: A. Seymour Brown Billy Murray 1912 Music: A. Baldwin Sloane Lyrics: E. Ray Goetz/Irving Berlin Music: George Botsford Lyrics: Jean Havez Composition: Percy Wenrich Composition: Louis A. Hirsch Billy Murray 1913 Music: Percy Wenrich 1912 Lyrics: Edward Madden With Ada Jones Music: Percy Wenrich Lyrics: William Jerome/Jack Mahoney Billy Murray 1914 Composition: Henry James Harry Williams/Jack Judge Music: Raymond Walker Lyrics: Charles McCarron Billy Murray 1916 Composition: 1915 Jean Schwartz/Bert Kalmar/Edgar Leslie Composition: Tony Jackson Billy Murray 1918 Composition: D. Onivas/S. R. Henry/Frank H. Warren Composition: Geoffrey O'Hara 1917 Billy Murray 1920 Music: Johnny S. Black Lyrics: Fred Fisher Billy Murray 1921 Composition: Blanche Franklyn/Nat Vincent Billy Murray 1925 Composition: Lew Brown/Billy Rose/Ray Henderson Composition: Larry Shay/Arthur Sizemore/George Little
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| Born in 1864 in New York, baritone,
Steve Porter, was both a vocalist
and comedian, the latter notably as the character, Flanagan. One example
of such was 'Flanagan's Courtship' on Edison 10459 in 1910. Porter had begun his career in vaudeville
[1,
2,
3] in the eighties before
becoming a member of the Diamond (Comedy) Four, others of which were
Albert Campbell, Billy
Jones and Jim Reynard. Porter
began recording with such in 1897 for the Universal Phonograph Company [1,
2,
3] in
unidentified sessions. Two of those earliest tracks were 'Imitation
Medley' and 'Cornfield Medley' [*].
The group turned to Berliner the same year, holding their initial session
possibly as early as June. DAHR lists a certain date of Oct 7 for 'Sally
in Our Alley' (#875) and 'Sweetest Story Ever Told' (#893). They
apparently recorded for Columbia that year as well. The Online
Discographical Project (ODP) has Porter recording his initial solo issues w
Berliner in '97 as well w a certain date as early as July 29 for 'Mamie
Reilly' (#918-Y). August 13 witnessed 'Where Is My Boy Tonight?' (#1758)
and 'Yield Not to Temptation' (#1770). Music VF (sister site
Rock VF for 1965>) and
TsorT begin their
charts of best-selling titles per 1900, the
year 'Billboard Magazine'
became a weekly rather than monthly, its initial issue as a weekly on
May 5, the same month Porter placed his first title on the charts at #1
per 'A Bird in a Gilded Cage' (Columbia 4608), that composed by Harry Von
Tilzer w lyric by Arthur J. Lamb. 'The Little Brown Jug'
(Columbia 4617) followed in July at
#3, that written by Joseph Eastburn Winner in 1868. His duet w
Len Spencer, 'Flanagan's Night
Off', reached #6 in May 1906. Two other of Porter's Top Ten issues were later comic monologues, 'Flanagan's
Troubles in a Restaurant' (Edison 9495 4/07) and 'Flanagan and His Motor Car' (Victor
16436 2/10).
Porter was also a member of the Columbia
(Male) Quartet [1,
2],
which became the Peerless Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] in 1906,
initial issue in 1907.
The Columbia or variations thereat had originally consisted in 1903 of
Albert Campbell (first
tenor), James Reynard (second tenor), Joe Belmont (baritone) and Joe
Majors (bass). By later that year they were Porter (baritone),
Campbell,
Henry Burr (lead tenor)
and Tom Daniels subbed by w Frank C. Stanley [1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7]. As data gets murky w the Columbia, sources not uncommonly group that
quartet as the Peerless, including their chart-topping song, 'Sweet Adeline'
(Columbia cylinder 32584),
at #1 in Nov 1904. 'Sweet Adeline has been called the quintessential
barbershop quartet song, the Haydn Quartet having also placed 'Sweet
Adeline' (Victor disc 2934) at #1
the prior month. The Columbia Quartet became the Peerless Quartet to the
purpose of branching away from Columbia Phonograph
(founded 1887 to
produce cylinders, releasing initial flat discs in 1901) for whom they
recorded. DAHR has the Peerless putting down 'Where Is My Wandering Boy
To-Night' as early as an unknown date prior to Feb of 1907 for issue on Zonophone 673. They followed numerous issues on Zonophone w the major
label, Victor, in 1908. DAHR traces them w Victor to Feb of that year on
'Women!', 'Moonlight on the Lake' and 'The New Parson at Darktown Church'.
'Rah! Rah! Rah!' and ''Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming' saw session in
April. Porter didn't hang w the Peerless long, being replaced by
Arthur Collins in 1909 just as
the Peerless was beginning its long career as a supergroup. He instead joined
Billy Murray's American
Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4] which along with the Haydn and the Peerless made up the
three major quartets of the early 20th century. Porter remained w the
American until 1919. During his time w the group it consistently placed
above forty titles in the Top Ten of the charts starting w 'He's a College
Boy' at #4 in July 1910 to 'Breeze' in Nov 1919. Five of those had topped
the chart at #1: 'Oh, You Beautiful Doll' (12/11), 'Moonlight Bay' (3/12),
'Everybody Two-Step' (11/12), 'Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!' (6/17) and
'Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France' (9/17). In the meantime Porter had founded
the Port-O-Phone Corporation in 1919, manufacturing hearing aids
[1,
2].
Continuing his vocal career after the American Quartet, Porter died on 13
Jan 1946 . References: 1,
2,
3.
UCSB cylinders library.
Sessions flat disc:
Diamond Four,
Berliner,
Porter.
Flanagan recordings 1906-08.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3,
4.
Collections: IA,
National Jukebox (LOC).
HMR Project.
Per below, a number of Porter's issues as a comedian are included. He is thought to have written his own material for Flanagan. Steve Porter 1899 Composition: J. Fredric Helf Steve Porter 1902 An Armful of Kittens and a Cat Recorded 1901 Steve Porter 1908 Author: Porter Steve Porter 1909 Recorded 9/1908 Author: Porter Author: Frank Kennedy/Porter(?) Steve Porter 1910 With the American Quartet Composition: Porter With Billy Murray Author: Porter Steve Porter 1912 With the American Quartet Composition: Irving Berlin Steve Porter 1913 Music: Harry Israel Lyrics: Porter Steve Porter 1914 With the American Quartet Music: George L. Cobb Lyrics: Jack Yellen Steve Porter 1915 With the American Quartet Composition: Joe Goodwin/Lew Brown With Ada Jones & Harlan Knight Author: Harlan E. Knight Steve Porter 1917 Long Boy With Ada Jones Steve Porter 1918 With the American Quartet Composition: Porter/Samuel Holland Rous (S. H. Dudley)
|
Steve Porter Source: Discogs |
|
|
Fred Van Eps Circa 1910 Source: Record Fiend |
Born in 1878 in Somerville, New Jersey, banjo player
Fred Van Eps (father of guitarist George Van Eps) was also a banjo maker,
he and Henry Burr producing
the Van Eps Recording Banjo in the twenties. (As in Van Ep's day, cat gut,
or that of other animals, is yet preferred to manufacture stringed
instruments, though strings of other synthetic material have been tried.
Maple is the wood most commonly preferred, though mahogany and walnut are
used as well.) Van Eps first recorded in 1897, that at home on wax
cylinder blanks. He is thought to have been hired the same year to record
cylinders for Thomas Edison's National Phonograph Company. Rag Piano
commences its list of name recordings for Edison on cylinder in 1901 w
'The Sunflower Dance' (Edison Gold 7881) and 'Concert Waltz' (Edison Gold
7888). Multiple sources don't have those released until 1907 and 1911
respectively. Possibly released in 1902 were 'Patrol Comique' (Edison Gold
2627) and 'The International Cakewalk' (Edison Gold 8236). The
UCSB
Cylinder Audio Archive has 'L'enfante March' (Edison Gold 8274) issued in
1902. 'Blaze Away' that year was among his most
popular releases. Van Eps recorded his first issues on disc for Columbia. He had first
scratched 'Jack Tar' on cylinder for Columbia in 1903 for issue in 1904 on
Columbia XP 32324.
He also recorded that on disc for issue in Jan 1904 on Columbia 1613.
Van Eps issued prolifically on Victor as well during the first decade of the 20th
century, 'Rag Picking' and 'Burglar Buck' among his first titles on that
label in 1911. In 1912 he began recording with his Van Eps Trio, continuing
so until 1922. In 1921 he and his gang had featured in the short film by
the Kellum Talking Picture Company, 'The Famous Van Eps Trio in a Bit of
Jazz' [IMDb]. Having also worked the vaudeville circuit, in the thirties
he switched from banjo to guitar as he began doing studio work for such as
Benny Goodman, Ray Noble and
Red Norvo. Van Eps switched back to
recording banjo in 1950, releasing such into 1956 on his own record label,
5 String Banjo. It's said that Van Eps could play fourteen notes in one
second. Van Eps died on 22 Nov 1960 in Burbank, California. References:
1,
2,
synopsis.
Partial list of cylinder issues. Sessions:
DAHR, Lord's.
Catalogues: 1,
2,
3.
Archives: 'Hobbies-The Magazine for Collectors'
1956.
HMR Project. Fred Van Eps 1902 Composition: George Gregory Issue 1902 unconfirmed Film 1903 per mrocklin Fred Van Eps 1903 Issued sometime between 1904 and 1908 Fred Van Eps 1907 Fred Van Eps 1908 Composition: Everett Evans/Henry Frantzen Fred Van Eps 1909 Composition: Scott Joplin 1899 Fred Van Eps 1911 Composition: Harry Guy Composition: Paul Eno Composition: Henry Lodge Composition: Jean Schwartz Fred Van Eps 1912 Fred Van Eps 1913 Composition: George Gregory Composition: Kathryn Widmer Fred Van Eps 1914 Composition: Wilber Sweatman Fred Van Eps 1915 Recorded 1911 Composition: Will Dixon Fred Van Eps 1916 Composition: Joe Daly Composition: Charles Johnson Composition: Leo Friedman Fred Van Eps 1919 Composition: Leo Friedman
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|
Arthur Collins Source: Journal of Life |
Born in 1864 in Philadelphia, baritone
Arthur Collins
first began recording in 1897
for the Edison label [1,
2].
Amidst other early musicians on this page largely given to ballads,
barbershop quartets, novelties and such, Collins is one who more personifies ragtime [1,
2,
3]. Good examples are 'You're Talking Ragtime' (1900), 'I'm Certainly Living a
Rag-Time Life' (1900/01) and 'Any Rags?' (1903). His was also among the
bigger names in "coon" songs [1,
2,
3,
4]
such as 'The Patriotic Coon' ('98), 'A Coon Band Contest' ('00), 'Ma
Rainbow Coon' ('00) and 'Coon Coon Coon' ('01). Collins had spent fifteen years trying to make some progress
with various touring companies, also performing opera, when in 1895 he largely gave up to study bookkeeping,
getting married that year as well. Eventually beginning to perform again,
he gained the attention of Edison Records. MusikTitelDB lists sessions for
Edison as early as 15 Jan of 1898 on tracks such as 'Hesitate, Mr. Nigger,
Hesitate' (Edison 5408) and 'Honey, Does Yer Love Yer Man' (Edison 5409).
Titles gone down on 16 May were issued on lower label numbers indicating
earlier release (likely '98) such as 'Long live America!' (Edison 5400)
and 'A Red Hot Coon' (Edison 5401). From that point onward Collins
became among the most successful of early recording artists. Beginning its
list in 1900, Music VF has Collins topping the charts at #1 in Feb that
year w 'Mandy Lee'. Releasing 35 more titles into the Top Ten to as late as
'It's Nobody's Business but My Own' at #9 in Sep of 1919, followed by 'The
Argentines, the Portuguese, and the Greeks' at #15 in 11/1920. Collins placed
five more titles on top of the charts: 'Ma Tiger Lily' (8/'00), 'Bill
Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home' (7/'02), 'Under the Bamboo Tree'
(12/02), 'Good-Bye, Eliza Jane' (10/'03) and 'Any Rags?' (12/'03). In 1901
Collins had formed
a duo with tenor, Joe Natus. The pair also sang in a brief-existing group for Edison Records
called the Big Four Quartet [*
in 1901; not the
debutantes].
They issued 'Good-Bye Dolly Gray' (Edison 7728), 'My Charcoal Charmer'
(Edison 7765), 'There's Where My Heart Is To-night' (Edison 7766) and 'Old
Sailor's Return' (Edison 7767). The Big Four also consisted of A. D. Madiera and
Byron Harlan, the latter with
whom Collins partnered for nigh another twenty years [*]. The Collins and Harlan partnership
issued nearly ninety
Top Ten titles from 'The Wedding of Reuben and the
Maid' at #2 in 8/1902 to 'When Uncle Joe Steps into France' at #9 in
11/1918. Eight of those were chart-topping songs at #1: Down Where the Wurzburger Flows 12/1902 Hurrah for Baffin's Bay 9/1903 Camp Meetin' Time 12/1906 The Right Church But the Wrong Pew 2/1909 Under the Yum Yum Tree 2/1911 Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey 3/1911 Alexander's Ragtime Band 9/1911 When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam' 2/1913 Circa 1903 Collins performed w the Columbia Quartet [1, 2] or variation thereat. The Columbia Quartet (often mistakenly grouped w the Peerless Quartet due to murk and common members) was the force behind the quintessential barbershop quartet song called 'Sweet Adeline' in 1904 (Columbia cylinder 32584). Collins was likely out on that, and what recordings he might have made w the Columbia during that period, if any, aren't discovered. Gracyk has him replacing Steve Porter in the Peerless Quartet [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] in 1909 to sing alongside Henry Burr, Albert Campbell and Frank C. Stanley [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7], albeit DAHR has him in an unconfirmed session with the Peerless as early as 26 May of 1908 for 'Old Black Joe'. Both 'Cosmopolitan' and 'McClure's Magazine' [Volume 31] have that on market as of Sep 28 of 1908 on Victor 5562 [1, 2]. Internet Archive has that reissued in Dec of 1909 on Victor 16531-B w 'Tramp, Tramp, Tramp' flip side [see also 1, 2]. Collins would be a permanent member of the Peerless Quartet until its dismantling in 1926. The Peerless was a supergroup that consistently charted in the Top Ten on above ninety releases. (Music VF charts the Columbia Quartet as Peerless. The Peerless don't actually commence until Zonophone in 1907). Collins was w the group through four of their titles topping the charts at #1 from 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' (Nov '11) and 'The Lights of My Home Town' (March '16) to 'Over There' (Oct '17) and 'I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way' (Jan '18). There seemingly some grief between he and Burr, the latter managing the Peerless, Collins was replaced by Frank Croxton in 1918. He continued w a solo career until poor health found him retiring w his wife in Florida in 1926. He there died in Tice on 3 August 1933. References for Collins: 1, 2, 3, 4. Sessions: cylinder, disc. UCSB cylinders library. Catalogues: 1, 2, 3. Archives: IA, LOC. References for Collins and Harlan: Sessions (disc). UCSB cylinders library. Catalogues: 1, 2, 3. Archives: 1, 2. HMR Project. Per 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' in 1919 below, SecondHandSongs has the sheet music for that composed in 1918 by John Kellette and Jaan Kenbrovin w the latter pseudonym for James Brockman, James Kendis and Nat Vincent. Arthur Collins 1898 Composition: Kerry Mills Music: Lyn Udall Lyrics: Karl Kennett Arthur Collins 1899 Music: Joseph E. Howard Lyrics: Ida Emersont Music: John Stromberg Lyrics: Edgar Smith Arthur Collins 1900 Composition: Thurland Chattaway Arthur Collins 1901 Music: A. Baldwin Sloane Lyrics: Clay M. Greene Arthur Collins 1902 Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? Composition: Hughie Cannon Lyrics: Thomas Casey 1888 Set to music later by Charles Connolly Arthur Collins 1904 Composition: Jerome/Schindler (?) Arthur Collins 1905 Composition: Joe Arisonia Arthur Collins 1906 Everybody Have a Good Old Time Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling Arthur Collins 1907 With Byron Harlan Composition: Sadie Mae Clark Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling Arthur Collins 1908 I Just Can't Keep My Feet Still Music: Seymour Furth Lyrics: Eddie Moran Arthur Collins 1909 Composition: Henry Lodge Arthur Collins 1910 Music: Albert Von Tilzer Lyrics: Junie McCree Arthur Collins 1911 Music: Bert & Frank Leighton Lyrics: Ren Shields Arthur Collins 1912 With Byron Harlan Composition: Irving Berlin Music: Terry Sherman Lyrics: Joseph H. McKeon Arthur Collins 1914 With Byron Harlan Music: Walter Donovan Lyrics: Arthur Fields With the Peerless Quartet Music: Edward O'Keefe Lyrics: Jeff T. Branen Arthur Collins 1917 With the Peerless Quartet Composition: Arthur Thomas
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| Born John Scantlebury Macdonald in 1871 in
Hamilton, Ontario, balladeer Harry Macdonough
first recorded in 1898 for the Michigan Electric Company of Detroit. Those
were for phonograph parlor slot machines. What record of those that might
exist is unknown. ('Billboard' began tracking
'Amusement Machines' in
1899.) In 1899 Macdonough joined the Edison Male Quartet
[1,
2,
3,
4],
replacing Jere Mahoney as second tenor. Others in
the Edison were
John Bieling (lead tenor),
SH Dudley (baritone) William F.
Hooley (bass). Just which songs on which Mahoney appeared, if any, aren't
determined, but Discogs associates Macdonough with 'My Old Kentucky Home'
and 'Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep' in 1899. The Edison Quartet became the
Haydn Quartet
in 1901 to the purpose of recording for other than Edison Records. The
Haydn had also recorded as the American Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4] at the time. The
Haydn was the original super group, its major contenders being the American
Quartet upon their becoming separate entities and the big daddy of them all, the
Peerless Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4,
5].
It's initial Top Ten topped the charts at #1 in Oct 1900 per 'Because'.
Nearly forty other songs placed in the Top Ten to as late as 'Cross the
Great Divide' in April 1914. Six more of their titles topped the charts at
#1: 'In the Good Old Summer Time' (2/03), 'Bedalia' (1/04), 'Blue Bell'
(6/04), 'Sweet Adeline' (10/04) 'Sunbonnet Sue' (10/08) and 'Put on Your
Old Gray Bonnet' (12/09). MacDonough had
charted as a solo vocalist prior
to the Haydn with 'Mandy Lee' reaching #3 in March of 1900. Music VF has
him on above sixty titles in the Top Ten to as late as 'The Girl on the
Magazine' at #1 in April 1916. Nine of MacDonough's titles had topped the
charts: The Tale of the Bumble Bee 10/01 Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder 10/01 The Mansion of Aching Hearts 9/02 Hiawatha 7/03 My Dear 12/07 Where the River Shannon Flows 2/10 In the Valley of Yesterday 10/10 Down by the Old Mill Stream 12/11 The Girl on the Magazine 4/16 Macdonough also recorded with various Victor ensembles while w the Haydn, such as the Victor Male Chorus [*]. He had met Grace Spencer in 1900 via the Lyric Trio [*] with whom he issued a couple of duets that sold well per 'When We Are Married' reaching #2 in Sep of 1900 and 'Tell Me, Pretty Maiden' topping the charts at #1 in April 1901. Multiple duets w John Bieling saw the Top Ten w 'In the Sweet Bye and Bye' reaching #1 in April of '03. Come Elise Stevenson w whom he topped the charts twice per 'Because You're You' in April '07 and 'Shine on, Harvest Moon' in April of '09. Come Olive Kline the next decade w whom he topped the charts in 11/15 w 'They Didn't Believe Me'. As Macdonough's career progressed he began working as a manager for Victor. Come 1920 he retired from performing and became a full-time manager, switching over to Columbia in 1925 to work as a studio director until his death on 26 Sep 1931. References for Macdonough: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Sessions per DAHR. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Collections: Internet Archive, National Jukebox (LOC). Best-selling titles descending order. Haydn Quartet: Sessions: DAHR. Discographies: 45Worlds, Discogs, RYM. Best-selling titles descending order. Archives: IA, LOC (National Jukebox). HMR Project. Harry Macdonough 1900 Composition: Chauncey Olcott Harry Macdonough 1901 Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Music: Herbert Dillea Lyrics: Arthur Gillespie Music: Paul Barnes Lyrics: Will D. Cobb Composition: James Thornton 1898 Harry Macdonough 1902 Edison Male Quartet For Berliner Music: George Evans Lyrics: Ren Shields Composition: Thurland Chattaway Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Arthur J. Lamb Composition: Chauncey Olcott Harry Macdonough 1903 In the Good Old Summer Time For Victor Music: George Evans Lyrics: Ren Shields Composition: Bob Cole/James Weldon Johnson Composition: John W. Brattonn Harry Macdonough 1904 Composition: Joseph E. Howard Harry Macdonough 1905 Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Music: Herbert Dillea Lyrics: Arthur Gillespie Music: S. R. Henry Lyrics: James John Walker I Can't Tell Why I Love You But I Do Music: Gus Edwards Lyrics: Will D. Cobb Harry Macdonough 1906 When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder Haydn Quartet Composition: James M. Black Harry Macdonough 1908 I Lost My Heart When I Saw Your Eyes Music: J. Fred Helf Lyrics: Arthur J. Lamb Molly Darling Haydn Quartet Music: Kerry Mills Lyrics: Will D. Cobb Harry Macdonough 1909 With Elise Stevenson Composition: Nora Bayes/Jack Norworth Harry Macdonough 1911 Composition: Tell Taylor Harry Macdonough 1912 With the American Quartet Music: Egbert Van Alstyne Lyrics: Harry Williams With Albert Campbell Music: Egbert Van Alstyne Lyrics: Harry Williams Harry Macdonough 1916 Composition: Irving Berlin
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Harry Macdonough Source: Wikipedia |
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|
Byron Harlan Source: Centennial Countdown |
Born in Kansas in 1861, balladeer
Byron Harlan is thought to have made his first
recording in 1899: 'Please, Mr. Conductor, Don't Put Me Off the Train'
(Edison 7219). Albeit Harlan was among the superstars of early recording,
he is an obscure figure beyond all the titles he left behind. A duet w
Addison D. Madeira topped the charts in Feb 1900 per 'In the Shadow of the
Pines'. Following that, his solo career alone claimed nearly forty Top Ten
positions on the charts from 'When the Harvest Days Are Over' at #3 in Feb
1901 to 'How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm' at #9 in May 1919. Nine
of those topped the charts at #1: Down Where the Wurzburger Flows 12/1902 Hurrah for Baffin's Bay 9/1903 Camp Meetin' Time 12/1906 The Right Church But the Wrong Pew 2/1909 Under the Yum Yum Tree 2/1911 Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey 3/1911 Alexander's Ragtime Band 9/1911 When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam' 1/1913 Along with Madiera, Harlan became one of the brief-existing Big Four with Arthur Collins and Joseph Natus [* in 1901; not the big four of *]. The Big Four Quartet issued 'Good-Bye Dolly Gray' (Edison 7728), 'My Charcoal Charmer' (Edison 7765), 'There's Where My Heart Is To-night' (Edison 7766) and 'Old Sailor's Return' (Edison 7767) before Collins and Harlan began to release titles as a superduo with nearly ninety titles reaching the Top Ten on the charts from 'The Wedding of Reuben and the Maid' at #2 in 8/1902 to 'When Uncle Joe Steps into France' at #9 in 11/1918. Eight of those were chart-topping songs at #1: Down Where the Wurzburger Flows 12/1902 Hurrah for Baffin's Bay 9/1903 Camp Meetin' Time 12/1906 The Right Church But the Wrong Pew 2/1909 Under the Yum Yum Tree 2/1911 Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey 3/1911 When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam' 1/57 Frank C. Stanley [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] was another of Harlan's important associates, their first issue to chart in 8/1902 per 'First Rehearsal for the Huskin' Bee' at #4. 'Blue Bell' and 'Tramp Tramp Tramp' topped the charts in May '04 and Oct '10 respectively. Ten of their titles claimed a spot in the Top Ten to as late as 'Chicken Reel' in Sep of '11, that posthumously for Stanley who had died of pleurisy in 1910. Harlan had also recorded duets with Joseph Belmont during the opening decade of the 20th century. Discogs has him issuing a couple of comedy monologues as late as 1923 on Gennett 5204 called 'Uncle Josh in the Cafeteria'/'Uncle Josh at a Circus'. The 'Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound' edited by Frank Hoffmann (Routledge 2005) has Harlan recording unidentified titles to as late as 1924. From there he disappears from view until his death on 11 Sep 1936. References: 1, 2, 3. Sessions: 1, 2. Cylinders: 1, 2. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Archives: 1, 2. Collins and Harlan: Sessions (disc). UCSB cylinders library. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Archives: 1, 2. HMR Project. Byron Harlan 1899 Please, Mr. Conductor, Don't Put Me Off the Train Music: E.P. Moran Lyrics: J. Fred Helf Byron Harlan 1901 Composition: Charles Harris Byron Harlan 1903 Music: Stanley Crawford Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling Byron Harlan 1905 Music: Albert Von Tilzer Lyrics: Sam Ehrlich Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Edward Madden Byron Harlan 1906 Music: J. Fred Helf Lyrics: Ed Gardenier/Will D. Cobb Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Jack Drislane Byron Harlan 1907 With Frank Stanley Music: Charles Johnson Lyrics: James O'Dea 'Neath the Old Cherry Tree, Sweet Marie Composition: Williams/Van Alstyne Byron Harlan 1908 Composition: Charles Harris Byron Harlan 1910 I'd Like to be a Soldier Boy in Blue Composition: Hampton Durand/Harry Newton
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| Born Harry Haley McClaskey in 1882 in New
Brunswick, Canada, tenor vocalist, Henry Burr,
recorded under a long list of aliases as well:
Irving Gillette [1,
2,
3,
4,
5], Henry Gillette, Alfred Alexander, Ralph Brainard, Harry Haley, Robert
Rice, Carl Ely [*],
Harry Barr, Frank Knapp, Al King and Harry McClaskey [1, 2].
Among the superstars of early American popular music, Burr made more than 12,000 recordings during his career.
DAHR lists nearly 3000 of them. He'd begun singing
in public at age five. At thirteen he performed with an ensemble called the
Artillery Band. He was performing at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC in 1901
when he was discovered by opera baritone Giuseppe Campanari, who encouraged
him to move to New York and pursue vocal training. Which he did, before making
his first recordings for Columbia perhaps as early as 1902. Going by
Gracyk, his earliest session is traced to 'My Dreams' in 1903 per Columbia
1351. His first track as a solo vocalist to chart per Music VF was 'The
Rosary' in June of 1904 at #3. 'Come Down, Ma Ev'ning Star' went up
instead to #1 in July. Burr is a poster boy of early superstardom, 97 of
his titles consistently reaching the Top Ten to as late as 'Are You
Lonesome To-night?' at #10 in 1927, twelve more alighting in the Top
Twenty. After 'Come Down, Ma Ev'ning Star' Burr placed 13 more songs at the #1
tier: Love Me and the World is Mine 11/1906 To the End of the World with You 5/1909 I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now 9/1909 When I Lost You 4/1913 Last Night Was the End of the World 8/1913 The Song That Stole My Heart Away 5/1914 M-O-T-H-E-R 2/1916 Good-Bye, Good Luck, God Bless You 6/1916 Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight 4/1918 I'm Sorry I Made You Cry 6/1918 Beautiful Ohio 5/1919 Oh! What a Pal was Mary 10/1919 My Buddy 11/1922 We need return to the notable year of 1903, that when Burr hooked up w the Columbia Quartet(te) or variation thereat [see Gracyk ref 2 below]. Members at that time were first tenor, Albert Campbell, baritone, Joe Belmont, and bass, Joe Majors. Rotating personnel came to Burr, Campbell, baritone, Steve Porter, and bass, Frank C. Stanley [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] (if not Tom Daniels) when the Columbia Quartette placed its first title on the charts in 1904 w 'Sweet Adeline' (Columbia cylinder 32584) at #1 [grouped as the Peerless Quartette at Music VF]. The Columbia Quartet(te) would also record as the Climax Quartet and Columbia Male Quartette. Also in 1904 Burr began recording for Edison Records as Irving Gillette. Recording extensively w Victor as well, his first tracks for that label went down on Jan 4 of 1905 for 'Loch Lomond' (B2108)and 'Daddy' (B2109). The Columbia Quartet(te) became the Peerless Quartet [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] in 1906. DAHR has them recording 'Where Is My Wandering Boy To-Night' on an unknown date prior to Feb of 1907 when it was issued on Zonophone 673. They followed numerous issues on Zonophone w the major label, Victor, in 1908. DAHR traces them w Victor to Feb of that year on 'Women!', 'Moonlight on the Lake' and 'The New Parson at Darktown Church'. 'Rah! Rah! Rah!' and ''Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming' saw session in April. Another important member of the Peerless Quartet was Arthur Collins. Having been with the Columbia Quartette, he replaced Porter circa 1908/09. Stanley was replaced upon his death of pleurisy in 1910 by John H. Meyer. The Peerless Quartet was among the most profitable ensembles of the period, veritably the first supergroup, excepting the Haydn Quartet, making hundreds of recordings. The third major quartet of the period was the American [1, 2]. The Peerless Quartet consistently charted in the Top Ten on above ninety releases to as late as 1926 when they dismantled. Four of their titles topped the charts at #1 from 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' (Nov '11) and 'The Lights of My Home Town' (March '16) to 'Over There' (Oct '17) and 'I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm on My Way' (Jan '18). Before Stanley's death in 1910 he and Burr had recorded numerous duets. Discogs has them issuing 'The Holy City'/'Crucifix' (Columbia A5034) and 'Iola' (Columbia 3571) as early as 1906. Music VF has the duo charting at #2 in Sep of 1907 w 'Red Wing'. Eleven more Top Ten titles followed to 'The Moonlight, the Rose and You' at #8 in April of 1911 (released posthumously per Stanley's death in '10). Also among Burr's major partners was Albert Campbell. Performing together since the Columbia Quartet period, Burr and Campbell recorded countless duets between 1911 and 1925. A superduo, they released 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 '12), 'Close to My Heart' (Sep '15), 'Lookout Mountain' (July '17), 'Till We Meet Again' (Feb '19) and 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' (May '19). Burr's first radio broadcast had been from Denver in 1920, using a wood bowl rigged with an inverted telephone transmitter for a microphone. In 1928 he founded Henry Burr, Inc. and began producing radio programs. In 1935 Burr started performing for WLS Chicago 'National Barn Dance', where he stayed the next five years. He died in Chicago on April 6, 1941. References for Burr: [1, 2, 3, 4, other groups]. Sessions; see also 'The Columbia Master Book Discography: Principal U.S. Matrix Series 1910-1924 by Brian Rust [matrix dates w years missing *]. UCSB cylinders library. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Titles by issue w composers. Compilations: 'Henry Burr Anthology: The Original King of Pop' Archeophone Records 2005. Archives: IA, LOC, RSA. Other profiles: 1, 2. Peerless Quartet: sessions: 1, 2; catalogues: 1, 2, 3, 4; archives: IA, LOC. Burr w Stanley. Most of the tracks below from 1908 onward with the Peerless Quartet. Henry Burr 1903 Composition: Stephen Adams Henry Burr 1904 Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Edward Madden Music: Egbert Van Alstyne Lyrics: Harry Williams Henry Burr 1905 Composition: Herbert Johnson As Irving Gillette Lyrics: Alfred Bryan/Sam M. Lewis In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree Music: Harry Williams Lyrics: Egbert Van Alstyne As Irving Gillette Music: George James Webb Lyrics: George Duffield Henry Burr 1906 'Neath the Spreading Chestnut Tree Henry Burr 1908 With the Peerless Quartet Music: John Bacchus Dykes Lyrics: Cardinal John Henry Newman With the Peerless Quartet Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Coleman Goetz With the Peerless Quartet Music: C. M. Chapel Lyrics: Cecil Lean Henry Burr 1909 With the Peerless Quartet Music: George W. Meyer Lyrics: Jack Drislane Henry Burr 1911 With the Peerless Quartet Composition: Leo Friedman/Beth Slater Whitson Henry Burr 1913 With the Peerless Quartet Music: Anatol Friedland Lyrics: Edgar Allan Woolf With the Peerless Quartet Composition: Theodore F. Morse Henry Burr 1914 With the Peerless Quartet Music: Jean Schwartz Lyrics: Grant Clarke The Song That Stole My Heart Away Music: Harry Von Tilzer Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling With the Peerless Quartet Music: Egbert Van Alstyne Lyrics: A. Seymour Brown Henry Burr 1915 I Didn't Raise My Boy to be a Soldier With the Peerless Quartet Music: Al Piantadosi Lyrics: Alfred Bryan Henry Burr 1916 Music: Theodore F. Morse Lyrics: Howard E. Johnson With the Peerless Quartet Music: Ted Barron/George Cobb Lyrics: Jack Yellen Henry Burr 1917 Over There With the Peerless Quartet Composition: George M. Cohan Henry Burr 1919 Music: Robert King/Mary Earl Lyrics: Ballard MacDonald Henry Burr 1922 Music: Luella Lockwood Moore/Will E. Dulmage Lyrics: Richard W. Pascoe Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Gus Kahn Music: Ernest R. Ball Lyrics: J. Keirn Brennan Henry Burr 1925 With the Nat Shilkret International Novelty Orchestra Composition: Charles Harris Henry Burr 1926 Composition: Irving Berlin With the Nat Shilkret International Novelty Orchestra Music: Fred Fisher Lyrics: Billy Rose Music: Jesse Greer Lyrics: Benny Davis Composition: Art Walsh Henry Burr 1927 Music: Lou Handman Lyrics: Roy Turk
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Henry Burr Photo: Ryan Barna Collection Source: Phono Nostalgia |
|
|
Charles W. Harrison
Source: DAHR |
Born in 1878,
Charles W. Harrison
[1,
2,
3]
was 28 year-old tenor who made his initial
recordings (to go by DAHR) w the Trinity Choir on 2 May 1906. Those were
'Praise ye the Father' (Victor 4749/16419) and 'Blest Be the Ties That
Bind' (Victor 720/16178). Label scans exist of both issues of the former
(flat discs),
but I only presume they were released that year. The TC was one of the
more important ensembles in Harrison's career, recording numerously with
them into 1909 and later in the twenties into 1930. Also major were the
numerous ensembles in which he performed for Victor, notably the Victor
Light Opera Company from 1910 to 1914 and later in the twenties into 1930.
Also large were numerous ensembles for Columbia. 'The Columbia Master Book
Discography Vol II' by Rust and Brooks has Harrison w the Columbia
Quartet(te) as early as 12 Feb 1912 for 'Take Me Back to the Garden of
Love' (Columbia A1141). Come the
Columbia Stellar Quartet(te)
from 1912 to 1921, placing 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' (Columbia
2367) at #1 along the way in Feb 1918. That group also recorded a few titles as the Broadway Quartette. Harrison sang
w the Eveready Mixed Quartet in 1924 on the
'Eveready Hour'
radio program. Later organizations with which Harrison recorded include
the
Jean Goldkette
Orchestra, the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra,
the Revelers, the American Singers, the High Hatters, the Connecticut
Yankees, the Lee Jones Madrigal Singers and the Hotel McAlpin Orchestra.
1925 saw Harrison's marriage to Beulah Gaylord Young (b 1873), a soprano
with whom he had first recorded for the Columbia Phonograph Company in
1911: 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling' (Columbia A5338) and 'Where
Love Is King' (Columbia A1090). Other duets followed in 1912 like ''Aeroplane
Duet' (Columbia A1135), 'Awakened Love (Columbia A1135) and 'Are You Going
to Dance?' (Columbia A1225). Rust/Brooks have Harrison recording solo
about the same time as his his first tracks w Young, 'Mignon' and
'Maritana' going down as early as 29 May 1911 for release on Columbia
A5313. His first solo release to
chart was 'I'm Falling in Love with
Someone' (Columbia 5327) at #9 in February 1912. Harrison positioned 29
titles in the Top Eleven to as late as 'Play That Song of India Again'
(Victor 18877) at #4 in May 1922. Three of those topped the charts at #1:
'Peg o' My Heart' (11/13), 'Ireland Must be Heaven, for My Mother Came
from There' (10/16) and 'I'm Always Chasing Rainbows' (11/18). Harrison
had also recorded as Billy Burton beginning in 1914 w 'Cotton Blossom
Time'/'Tennessee, I Hear You Calling Me' (Columbia A1663). DAHR has
Harrison as Burton on numerous titles to as late as 1917 per 'Your Eyes,
Your Lips, Your Heart' (Columbia A2359) and 'Oh! Jack, When Are You Coming
Back?' (Columbia A2274). Harrison began appearing
on Broadway in
1930 ('This One Man'). He was 75 years of age when he made his last recordings in
1954, an album titled 'Charles Harrison Sings Again'. He died on 2 Feb
1965. Sessions:
DAHR, 'The Columbia
Master Book Discography Vol II: Principal U.S. Matrix Series 1910-1924'
(Rust/Brooks), 'Jazz and Ragtime Records 1897 – 1942' (Rust), Lord's
Disco. UCSB cylinders library. Discographies:
1,
2,
3.
Archives: IA,
LOC (National Jukebox).
See also Jim Walsh, 'Hobbies' magazine, Oct '51/March '52. Tracks below are alphabetical by year. Charles Harrison 1912 With Elisabeth Spencer Music: John Metcalf Lyrics: Catherine Young Glen Take Me Back to the Garden of Love Music: Nat Osborne Lyrics: E. Ray Goetz Charles Harrison 1913 Composition: Lao Silesu Music: Fred Fisher Lyrics: Alfred Bryan When You And I Were Young Maggie Composition: George Washington Johnson/James Butterfield Charles Harrison 1916 Music: Fred Fisher Lyrics: Howard Johnson/Joseph McCarthy Charles Harrison 1918 From 'Fantaisie-Impromptu': Frédéric Chopin 1834 Adaptation: Harry Carroll 1917 Lyrics: Joseph McCarthy Charles Harrison 1920 Composition: Al Jolson/Vincent Rose I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time Composition: Albert Von Tilzer/Neville Fleeson Charles Harrison 1921 Composition: Harry Pease/Ed Nelson/Gilbert Dodge
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Elise Stevenson Source: Tim Gracyk |
Born Eliza Stevens in Liverpool in 1878,
Elise Stevenson [1,
2]
was a soprano who immigrated to America during an unknown year. Though
highly popular during the first decade of the 20th century, she is now an
obscure figure beyond her recordings along a career of only some five
years. She made her first recording for Victor in Philadelphia on 2 April
1906 with Harry Macdonough per 'Cross Your
Heart', but that was destroyed without issue [DAHR]. Stevenson's first
recordings to see release arrived on 2 May of 1906 with the Trinity Choir
per 'Praise Ye the Father' (Victor 4749), 'There Is a Fountain Fill'd with
Blood' (Victor 4736) and 'Lead, Kindly Light' (victor 4793). Other members
of the Trinity Choir included Macdonough, Corinne Morgan and
Frank C. Stanley (the latter a major figure in early popular recording whose
absence from this history is glaring). Stevenson put away another
version of 'Cross Your Heart' with Stanley on 12 June toward issue on
Victor 4776. 'I Would Like to Marry You' on the same date saw release on
Victor 4777. Her initial solo recording on the same date, 'The Last Rose
of Summer', was destroyed. Stevenson's next session with Stanley on
September 24 caused 'The Linger-Longer Girl' (Victor 4876) to tarry at #3
on the charts in January of 1907. Their later issue of 'Good Evening,
Caroline' on Victor 5627 topped the charts at #1 in January of 1909. Elise
used the pseudonym, Alice C. Stevenson, on many of her records with
Stanley. Stevenson held several solo sessions along a trail of recordings
with Stanley, Macdonough and the Lyric Quartet, but none saw issue until
'When the Swallows Homeward Fly' on 14 March 1907 toward Victor 5109. Her
duet with Macdonough per 'Because You're You' on Victor 5020 topped the
charts in April 1907. Two years later their 'Shine on, Harvest Moon'
(Victor 16259) placed at #1 in April 1909. In the meantime her own 'The Vilia Song' had charted at #3 in May of 1908, followed by 'Are You
Sincere?' in July. 'Dear Heart' would rise to #8 in January 1910.
Stevenson had also performed as both Elise and Elsie Wood, having married
one Milton Wood in 1905. She had left behind 'A Waltz Dream' (Columbia
cylinder 33225) with Henry Burr as Elsie Wood in 1908. DAHR has that pair
recording numerously together to no later than June of 1912 in New York
City per 'Same Old Love' (Zonophone disc 5927). Her own last session of
certain date is cited as 12 December 1911 for 'Light as Air' with the
Victor Light Opera Company and 'National Airs of All Nations' with the
Victor Mixed Chorus. She thereafter retired to raise
her family. Stevenson died on 18 Nov 1967 in Laguna Beach, California. UCSB
cylinders catalogue.
Sessions (disc).
Charts.
Discographies: 1,
2. Collections:
IA,
LOC (National Jukebox). Elise Stevenson 1907 I'll Wait for You, Little Girlie With SH Dudley & Harry Macdonough Music: Leslie StuartLyrics: George Arthurs With Frank Stanley Music: Alfred SolmanLyrics: Arthur J. Lamb With Harry Macdonough Composition: Franz Lehar Elise Stevenson 1909 All I Want Is One Loving Smile from You With Frank Stanley Composition: George W. Meyer With Henry Burr & Frank Stanley Music: J. Anton Dailey Lyrics: L. W. Heiser With Frank Stanley Music: Oscar Straus Lyrics: Stanislaus Stange With Harry Macdonough & Miss Walton Composition: Nora Bayes/Jack Norworth With Henry Burr & Frank Stanley Music: Victor Herbert Lyrics: Harry B. Smith Elise Stevenson 1910 Two Giddy Goats from the Bells of Brittany With Frank Stanley Music: Howard Talbot Lyrics: Percy Greenbank Elise Stevenson 1911 With Henry Burr Composition: Irving Berlin
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Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Photo: St. Martin's Press Source: Like Success |
Born in 1867 in Chicago,
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
was a Broadway producer rather than a musician. He belongs in this
history of early popular music in terms of spectacle, that is, the show,
carving the headstone to vaudeville's nickel and dime acts by upping the
ante to reviews of more modern
musical extravaganza across the Broadway stage. His mother a Catholic,
his father Lutheran, the latter also owned a nightclub in Chicago called
the Trocadero where Musicals 101 begins Ziegfeld's career in show business
by successfully booking weightlifter, Eugene Sandow, to flex big muscles
on stage in 1893/94. Ziegfeld's first Broadway musical followed in 1896
per 'A Parlor Match' starring Anna Held. Several more productions starring
Held followed to the
Ziegfeld
Follies which began as an annual presentation of top
vaudeville [1,
2,
3,
4] acts in 1907, Ziegfeld forty years old by that time. The
Follies had been Held's bright notion, She had been performing in the Folies Bergère in Paris at the time
that Ziegfeld stole her away to the United States to become a Broadway
star apart fro the Follies.
The Folies Bergère was a
variety show first presented in Paris in 1869, and yet to this day,
featuring comedy, operettas, gymnastics and music. By 1927 the Follies had
been so successful through thousands of performances that Ziegfeld was
able to open the 1600-seat Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan at a cost of 2.5
million dollars borrowed from William Randolph Hearst. Unfortunately razed
in 1966, the Ziegfeld first opened its doors to the public in Feb of '27
to stage 'Rio Rita'. 'Show Boat' went into production in December of 1927
w music by Jerome Kern and song by Oscar Hammerstein II on such as 'Old
Man River'. As for the Ziegfeld Follies, they were
presented through 1931, as Ziegfeld died of pleurisy on 22 July 1932. They were followed,
however, by the radio program, 'The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air'
from 1932 to '36. Later editions of the Follies were held in 1943, 1956
(in Boston) and 1957. References: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Ziegfeld on Broadway: 1,
2.
Edison Blue Amberol cylinders 1917>.
Film: 1,
2.
Ziegfeld's glamour girls: 1,
2.
Collections: 1,
2,
3,
4.
HMR Project. Further reading: 'Ziegfeld: The
Man Who Invented Show Business' by Ethan Mordden (St. Martin's Press
2008). The top several entries below, without dates, are slide shows
of Ziegfeld Follies female performers, the majority of photographs taken
by Alfred Cheney Johnston. (The musical accompaniment on most is
irrelevant to this page. But the montages themselves are highly pertinent,
and so nicely done that it would be a crime to know of them and not index
them here.) As to the music of the Ziegfeld Follies, the earliest
recordings found are from 1913. Ziegfeld Follies Slide Shows The Beauties of the Ziegfeld Follies A Tribute to the Women of the Ziegfeld Follies Ziegfeld Follies Glamour Girls Vintage Ziegfeld Girl Slideshow Ziegfeld Follies 1913 Vocal: Elizabeth Brice Composition: Raymond Hubbell/George Hobart Vocal: Jose Collins Composition: Dave Stamper/Gene Buck Ziegfeld Follies 1917 Victor Light Opera Company Music: Jerome Kern/Dave StamperLyrics: Gene Buck Vocal: Eddy Cantor Composition: James Hanley/Ballard MacDonald That's the Kind of a Baby for Me Vocal: Eddy Cantor Composition: Jack Egan/Alfred Harriman Ziegfeld Follies 1918 Soprano: Bernadette Boerckel Composition: Louis Hirsch Ziegfeld Follies 1921 Vocal: Fanny Brice Music: James F. HanleyLyrics: Grant Clarke Ziegfeld Follies 1923 Vocal: Frank Crumit Composition: Frank Crumit Ziegfeld Follies 1926 Ziegfeld Follies 1927 Vocals: Franklyn Baur & Brox Sisters
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Will Oakland Source: SecondHand Songs |
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1880,
Will Oakland [1,
2] began his music career
as a minstrel [1,
2,
3,
4,
5] singer in 1905 upon discharge from the Army. The
'Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound Vol 1 A-L' (Frank
Hoffmann/ Routledge) has
Oakland's first issue on cylinder [*] for Edison per 'When the Autumn Moon Is Creeping
Thro' the Woodlands' (Edison 9902) which the 'Chronology of American
Popular Music 1900-2000' (Frank Hoffmann/ Routledge) has released on 25
July of 1908. Oakland's initial disc was 'When You and I Were Young,
Maggie' w the Victor Orchestra on Victor 5682 released in spring the next year
on 10" for 60 cents
per plate (fairly expensive at the time). That title reached #7 on
the charts in December.
Oakland's career in the second decade of the 20th
century is likened to that of
Richard Jose in the first.
Oakland placed 12 titles in the Top Ten to as late as 'Dear Little
Boy of Mine' at #7 in August 1919. Two of those had topped the charts
at #1: 'Mother Machree' in 2/11 and 'I Love the Name of Mary' in 4/11.
DAHR traces Oakland to the American
Quartet [1,
2,
3,
4]
as early as 12 July of 1910 for unissued tracks of 'In the Gloaming' and
'Who Will Care for Mother Now?'. 'At the Club' went down in May of 1912,
that destroyed. It wasn't all that bad though since the American also
recorded as the Heidelberg Quintet(te)
largely featuring Oakland [1,
2]. DAHR has his first session with that outfit on
April 15 1912 for 'Under the Love Tree' and 'I Want to Love You While the
Music's Playing'. Their release of 'By the Beautiful Sea' topped the
charts in July 1914. The
Heidelberg was a brief-existing entity which DAHR follows to the last of
22 titles on 26 June of 1914: 'Don't Go Away', 'Ma Pickaninny Babe' and
'Roll Them Cotton Bales'. Oakland thereafter led a solo career, recording
'Let's Grow Old Together' and 'Gone' for Columbia as late as March of 1926.
Oakland joins Sophie Tucker
as one of the earliest entertainers on this page to fully enter into the
modern age per appearances on television, those being 'The Ed Sullivan
Show' on 14 June '53 and 22 Jan '56 [IMDb]. He also spanned the whole period from
cylinder recording to magnetic tape, apparently taping a demo as the Hi-Fi
Minstrel Man [Lewis/ allmusic] briefly before his death on a bus heading to Newark, New Jersey, on 15 May 1956.
Oakland at the UCSB cylinders library.
Sessions on disc at DAHR: 1,
2,
3.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3;
Discogs: 1,
2,
3. Compilations: Heidelberg
Quintet: 'Floating Down the River: Complete Releases 1912-1914'
Archeophone 2003. Internet Archive:
1,
2,
3.
LOC National Jukebox: 1,
2.
Other profiles: *. Will Oakland 1904 Text: John Keble Will Oakland 1908 Music: H. P. DanksLyrics: Eben E. Rexford When You and I Were Young, Maggie Composition: George Washington Johnson/James Butterfield Will Oakland 1910 Music: Frank HowardLyrics: Eben E. Rexford Will Oakland 1912 Say Au Revoir But Not Good-bye Composition: Harry Kennedy Will Oakland 1913 Music: Al PiantadosiLyrics: Henry Fink Composition: Charles Johnson Will Oakland 1914 With Billy Murray Will Oakland 1915 Music: Percy WenrichLyrics: Jack Mahoney
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Born Sonya Kalish in (now) Ukraine on 13 January 1886, Sophie Tucker was known as The Last of the Red Hot Mamas. In the photo to the right her musical associates appear to marvel as she performs at the bell with her skull. As the bell is among the more challenging instruments to thus play it is rarely seen, albeit who knows if Frank Loesser's 'If I Were a Bell' (Isabel Bigley '50) was not inspired by Tucker. An infant when her family brought their future bell ball to Hartford, Connecticut, Tucker first began performing for income in her family's restaurant, singing for tips. In 1903 she eloped with a beer wagon driver named Louis Tuck, hence her name when she later changed it. Returning home to marry Tuck in 1906, she gave birth to a son, separated from Tuck, left her child with her family, then headed for NYC where she sang in cafes to send money back home. Tucker began playing vaudeville [1, 2, 3, 4] in 1907. She sang in black face as well, largely to draw attention away from her large frame, until she lost her makeup kit on tour and was permitted to perform without it. In 1908 Tucker started performing burlesque. In 1909 she performed in that year's edition of the Ziegfeld Follies. (The Ziegfeld Follies were elaborate vaudeville reviews created by Florenz Ziegfeld.) Her first release [1, 2], 'The Lovin' Rag', was in 1910 on cylinder per Edison 10360, followed by 'My Husband's in the City' (Edison 10366), 'That Lovin' Two-Step Man' (Edison 10411) and 'Reuben Rag' (Edison 10449). Several more titles for Edison were issued the next year ('11). 'That Lovin' Rag' reached #3 on the charts in July of 1910. 'That Lovin' Two-Step Man' rose to #9 in November. Two more Edison cylinders saw the Top Ten in 1911: 'That Loving Soul Kiss' (Edison 10493 in May at #8), 'Some of These Days' (Edison Amberol 691 in July at #2). 'Knock Wood' (Edison Amberol 852) claimed the #9 position in Jan 1912. 1913 saw Tucker returning to Hartford where she performed at Poli’s Vaudeville Theatre and the Hartford Opera House. Come 1916 she hooked up w her Five Kings of Syncopation [1, 2, 3] w whom she remained through World War I to as late as 1922, meanwhile billing herself as "The Queen of Jazz". It was w the Five Kings of Jazz that 'High Brown Blues' (Okeh 4565) placed at #6 on the charts in June of 1922 from a session circa Feb. In the meantime Tucker had appeared in 'Some Mind Reader' in 1920, a Johnny Dooley silent film comedy [1, 2, 3]. It was 1922 that Tucker began her partnership with pianist and composer, Ted Shapiro [1, 2, 3, 4], that would keep throughout her career. She and Shapiro toured to London in March 1922 [*]. 1923 saw Tucker's 'You've Gotta See Mama Every Night' (Okeh 4817) reach #6 in July. 'Aggravatin' Papa' (Okeh 4817) followed in August at #10. 1924 witnessed 'The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else' (Okeh 40054) reach #10 followed by 'Red-Hot Mama' (Okeh 40129) at #7 in September. In 1926 Tucker toured to England to perform for King George V and Queen Mary at the London Palladium [1, 2]. Later performances in London in '34 and '63 included royalty in attendance. In '27 Tucker placed 'Blue River' (Okeh 40895) and 'Fifty Million Frenchmen Can't be Wrong' (Okeh 40813) on the charts #10 and #13 respectively. 'My Yiddishe Momme', 'The Man I Love' and 'There'll Be Some Changes Made' were among the most popular titles issued in 1928. Tucker's first sound film appearance was in 1929 per the movie, 'Honky Tonk' in which she performed 'I'm the Last of the Red-Hot Mamas' which recording (Victor 21994) rang the bell at #15. She placed well on the charts to as late as 1937 when her rendition of 'The Lady Is a Tramp' (Decca 1472) rose to #19. Tucker had her own radio program w CBS for a couple of years beginning in 1938, 'The Roi Tan Program with Sophie Tucker'. She published her autobiography, 'Some of These Days', in 1945, the same year she released the 10" album on Decca, 'A Collection of Songs She Has Made Famous'. She issued several albums into the sixties including 'Bigger and Better Then Ever' in 1956 on co-labels, Mercury and Wing. Tucker joins Will Oakland as one of the earliest artists on this page whose career spanned from early cylinder recordings to the modern age of television. Her first appearance in that medium per IMDb had been on the new 'Starlight' show for BBC in the UK in 1936. Her first of sixteen appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' arrived on 16 December 1951. Her last was aired on 3 October of '65. She had appeared on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' twice per '63 and '64. Tucker died in New York City of lung cancer on 9 Feb of 1966. Further references: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; Tucker and vaudeville: 1, 2. UCSB cylinders library. Sessions: DAHR, Rust. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Compilations: 'Origins of the Red Hot Mama' 1910-22 including the Five Kings of Syncopation: 1, 2; 'The Golden Age of Sophie Tucker' 1923-37 including Shapiro; 'Last of the Red Hot Mamas' 1923-37 including Shapiro: 1; 'Follow a Star' 1928-31 including Shapiro. Tucker on Broadway. Film/television: 1, 2. Archives: 1, 2. Further reading: 1, 2, 3; 'Sophie Tucker: First Lady of Show Business' by Armond Fields; 'I am Sophie Tucker: A Fictional Memoir' by Susan and Lloyd Ecker. Other profiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Sophie Tucker 1910 Composition: H. De Pierce/Joe Young/H. Norman Composition: Victor Smalley/Bernard Adler Composition: Stanley Murphy/Percy Wenrich Sophie Tucker 1911 Composition: Shelton Brooks Sophie Tucker 1912 Composition: Harry Von Tilzer/Andrew B. Sterling Sophie Tucker 1926 Composition: Shelton Brooks Sophie Tucker 1927 Music: George W. MeyerLyrics: Alfred Bryan With Miff Mole Music: Spencer Williams 1915Lyrics: Roger A. Graham Sophie Tucker 1928 I Know That My Baby Is Cheatin' on Me Composition: Endor/Steinberg/Lambert Composition: George & Ira Gershwin Sophie Tucker 1929 Composition: Howard Dietz/Ralph Rainger Sophie Tucker 1930 No One But the Right Man Can Do Me Wrong Sophie Tucker 1937 Music: Richard Rodgers 1937Lyrics: Lorenz Hart For the musical 'Babes in Arms' Sophie Tucker 1947 Composition: Ted Shapiro/Jack Yellen Sophie Tucker 1954 Album: 'Cabaret Days'
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Sophie Tucker Source: The Bowery Boys |
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Al Jolson Source: Broadway World |
Born Asa Yoelson in 1886 in (now) Lithuania, Al Jolson, an early burlesque, vaudeville [1, 2, 3, 4], Broadway and Hollywood performer first recorded in 1911. Though Jolson wasn't strictly a jazz singer, something borderline to that, he was the star of the film 'The Jazz Singer' released in 1927, marking the transition of silent films to talkies. Liza Minnelli was another popular singer one could append to the jazz genre on the strength of one film alone, that 'Cabaret' in 1972. If Jolson wasn't the jazz vocalist that 'The Jazz Singer' makes him out to be, he more than compensated as a popular singer, sending about 90 issues to the Top Ten between 1912 and 1947. Jolson had been brought to Washington DC in 1894 with his family, his mother dying the next year, after which he and his brother, Hirsch, began busking the streets. In 1902 he began singing with the Walter L. Main Circus. In 1903 Jolson began doing burlesque, then formed a trio with Joe Palmer and his brother, Hirsch. Blackface [1, 2, 3, 4] followed in 1904 at Keeney's Theatre in Brooklyn. Blackface originated in minstrelsy [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] in the third decade of the 19th century, becoming popular entertainment by 1850. (Minstrelsy actually tracks back to medieval Europe, a minstrel being simply a musician or singer.) The Museum of Family History has Jolson initially performing blackface to assist w stage fright. Unlike some performers, however, Jolson came to loving the minstrel role. Not so ironically, Jolson was also an energetic defender of black performers and rights. (In the early twenties the Ku Klux Klan would be at its height, consisting of about fifteen percent of the voting populace.) Be as may, highlighting Jolson's early career was signing up w Lew Dockstader's Minstrels [1, 2] from 1908 into 1909. He toured vaudeville circuits thereafter until his first Broadway appearance in 'La Belle Paree' at the Winter Garden Theatre in March of 1911. His first recordings went down in Camden, New Jersey, on 22 December for 'That Haunting Melody' (Victor 17037), 'Rum Tum Tiddle' (Victor 17037) and 'Asleep in the Deep' (Victor 17915). 'That Haunting Melody' topped the charts in March of 1912. Jolson bagged twenty more #1 positions in the next 17 years:
Ragging the
Baby to Sleep '12 Jolson campaigned w Warren Harding in 1920 [*]. He starred in his first talkie film, 'The Plantation Act', in 1926, then the first feature-length talkie, 'The Jazz Singer', by Warner Bros. in 1927 [1, 2]. Jolson's first radio appearance was a rendition of 'Mammy' the following year (1928) on the premiere six-hour variety show, 'Dodge Victory Hour' (NBC), w the Paul Whiteman Orchestra [1, 2, 3, 4]. He worked for NBC variously until the 'Lifebuoy' program for CBS from '36 to '39. In 1936 he starred in 'The Singing Kid' with Cab Calloway, insisting Calloway receive the same star treatment as himself. Columbia Pictures released the biopic, 'The Jolson Story', in 1946. As for television, Jolson called it "smell-evision" and never performed in that medium. (Nor had he made any cylinder recording.) He was, however, the first to perform for the USO (United Service Organizations, founded 1941) during World War II. While in the Pacific Jolson came down with malaria and had to have a lung removed. When he was told by the Secretary of Defense that there were no funds to send him to Korea during that conflict he paid for it himself. Less than a month after his return to the States he died [1, 2] of heart attack in San Francisco on October 23, 1950. References for Jolson: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; religion (Judaism) and philanthropy: *. Sessions at DAHR. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Best-selling titles in descending order. Jolson on Broadway: 1, 2, 3. Filmographies: 1, 2, 3. Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4. Tribute sites: 1, 2. Further reading at Parlor Songs: 1, 2, 3. Other profiles: 1, 2, 3, 4. Jolson actually did little composing in comparison to his numerous credits on record labels. His name appeared in credits if he so much as changed a word in a lyric since adding his name to anything increased its market value. Composers with whom he worked accepted the practice since it fattened record sales, thus royalties. Jolson did, however, make substantial contributions, and he did compose. He wrote the music and lyrics for 'Harding You're the Man for Us' in 1920, to encourage voting Warren Harding into the presidency that year. Jolson dubbed his tune 'The Official Republican Campaign Song'. A list of titles on which he is commonly credited despite dubious or negligible contribution at *. Per 'Mammy' in 1927 below, 'My Mammy' was authored by Walter Donaldson [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] in 1918 w lyrics by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis. It was first performed as a vaudeville act that year by William Frawley of much later 'I Love Lucy' fame w Ethel Merman airing from 1951 to '57. Al Jolson 1912 Composition: George M. Cohan Al Jolson 1920 Composition: Buddy DeSylva/Vincent Rose/Jolson Music: George Gershwin 1919 Lyrics: Irving Caesar Al Jolson 1922 Composition: See Wikipedia Al Jolson 1927 From the film 'The Jazz Singer' See above Al Jolson 1929 Composition: Buddy DeSylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henderson/Jolson Music: George Gershwin Lyrics: Ira Gershwin/Gus Kahn Composition: Dave Dreyer Composition: Buddy DeSylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henderson Al Jolson 1947 Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Gus Kahn
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George Gershwin See
Early Jazz:
George Gershwin. |
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| Marion Harris See
Early Jazz:
Marion Harris. |
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Born Isidore Itskowitz in New York City in 1892, film star, Eddie Cantor, began appearing on stage as a teenager. Among his first jobs was singing for tips as a waiter in Coney Island with Jimmy Durante [1, 2, 3] at piano. He first appeared in vaudeville [1, 2, 3, 4] in 1907 at the Clinton Music Hall. He may have begun performing in blackface [1, 2, 3] at the Lyrics Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1911 while working with Joseph M. Schenck's People’s Vaudeville Company [1, 2]. In 1917 he formed a team with Al Lee that gained him a spot in the Ziegfeld Follies post-show on Broadway: 'Midnight Frolic'. Cantor then joined the Ziegfeld Follies, with which succeeding editions he performed for the next decade. The month prior to performing w the Follies for the first time Cantor held his first recording sessions [to go by DAHR] on July 12, singing a couple songs he would soon use in the Follies of 1917: 'The Modern Maiden's Prayer/That's the Kind of Baby for Me' (Victor 18342). Music VF has that charting at #10 in December. Cantor would position 20 titles in the Top Ten to as late as 'What a Perfect Combination' at #7 in 1932. He topped the charts at #1 thrice per 'Margie' in Feb '21, 'No, No, Nora' in Nov '23 and 'If You Knew Susie' in July '25. Cantor had married in 1914 to one Ida Tobias. He is known to have sang for radio as early as 1922, a medium in which he would work for more than three decades, including performances w his five daughters [*]. He is thought to have appeared in his first film, his other major medium, in 1923, a Phonofilm short titled, 'A Few Moments With Eddie Cantor'. In 1938 Cantor created the March of Dimes campaign for the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis via his own radio program. He and other entertainers encouraged audiences to send President Franklin Roosevelt, a polio victim, a dime, resulting in 2,600,000 dimes received in Washington. His initial appearance on television is thought to have been on 25 May 1944 in Philadelphia at station WPTZ (now KYW-TV). Cantor's last film was in 1948: 'If You Knew Susie'. He may be best known on television as one of the hosts for the 'Colgate Comedy Hour' from 1950 to 1954. Cantor published a minimum of eight books during his career, starting with 'Caught Short!' in 1929. He passed away on 10 Oct 1964 in Beverly Hills, CA [1, 2]. References encyclopedic: 1, 2, 3, 4; other: 1, 2, 3, 4. Tribute site. Sessions. Discographies: 1, 2, 3, 4. Best-selling titles descending order. Compilations: 'Eddie Cantor Sings Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider and His Other Hits' RCA 1964; 'Eddie Cantor Whoopee!' Jasmine 2000. Cantor on Broadway. In film and television: 1, 2, 3. Archives: 1, 2, 3. Other profiles: 1, 2. Eddie Cantor 1917 Music: James Hanley Lyrics: Ballard MacDonald That's the Kind of a Baby for Me Music: J. C. Egan Lyrics: Alfred C. Harriman Eddie Cantor 1920 Composition: Irving Berlin Eddie Cantor 1925 If You Knew Susie Like I Know Susie Composition: Buddy DeSylva/Joseph Meyer Eddie Cantor 1929 Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Gus Kahn Eddie Cantor 1930 Film: 'Whoopee!' (colorized) Eddie Cantor 1932
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Eddie Cantor Source: Travalanche
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Gertrude Lawrence
[*] was born
Gertrude Klasen in London on 4 July 1898, thought to have first become age ten in
1908. She was thereafter age ten as many times as there were smallest
Planck increments of time during that period, upwards near infinity. She began her career
that year in the chorus at the Brixton Theatre in London to augment her family's poor income. She
studied acting and dance under Italia Conti as she continued in theatre,
performing in his play, 'Where the Rainbow Ends', in 1911. Working
variously on stage led to marriage w impresario, André Charlot, in 1918
with whom Lawrence had her only child, Pamela. They would divorce a decade
later. Lawrence's earliest recordings well preceded their performance in
the theatrical, 'Buzz-Buzz', which premiered in December of 1919. Brian
Rust has 'I've Been Waiting for Someone Like You', 'Winnie the Window
Cleaner' and 'I Have Lost My Heart in Maoriland' going down in London in
February of 1919. 'I Have Lost My Heart' saw issue on Columbia L-1293.
'I've Been Waiting' was released back to back with 'Winnie' on Columbia
L-1296. 'I've Been Waiting was a duet with Walter Williams also issued on
an LP in 1972 called 'Revue 1912-1918' (Parlophone PMC-7145). Continuing in theatre ('A-Z', 'London Calling'), she didn't lay
tracks again until 1924, an unissued rendition of 'Limehouse Blues' sung
in 'A-Z'. She first arrived to the the United States to perform on Broadway in 1924
when Charlot took 'André Charlot's London Revue of 1924' across the
Atlantic to New York City. Lawrence recorded 'Broadway Medley' from that
back across the water in Hayes, Middlesex, with Beatrice Lillie on 6 May
1925. Rust has that issued on HMV C-1206 and the later LP of 1971, 'Noël
and Gertie and Bea' (Parlophone PMC-7135). On 17 November of 1925 Lawrence joined Jack Buchanan
in the duet, 'A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, and You' (Columbia 512), that
charting in the United States at #5 in March. Lawrence became a regular
trans-Atlantic star when 'Poor Little Rich Girl' (Columbia 513) reached
#11 in April. Two more titles found the Top Ten in 1927: 'Do-Do-Do'
(#8 Victor 20331) and 'Someone to Watch Over Me' (Victor 20331). Lawrence
had starred in
Gershwin's 'Oh, Kay!'
on Broadway from November '26 to June of '27. IMDb has Lawrence appearing
in about ten films, her first a short titled 'Early Mourning' in 1929
followed by 'The Battle of Paris' the same year. Plays w Noel Coward
followed in the thirties. In 1940 she married the manager of the Cape
Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts, with whom she remained to her
relatively early death in '52. In 1945 Lawrence published her autobiography,
'A Star Danced',
and is said to be the first to tour the nation to publicize a book.
Lawrence appeared on television in the States as late as 'The Prudential
Family Playhouse' in January of '51, followed by her Broadway premiere in
March in Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'The King and
I' with Yul Brynner. DAHR traces recording sessions to as late as 17 April
for 'I Whistle a Happy Tune', 'Hello Young Lovers' and 'Getting to Know
You', those issued by Decca that year on 10", 45 rpm and the LP, 'The King
and I' (DL7-9008). Lawrence began missing performances of 'The King and I' due to poor health
until eventually collapsing after a Saturday matinee show to die of cancer
on 6 September of 1952. IMDb has her airing posthumously 10 days later on
'The Ed Sullivan Show'. Sessions:
DAHR 1924-51;
Brian Rust 1919-1941.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3.
Archives: 1,
2,
3.
Other profiles: *. Gertrude Lawrence 1919 I've Been Waiting for Someone Like You Duet w Walter Williams Composition: Herman Darewski Gertrude Lawrence 1926 Composition: George & Ira Gershwin: For the Broadway musical 'Oh Kay!' Composition: George & Ira Gershwin: For the Broadway musical 'Oh Kay!' Gertrude Lawrence 1927 Gertrude Lawrence 1929 Composition: Cole Porter Gertrude Lawrence 1932 Composition: Noël Coward Gertrude Lawrence 1933 Stage musical: 'Nymph Errant' Composition: Cole Porter Gertrude Lawrence 1935 With Noel Coward Composition: Noël Coward Gertrude Lawrence 1941 Composition: Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin For the Broadway musical: 'Lady in the Dark'
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Gertrude Lawrence Source: Peoples |
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Aileen Stanley Source: Vintage Recordings |
Born Maude Elsie Aileen Muggeridgeon
on 21 March 1893
in Chicago, Aileen Stanley
[1,
2] began her musical
career in cabarets [1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8], also doing vaudeville
[1,
2,
3,
4]. She
toured various circuits in the States and Canada before her first
recording sessions to issue in 1920. Her debut recording is thought to
have been on 15 March 1920 for 'Alibi Blues' issued on Pathe 22393-B in
August with Ernest Hare's 'I'm the Good Man That Was Hard to Find' on side
A. DAHR traces her to
Victor as early as 10
August that year in Camden, NJ, for Victor on 'The Broadway Blues'/'My
Little Bimbo Down on the Bamboo Isle' (18691) w 'Early to Bed and Early to
Rise' unissued. Stanley's first title to chart per Music VF was
'Singin' the Blues' (18703) at #12 in Jan 1921. The
UCSB cylinders library
also has her on ten Edison Blue Amberols in 1921-22. Though Stanley never topped a
chart she placed eight songs in the Top Ten from 'My Mammy' (Okeh 4275) at
#8 in June of '21 to 'Everybody Loves My Baby' (19486) at #5 in Feb
'25. Of duet partners, she was best-known on titles w
Billy Murray, recording
numerously w him throughout the twenties. DAHR places them together for
Victor in Camden, NJ, as early as 15 Dec of 1921 on ''In My Heart, On My
Mind, All Day Long'/'Boo-Hoo-Hoo' (18855). That pair never topped the
charts either, though several titles saw huge success: 'All Over Nothing
at All' ('22), 'You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night', 'It Had to Be You'
('24), 'Keep Your Skirts Down, Mary Ann' ('26), 'I Can't Get Over a Girl
Like You' ('26) and 'Bridget O'Flynn' ('27). DAHR tracks Stanley w
Murray to as late as 13 June
1929 for 'Katie, Keep Your Feet on the Ground' (22040) w 'Please Don't Cut
Out My Sauerkraut' unreleased. Stanley began performing on radio in 1932
for the 'Parade of the States' show by NBC. Wikipedia has Stanley moving
to London in '31 where she would recorded for HMV (His Majesty's Voice) from
12 Feb
'34 ('Who Walks in When I Walk Out?' Brunswick 01706) to '37, also
performing at the Kit-Kat Club and the Palladium. DAHR finds her back in New York City in 1935
holding what, to go by DAHR, would be her last sessions in the States,
those again for Victor on 5 April. DAHR has 'I'm Livin' in a Great Big
Way' issued on Gramophone BD-289 w 'I'm in Love All Over Again'. The
status of 'Music in My Heart' and 'Life Is a Song' is unknown. She was
back in England to appear in the infant medium of television in 1937, that for
BBC's 'Starlight' variety program. The 'Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound'
(Hoffman) and 'The Complete Entertainment Discography' (Rust)
have Stanley recording her last titles for HMV in London on July 9, 1937
for 'It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane'/'I've Got My Love to Keep
Me Warm' (HMV BD444). 'Never in a Million Years' and 'The You and Me That
Used to Be' went unissued. Stanley's return to the States saw to her
retirement en large from the music industry. She disappears into
obscurity, anyway, with the exception of possible radio transcriptions as
late as 1947. She later opened a vocal training studio in New York City until 1960 when she made
her home in Hollywood, dying there on 24 March 1962. Discographies:
1,
2,
3.
Collections: NYPL.
Other profiles: HMR Project.
Aileen Stanley 1920 Music: Carey Morgan Lyrics: Arthur Swanstrom My Little Bimbo on the Bamboo Isle Composition: Walter Donaldson/Grant Clarke Aileen Stanley 1921 Composition: Irving Berlin Aileen Stanley 1922 With Bill Murray Composition: James Rule/J. Keirn Brennan/Paul Cunningham Aileen Stanley 1924 With Bill Murray Music: Isham Jones Lyrics: Gus Kahn Aileen Stanley 1925 When My Sugar Walks Down the Street With Gene Austin Composition: Irving Mills/Jimmy McHugh/Gene Austin Aileen Stanley 1926 I Love My Baby (My Baby Loves Me) Composition: Bud Green/Harry Warren With Bill Murray Composition: Roy Turk Aileen Stanley 1927 Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics: Buddy DeSylva/Lew Brown With Johnny Marvin Composition: Irving Mills/Jimmy McHugh/Gene Austin Aileen Stanley 1929 I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) Composition: Fred E. Ahlert/Roy Turk
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Gene Austin Source: Gene Austin |
Among the earliest of crooners was Gene Austin. "Crooners" were simply vocalists who sang at a natural low volume as compared, for example, to later blues shouters. Before sufficient development in microphone technology crooners presented problems being heard throughout an auditorium or distinctly from the rest of the band they were performing with. Enter the megaphone. Born in 1900 in Gainesville, Texas, Austin ran away from home to Houston at age fifteen, where he was hired as a vaudeville [1, 2, 3] singer. At age seventeen he joined the Army, serving both for General Pershing in his unsuccessful hunt after Pancho Villa and in Europe during World War I. In 1919 Austin began singing in Baltimore taverns. The earliest session to issue found for Austin was on 5 April 1924 in NYC for 'A Thousand Miles From Here' (Vocalion 14821), a duet w Roy Bergere w Austin at piano as well [1, 2]. Flip side was 'All Day Long'. Music VF has his first charting title as 'Yearning' at #2 in June of '25 [see also *]. Austin positioned nigh forty titles in the Top Ten to as late as 'When Your Lover Has Gone' at #10 in 1931. Nine of those topped the charts at #1:
Yes Sir!
That's My Baby '25 Austin and Carson Robison had issued 'Way Down Home' in 1925, that to see the #9 tier. Austin's best-selling titles had been 'Bye Bye, Blackbird', 'My Blue Heaven' and 'Yes Sir! That's My Baby' respectively. Among duets w Aileen Stanley was 'When My Sugar Walks Down the Street', recorded in January of 1925 in NYC w composition by Irving Mills, Jimmy McHugh [1, 2] and Austin. Others w whom Austin performed include Candy & Coco (Johnny Candido/bass and Otto Heimel/guitar) w whom he entertained from 1932-34 on the 'California Melodies' radio program for CBS affiliate radio station, KHJ, in Los Angeles [*]. Likely documented on radio transcriptions as well, that trio later issued 'Dear Old Southland'/'China Boy' (Decca 1656) in 1938. That trio toured together to as late as 1940. Austin had written the lyrics to 'The Lonesome Road' w music by Nathaniel Shilkret in 1927, that used in the 1929 film, 'Show Boat'. IMDb has him performing uncredited in the 1934 films, 'Sadie McKee' and 'Gift of Gab'. Austin co-authored several songs for the 1936 Mae West film, 'Klondike Annie', including 'Mr. Deep Blue Sea' w James P. Johnson. With his career in decline come the forties, and having been through five wives from '24 to '72 that produced two children, Austin died on 24 Jan of 1972 in Palm Springs, California. References encyclopedic: 1, 2, 3; other: 1, 2, 3, 4. Sessions at DAHR. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Austin in visual media. Archives: 1, 2. Other profiles: 1, 2, 3. Gene Austin 1924 Composition: Roy Bergere/Austin Gene Austin 1925 Sweet Child I'm Wild About You Composition: Richard Whiting/Al Lewis/Howard Simon Composition: Walter Donaldson/Gus Kahn Composition: George Little/Larry Shay/Joe Goodwin When My Sugar Walks Down the Street With Aileen Stanley Composition: Jimmy McHugh/Irving Mills/Austin Gene Austin 1926 Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics: Mort Dixon Gene Austin 1927 Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: George A. Whiting Composition: Ernie Burnett/George Norton Music: F. Dudleigh Vernor Lyrics: Byron D. Stokes Music: Lee David Lyrics: Billy Rose Gene Austin 1928 Composition: Sunny Clapp Composition: WC Handy Composition: Neil Morét/Richard Whiting Composition: Buddy DeSylva/Ray Henderson Lew Brown/Al Jolson Gene Austin 1930 Composition: Walter Donaldson Gene Austin 1931 Music: Lee David Lyrics: Billy Rose Gene Austin 1932 Composition: Henry Creamer/Turner Layton
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| Phil Harris See
Big Bands:
Phil Harris. |
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| Guy Lombardo See
Early Bands:
Guy Lombardo. |
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| Born in 1900 in Macon, Georgia,
falsetto,
Emmett Miller, was a blackface minstrel show
[1,
3,
4]
performer during his early career. DAHR and Tom Lord's list him recording
vocals to 'Anytime' on 25 October 1924 and 'The Pickaninnies'
Paradise' on November 7 in New York City for issue on Okeh 40239. Miller recorded another
issued version of 'Anytime' in August of 1928, that with 'St. Louis Blues'
on Okeh 41095. A third version went down in September of 1936 (Bluebird
B-6577). Lord's and DAHR have him in Ashville, NC, for tracks on 1
September 1925 yielding 'You're Just the Girl for Me'/'I Never Had the
Blues (Until I Left Old Dixieland)' on Okeh 40545 and 'Big Bad Bill Is
Sweet William Now'/'Lovesick Blues' on Okeh 40465. Miller's backup band
had been his Georgia Crackers. They began getting label credits in 1928 on titles gone down
in NYC on 12 June: 'I Ain't Got Nobody'/'Lovesick Blues' (Okeh 41062),
'Lion Tamers' (Okeh 41205) and 'God's River Blues' (Okeh 41438). Miller's Georgia Crackers had at times employed Jimmy
Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey,
Gene Krupa and
Eddie Lang. His brick in the
wall of music history is due more to the jazz musicians who passed through
his Crackers than his own impact on popular music. His complete
catalog consists of only 39 titles [Red Hot Jazz], his last in 1936 per 'I
Ain't Got Nobody' (Bluebird B-6550) and "Anytime' (Bluebird B-6577).
Miller's career gets foggy after that, though it's known he returned to
blackface even after its decline. He toured w a minstrel show that he
called 'Dixieana' as late as 1949. Miller appeared in the minstrel film, 'Yes
Sir, Mr. Bones', as late as 1951 [1,
2]. He
died back in his birthplace in Macon on 29 March 1962. References: 1,
2,
3.
Sessions: 1,
2. Catalogs:
1,
2,
3,
4. Compilations: 'The Minstrel Man from
Georgia' on Columbia 1996. Archives:
Internet Archive. Emmett Miller 1924 Composition: Sam Ehrich/Nat Osborne Emmett Miller 1925 Composition: Cliff Friend/Irving Mills Emmett Miller 1928 Composition: Cliff Friend/Irving Mills Emmett Miller 1929 Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now Composition: Jack Yellen/Milton Ager Music: Fred Rose Lyrics: George Little/Peter Frost Emmett Miller 1936 Composition: Herbert Happy Lawson Composition: Roger Graham/Spencer Williams/Dave Peyton
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Emmett Miller Source: Flickriver |
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Rudy Vallée Source: Song Facts |
Born Hubert Prior Vallée in 1901 in Island Pond, Vermont, though Rudy Vallée was a bandleader and sax player he was more famous as among the first crooners. In 1917 Vallee dropped out of school at the age of fifteen to assist in the World War I effort. Discovered to be too young for service, he was sent back home. As a result he graduated from high school a couple years late in 1920. In the meantime he had switched from clarinet to sax. He began to go by "Rudy" around the time he matriculated into the University of Maine in 1921, that after his favorite saxophone player, Rudy Wiedoeft. He is often said to have made his first recordings that year per the obscure 'A Dream' and 'Nola', neither issued insofar as no record of either matrix or release is found. He was a freshman on school break when he went to New York City and paid Columbia fifty hefty dollars for studio time to record sax on 'Japanese Sunset' (matrix 91308) on 31 March of 1922 [1, 2], there no documentation found of that getting released either. He was a student at Yale when he made a couple more unissued recordings on sax in 1923 (Victory/Columbia) [2 above]. During summer break from Yale he took a cruise across the Atlantic to play sax with the Savoy Havana Band at the Savoy Hotel. His first appearance on a commercial issue is believed to have been in 1924 w the Havana Band though it isn't known just which [Ate van Deldon]. Lord has Vallee on clarinet and sax w the Havana Band in March of '25 for 'Show Me the Way to Go Home' (HMV B1997). Come 21 April for 'When My Baby Walks Down the Street (HMV B2013). It was 'I Like You Best of All' on 6 May. Continuing at Yale, on 26 March of 1926 he recorded 'You’ll Do It Some Day, So Why Not Now?' and 'April Fool' toward Columbia Personal 87-P sold at Yale [*]. Rust has him directing, playing alto sax and clarinet, and singing for what appears the first time on that date. 27 March saw Vallee's sax solo, 'Kiss Me Again', toward Columbia Personal 93-P w 'You'll Do It Some Day' flip side also sold at Yale [*]. Vallée acquired a degree in philosophy from Yale in 1927. Later that year he recorded the vocal, 'You'll Do It Some Day', w a trio called the Yale Collegians (Les Laden, Dick Webster) toward release on Edison 52108. Numerous titles w the Collegians went down for Columbia in '28 as well. He then formed the band that was the supergroup called the Connecticut Yankees (CY), putting down their first of several tracks in '28 on 10 October for 'Doin' the Raccoon'/'Bye and Bye, Sweetheart' (Harmony 759-H) and '(I Love You—I Love You—I love you) Sweetheart of All My Dream(s)' (Harmony 811-H) [DAHR]. ODP (Online Discographical Project) has the same session and issue numbers as Frank Mater & the Collegians [Discogs]. DAHR has the CY commencing in 1929 w a session on 10 January toward 'If I Had You' and 'Makin' Whoopee!' (Harmony 825-H). They reigned the charts that year w 13 Top Ten titles including 'Honey' at #1. The Connecticut Yankees positioned nearly fifty titles in the Top Ten to as late as 'Oh, Ma, Ma' at #5 in 1938. Three of those topped the charts: 'Stein Song' ('30), 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' ('32) and 'Vieni, Vieni' ('37) [see also *]. His solo release of 'As Time Goes By' reached #2 as late as April 1953. Vallee published his memoir, 'Vagabond Dreams Come True', in 1929. The venues in which Vallée sang were often not equipped with microphones. As his was a soft style and voice that didn't carry he often sang through a megaphone. Early crooners like Vallee and Bing Crosby, singing in natural tones, presented problems being heard as compared, for instance, to later blues shouters [*]. Early sound transmitters had been invented for telephone in the previous century. Johann Philipp Reis had worked on his invention in Germany from 1854 to 1862. Then Alexander Graham Bell patented his telephone in 1876. The first patent for the microphone proper was awarded to Thomas Edison [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] in 1877 for the carbon microphone, though David Edward Hughes is said to have invented it first in England as well as coined the term "microphone". The carbon microphone was the one used during the very first radio broadcast in 1910 (a performance at the New York Metropolitan Opera House). Electromagnetic microphones were introduced in 1923 by Captain H. J. Round and Harry F. Olson working independently. Be as may, Vallée began hosting the 'Fleischmann's Yeast Hour' radio program in 1929 [1, 2, 3, 4], also starring in his first feature film in Dec that year: 'The Vagabond Lover'. He and his Connecticut Yankees had already featured in titles like 'Deep Night' in the short film, 'Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees' released in May. IBDB has him appearing on Broadway as early as 'George White's Scandals' in 1931, again in '35. During World War II Vallee put his career on hold to join the Coast Guard from 1941 to '44. Discogs has Vallee issuing his first album, 'Songs of a Vagabond Lover', on both 10" and two 7" in 1954. His first LP was 'Drinking Songs' the same year w Ken Darby & the Kings Men. Vallee starred in the Broadway musical, 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying', from 1961 to '65. That was also his last feature film, released in 1967. Vallée also recorded his last album, 'Hi Ho Everybody', in 1967. Having published another autobiography, 'My Time Is Your Time', in 1962, he died [1, 2, 3] of cancer on 3 July 1986 in Hollywood. His wife, Eleanor, wrote the memoir, 'My Vagabond Lover', published by Taylor in 1996. References encyclopedic: 1, 2; other: 1, 2, 3, 4. Tribute site. Sessions at DAHR: Connecticut Yankees; Vallee. Discographies: Connecticut Yankees: 1, 2, 3; Vallee: 1, 2, 3. See also *. Compilations: 'Heigh-Ho Everybody, This Is Rudy Vallée' 1929-30 by Living Era 1981. Film and television: 1, 2, 3. Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4. Collections: Thousand Oaks. Further reading: 'The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville' by Anthony Slide (Greenwood Press 1994); CantonRep. Other profiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Rudy Vallée 1925 With the Savoy Havana Band Vallee on clarinet/sax Rudy Vallée 1927 Yale song See Wikipedia Composition: Allie Wrubel Rudy Vallée 1929 Composition: Charles Henderson/Vallee Composition: Harry Woods Composition: Irving King/Ted Shapiro Irving King = Jimmy Campbell & Reg Connelly Composition: Leon Zimmerman/Vallee Composition: Sigmund Romberg/Oscar Hammerstein II Music: Leo Dance Lyrics: Eric Little Music: Roger Eckersley Lyrics: Eric Little Arrangement: Domenico Savino Rudy Vallée 1930 Composition: Harry Woods For the film 'The Vagabond Lover' Composition: Jesse Greer/George Bronson Harry Rose/Vallée University of Maine song Melody from 'Opie': E. A. Fenstad 1901 Lyrics: Lincoln Colcord 1902 Composition: Walter Donaldson Rudy Vallée 1931 Composition: Paul Fogarty/Vallee Music: Jay Gorney Lyrics: Yip Harburg Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics: Lew Brown Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics: Lew Brown Rudy Vallée 1932 Let's Put Out the Lights and Go to Sleep Composition: Herman Hupfeld Rudy Vallée 1933 Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? Music: Harry Revel Lyrics: Mack Gordon Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Gus Kahn/Edward Eliscu
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Hoagy Carmichael See
Early Jazz:
Hoagy Carmichael. |
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| Born in Bronx in 1896,
Whispering Jack Smith (not
to be confused w Smilin' Jack Smith [1,
2]) was a baritone crooner who began his career
in 1915 singing in a quartet in a theater in the Bronx. He served the cause
during World War I, it said that his soft style was the result of poison
gas, preventing Smith from singing at greater throttle. It's also
mentioned that since Smith could belt a tune as well that his intimate
speaking approach was a matter of style. Howsoever, released from military
saw him plugging music in NYC for the Irving Berlin Music
Publishing Company shortly before obtaining employment as a pianist at a radio
station. When a scheduled singer didn't arrive Smith filled his spot at
piano. He began to working the vaudeville venue about that time. Releasing his first recordings in 1925,
DAHR has him as a
vocalist in a trial session for Victor as early as 28 August for 'Alone at
Last' and 'My Sweetie Turned Me Down' (unissued). Come 15 September he
recorded 'Cecilia' and 'I Care for Her and She Cares for Me' for release
on Victor 19787 and 19800 the same year [Discogs]. 'Cecilia' charted at #7
in Jan 1926. Smith had his heydays on the charts into 1928, getting
positioned at #14 that year for 'The Song is Ended'. 'Gimme a Lil'
Kiss, Will Ya Huh?' topped the charts at #1 in June of '26. His
best-selling title overall was 'Me and My Shadow', that topping the
charts in 1927. Smith made his
way to England that year, again in '28 along w a visit to Berlin. Back in
the States he performed in the 1929 film, 'Happy Days', for the Fox Film
Corporation (founded 1915 to expire and become 20th Century Fox in 1930). 1930
found Smith in Hollywood to perform 'You May Not Like It But It's a Great
Idea' in the film musical, 'Cheer Up and Smile' [IMDb]. Returning to NYC where he worked
for NBC radio in unidentified years. he around that time recorded several titles in 1940 for Decca.
ODP (Online Discographical Project) has him putting down 'Cecilia'/'I'm
Knee Deep in Daisies' (Decca 3156) on 16 April 1940 and 'I Wish You Were
Jealous of Me'/'A Faded Photograph' (Decca 3437) on 13 Sep the same year
[see also *].
Issue dates on those unidentified, 1940 (below) is presumed. 3156 saw
reissue in 1947 on 25077 [Discogs]. Be as may, his earlier issues failed
to make a lot of splash, his career in decline through the forties and he
retired by the time of his death of heart attack on 13 May 1950 in New York City.
References: 1,
2.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3.
Compilations: 'Me and My Shadow' by ASV 2000; 'Whispering Jack Smith' by
Flapper 1995.
Internet Archive. Whispering Jack Smith 1925 Composition: Milton Ager Composition: Al Wohlman/Herman Ruby/Bud Cooper I Care for Her and She Cares for Me Music: Sam H. Stept Lyrics: Bud Cooper Composition: Paul Ash/Larry Shay Al Wohlman/Herman Ruby/Bud Cooper Composition: Lew Pollack/Jack Yellen Some Other Bird Whistled a Tune Composition: Fred Fisher/Alfred Bryan/Bob Schafer Whispering Jack Smith 1926 Composition: Benny Davis/Harry Akst Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh? Composition: Maceo Pinkard/Roy Turk/Tab Smith Composition: Abel Baer/Wolfe Gilbert Poor Papa (He's Got Nothin' At All) Composition: Harry Woods/Billy Rose Composition: Raymond Egan Richard Whiting Stephan Pasternacki Composition: Maceo Pinkard/Roy Turk/Tab Smith When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Composition: Henry Woods Whispering Jack Smith 1927 Composition: Irving Berlin I've Never Seen a Straight Banana Composition: Ted Waite Composition: See Wikipedia Composition: Walter Donaldson/Richard Whiting Music: J. Russel Robinson Lyrics: Roy Turk Whispering Jack Smith 1928 Composition: Irving Caesa Joseph Meyer Roger Wolfe Kahn For the Broadway musical 'Here's Howe' Composition: Ralph Erwin/Sam Lewis Fritz Rotter/Joe Young Music: Mabel Wayne Lyrics: L. Wolfe Gilbert Composition: Buddy DeSylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henderson Composition: Irving Berlin Whispering Jack Smith 1930 Composition: Earl Burtnett/Bell Grantham/Jess Kirkpatrick Composition: Cliff Friend/James Monaco Whispering Jack Smith 1931 Composition: Madeline Hyde/Francis Henry Music: Vincent Rose Lyrics: Ray Klages/Jack Meskill Whispering Jack Smith 1940 Composition: Charles Kenny/Nick Kenny/Richard Howard Composition: Earl Haubrich/Glen Rowel
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Whispering Jack Smith Source: Jazz Age Music |
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Josephine Baker Source: Waldina |
Born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis in 1906, dancer Josephine Baker began her career at age fifteen, dancing on street corners. That led to vaudeville [1, 2, 3, 4], then blackface [1, 2, 3, 4] comedy: Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle's 'Shuffle Along' [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] in 1922 and 'Chocolate Dandies' in '24. 'Shuffle Along' was Baker's first appearance on Broadway, that at age sixteen in the chorus line. An opportunity to travel to Paris arrived in 1925 to perform in 'La Revue Nègre' [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], whence her erotic "savage" dancing, nigh naked, became her initial claim to fame. She is thought to begun her recording career in Paris in October of 1926, performing as L'Étoile Noire des Folies Bergères, a cabaret where she danced. Those titles for Odeon were 'Who?', 'That Certain Feeling', 'Dinah', 'Sleepy Time Gal', 'I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight' ['Moanin' Low: A Discography of Female Popular Vocal Recordings 1920-1933' by Ross Laird *; Truesound Transfers: *]. Among titles issued from sessions the next month were two on which she performed ukulele: 'You are the only One for Me' and 'Feeling Kind of Blue'. Baker's first appearance in films was in 1927: 'Siren of the Tropics'. (She wasn't a Hollywood star, her films made in France.) Her first return to America in 1935, for the Ziegfeld Follies, was unsuccessful. Returning to Paris in 1937, Baker married and became a French citizen. During World War II she gathered information for French intelligence, she having access as a popular entertainer to high brass at cafés and embassies where she performed. Able to move about France and internationally without suspicion, some of her confidences would be delivered to England in invisible ink on sheet music. Others Baker would pin beneath her underwear, she able, as a celebrity, to elude strip searches. Later during the war she entertained troops in North Africa, as well as King Farouk in Cairo, Egypt. In 1951 Baker's second tour to America was considerably more popular than her first, until an argument with newspaper columnist, Walter Winchell, by twists and turns found her work visa revoked, her engagements cancelled and she back in France. Though based in Paris, Baker was energetic in the civil rights movement in America. She had been denied reservations at 36 hotels for being black upon her second visit to the States in 1951, to which her response was refusing to perform at segregated nightclubs. The NAACP awarded her with lifetime membership that year. In 1966 Baker performed for Castro in Havana, then toured to Yugoslavia in '68. Finally, in 1973 she opened to a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall, where she sang a rendition of Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are a Changing', to another standing ovation. Baker died [1, 2] two years later on April 12 in France of cerebral hemorrhage. Her closest friend in the American entertainment industry had been actress, Grace Kelly. References: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Sessions at Red Hot Jazz. Discographies: 1, 2, 3. Compilations: 'The Fabulous Josephine Baker' by RCA Victor Red Seal 1960: *. Baker on Broadway (IBDB w 'Shuffle Along' omitted). In film and television per IMDb. Archives: 1, 2, 3. Collections: Harvard, OAC. Further reading: Baker's "Rainbow Tribe" of adopted Children: 1, 2; Speech at 1963 march on Washington; books: 'Josephine' by Baker and Jo Bouillon w translation by Mariana Fitzpatrick (Harper & Row 1977), 'Naked at the Feast' by Lynn Haney (Dodd Mead 1981), 'Jazz Cleopatra' by Phyllis Rose (Doubleday 1989), 'Josephine Baker the Hungry Heart' by Jean Claude Baker and Chris Chase (Cooper Square 2001), 'Josephine Baker: Entertainer' by Alan Schroeder and Heather Lehr Wagner (Chelsea House 2006), 'The Icon and the Image' by Bennetta Jules-Rosette' (University of Illinois Press 2007); highly recommended comprehensive volume of scholastic resources: 'The Josephine Baker Critical Reader' by Mae Henderson and Charlene Regester (McFarland 2017). Other profiles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Josephine Baker 1926 Composition: Sam Lewis/Joe Young/Harry Akst Josephine Baker 1927 Composition: Irving Berlin 1926 Composition: Mort Dixon/Ray Henderson Josephine Baker 1929 Music: Thomas Fats Waller Lyrics: Andy Razaf Josephine Baker 1968 Film: 'Hello Dolly' Composition: Jerry Herman Josephine Baker 1973 The Times They Are a Changing Composition: Bob Dylan
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Born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1903, singer Bing Crosby was older brother by ten years to vocalist and bandleader, Bob Crosby. Before Crosby vocalists like Al Jolson had to be "belters" to be heard above other instruments throughout an auditorium, not unalike later "shouters" in rhythm and blues. What placed such as Crosby and Rudy Vallée at the avant-garde of "crooners" was the invention of the microphone. Coming into use in the latter twenties, the microphone permitted one to sing more naturally. Bing had begun his recording career in October 1926 in Los Angeles with Al Rinker and the Don Clark Orchestra, an issue that had been technically botched by a too slow recording speed: 'I've Got the Girl'. Crosby had first performed on radio (KHQ in Spokane) in high school, as a member of the Musicaladers, a school band he had joined in 1923. In 1925 he formed a duo with Al Rinker. Rinker was brother to Mildred Bailey who referred them to Paul Whiteman. The pair's debut performance was at the Tivoli Theatre in Chicago in 1926. Whiteman made the duo a trio called the Rhythm Boys with the addition of Barry Harris. Crosby is thought to have appeared in his first film in 1930: 'The King of Jazz'. Racking up 79 films during his career, using tickets sold as a measure Crosby would appear to be America's third favorite actor, following Clark Gable behind John Wayne. His highest grossing film was 'White Christmas' in 1954, worth thirty million that year. In 1931 Crosby opted for a solo career, his debut radio program, '15 Minutes with Bing Crosby', with CBS. By the end of 1931 ten of his releases had made it to the top fifty for that year. Other radio programs in the early thirties were sponsored by Cremo Cigars and Chesterfield cigarettes. In 1941 Crosby brought Irving Berlin's 'White Christmas' to radio audiences on Christmas Day (recorded, a copy of which belongs to the Crosby estate). Officially recorded October 22, 1942, 'White Christmas' stayed No. 1 on the charts for eleven weeks and remains the best-selling song of all time, having sold over 100,000,000 copies. During World War II Crosby entertained troops in Europe. Upon leaving the radio program, 'Kraft Music Hall', in 1946, Crosby began starring on 'Philco Radio Time' the next year. Up to that time recordings had been made on transcription discs of etched wax. It was Crosby's first show of 1947 with Philco on which magnetic tape was employed, the difference between that and transcription discs as marked as the later move from vinyl to digital CD. Along with tape recording came the 'laugh track' first used by Crosby and Philco, after which Crosby acquired a significant interest in Ampex founded in 1944. Also important in the forties had been Crosby's partnership with the Andrews Sisters, commencing in latter 1939, issuing 47 songs with them on Decca into the early fifties. In 1950 Crosby produced 'The Fireside Theater' for television. 'The Bing Crosby Show' aired for the first time on 3 Jan of 1954. Crosby would later become head of Bing Crosby Productions, producing such as the 'Ben Casey', then 'Hogan's Heroes', television series in the sixties. Crosby's business interests were television stations, thoroughbred racing and breeding, and part ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates. His last concert in America was given in August of 1977. His last television appearance was in September that year, on which he sang a couple duets with David Bowie. In October of '77 Crosby gave his final concert, at the Brighton Centre in London. Crosby's favorite sport was golf, at which he was an accomplished contender and often played with Bob Hope. It was on the evening of October 14, 1977, at La Moraleja Golf Course near Madrid that Crosby suffered a heart attack after a game and died, his last words, "That was a great game of golf, fellas." He had been twice married, first to Dixie Lee from 1930 to her death in 1952, later wedding Kathryn Grant in 1957. Of Crosby's seven children, four to Dixie, five of them became entertainers in music, film or television (Gary, Dennis, Phillip, Lindsay and Mary). One grew up to become a banker (Harry) and the youngest a pro golfer (Nathaniel). Beyond music and family Crosby's major loves were golf and horse racing [*]. Per above, he was also a businessman [*]. References: 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; chronologies: 1, 2; film and 1, 2; television and 1, 2; IMDb; magnetic tape and: 1, 2, 3, 4. Discographies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Further reading: *. HMR Project. More Bing Crosby under the Andrews Sisters in Swing Song. Bing Crosby 1926 I've Got the Girl With Al Rinker & the Don Clark Orchestra Composition: Walter Donaldson Bing Crosby 1927 Paul Whiteman Orchestra Composition: Buddy De Sylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henderson Paul Whiteman Orchestra Music: Donald Heywood Lyrics: Will Marion Cook Paul Whiteman Orchestra Composition: Ray Henderson Mary (What Are You Waiting For) Paul Whiteman Orchestra Composition: Walter Donaldson Paul Whiteman Orchestra Composition: James Royce Shannon/Frederick Knight Logan Paul Whiteman Orchestra Composition: Walter Donaldson Peter DeRose/Harry Richman/Jo Trent Side By Side Paul Whiteman Orchestra Composition: Harry Woods Bing Crosby 1928 Paul Whiteman Orchestra Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Gus Kahn Bing Crosby 1932 Music: Jay Gorney Lyrics: Yip Harburg Lawd, You Made the Night Too Long Don Redman Orchestra & the Boswell Sisters Composition: Victor Young/Sam Lewis Bing Crosby 1935 Singing Moonburn Piano: Joe Sullivan Composition: Hoagy Carmichael/Edward Heyman Bing Crosby 1936 Film Composition: Johnny Mercer Bing Crosby 1939 Violin: Matty Malneck Composition: Peter DeRose/Mitchell Parish Bing Crosby 1942 Composition: Irving Berlin Bing Crosby 1944 Music: Cole Porter Lyrics: Robert Fletcher/Cole Porter Composition: Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen Bing Crosby 1962 Composition: Felix Bernard/Richard Smith Bing Crosby 1963 Television duet with Caterina Valente
|
Bing Crosby Source: Pipes Magazine |
|
|
Ruth Etting Source: Rankopedia |
Born in David City, Nebraska, in 1897, singer,
Ruth Etting, was a major radio and
recording star who also made films. Etting had originally
been an artist. It was while designing costumes for a show at the Marigold Gardens
nightclub
in Chicago that she began singing and dancing there as a chorus girl in
1922. She that year married her manager, Martin Snyder.
She soon became a featured vocalist and began performing for radio.
DAHR [see also Laird at
1,
2]
has Etting in a trial session for Victor as early as 4 April 1924 shelve
'Sure as You're Born' w 'My Sweetie's Sweeter Than That'. Acquiring a contract with Columbia Records in 1926,
11 Feb saw the recording of 'Nothing Else to Do'/'Let's Talk about My
Sweetie' (Columbia 580-D). Etting began her extensive career as Columbia's
darling when 'Let's Talk About My Sweetie' (Columbia 580) charted at #14
in June 1926. Etting was a superstar who placed nearly 40 titles into the
Top Ten from 'Lonesome and Sorry' (Columbia 644) at #3 in Aug '26 to 'Life
is a Song' (Columbia 3031-D) at #1 in 1935. The latter was the only time
she topped the charts. Tsort has her best-selling title per 'Ten Cents a
Dance' in 1930, charting at #5 that year at Music VF. After her
initial recording sessions with Columbia she appeared in the 1927 edition
of the Ziegfeld Follies, and again in 1931. In 1938 her pianist, Myrl Alderman,
was shot by her estranged husband, Snyder, starting something
of a gunfight
between Snyder, Etting and their daughter, Edith (Snyder's by previous marriage),
attempting to protect Etting. Alderman and Etting married in Las Vegas in
December that year during Snyder's trial. Snyder's daughter, Edith, died the next
year, only age 22, of heart disease. [See Wikipedia for an extensive list
of archived newspaper clippings covering Etting's divorce from Snyder to
marry Alderman, earlier threats by Snyder, the gunfight and trial of Snyder, the
lawsuit brought against Etting by Alma Alderman (Myrl's ex wife) and the
conviction of Snyder.] Having retired in general from the music industry just prior
to all that, she and Alderman moved to Colorado Springs, CO, where they
had a restaurant, 'Henri's', from '47 to '49 [*].
Etting had also performed at the Copocabana in New York City
in 1947 [1,
2].
She and Alderman had featured together on WGN
radio in New York in May of '47 [*].
They performed together at least once more, that at the Pine Valley Club
in Co Spgs, before Alderman's death there in 1966, Etting later
on 24 September 1978 in Co Spgs [1,
2].
References: 1,
2,
3. Discographies: 1,
2,
3,
4.
Compilations: 'Love Me or Leave Me' 1926-31 by Columbia Masterworks 1955,
'Centenary Album' 1926-37 by Claremont Records 1997.
Etting on Broadway.
In film and television: *.
Archives: 1,
2, 3.
Other profiles: 1,
2. Ruth Etting 1926 Music: Fred Rose Lyrics: Walter Hirsch Music: George W. Meyer Lyrics: Alfred Bryan Music: Abel Baer Lyrics: Joe Young/Sam Lewis Composition: Benny Davis/Con Conrad Music: Richard Whiting/Stephen Pasternacki Lyrics: Raymond B. Egan Music: Lou Handman Lyrics: Roy Turk Music: Julian Davidson Lyrics: Ruth Etting Ruth Etting 1927 Composition: Benny Davis/Milton Ager/Lester Santly Composition: Irving Berlin Ruth Etting 1928 My Blackbirds Are Bluebirds Now Composition: Irving Caeser/Cliff Friend Ruth Etting 1929 I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) Composition: Roy Turk/Fred Ahlert Music: Walter Donaldson Lyrics: Gus Kahn Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Billy Rose/Edward Eliscu Ruth Etting 1930 Music: Johnny Green Lyrics: Edward Heyman/Robert Sour Composition: Joe Burke/Al Dubin Composition: Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields Composition: Henry Creamer/James P. Johnson Composition: Bob Todd/Charles Kenny Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Ruth Etting 1931 Composition: Gerald Marks/Seymour Simons Music: Johnny Green Lyrics: Edward Heyman Music: Nora Bayes Lyrics: Jack Norworth Ruth Etting 1936 Music: Isham Jones Lyrics: Gus Kahn
|
|
| Born in New York City in 1901, the earliest recordings
made by Annette Hanshaw
were a couple of unreleased audition medleys for Pathé Records in July 1926 in NYC.
Her first titles to issue followed in September which were 'Black Bottom'
and 'Six Feet of Papa'. Hanshaw owns distinction in early popular music as
a major
representative of the Roaring Twenties' flapper girl [1,
2,
3]. Musc VF
has Hanshaw placing her initial top title on the charts at #10 per 'For
Old Times' Sake' (Harmony 666) in 1928, followed by 'Am I Blue?' (Harmony
940) at # 11 in '29 and 'Big
City Blues' (Columbia 1812) at #10 in '29. Known to have composed two
songs, she copyrighted 'Till Your Happiness Happens Along' w music by Jack
Miller in Oct of '29. The other was 'Sweet One' w music by Miller recorded
in Nov 1929. Hanshaw used a number
of pseudonyms during her career, including Gay Ellis, Dot Dare, Patsy Young,
Marion Lee, Janet Shaw and Lelia Sandford. She starred on the 'Maxwell House
Show Boat' radio show for a couple years starting in 1933-34
[*]. She appeared in
her only film in that capacity in 1933, a short called 'Captain Henry's Radio Show'
[IMDb]. Hanshaw made her
last commercial recording in 1934 for Vocalion. She gave her last
performance on radio in Dec 1937 before retiring from the music industry.
She died of cancer
half a century later on 13 March 1985 in Manhattan, having married twice
but leaving no children. References: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Sessions: 1,
2, Lord's Disco.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3.
Compilations: 'The Early Years' 1926-27 Volumes
1,
2,
3;
Sensation label 1928-29 Volumes 5,
6;
'Lovable & Sweet'.
Interviews:
1959 w Brian Rust;
1972 w Jack Cullen 1,
2.
Archives:
Internet Archives,
Memorabilia,
'Radio Digest' 1930/31(?),
'Radio Guide' 1934,
'What's on the Air' 1929-31(?). "That's All!"
excepting the HMR Project. Annette Hanshaw 1926 Music: Jimmy Monaco Lyrics: L. Wolfe Gilbert Composition: George & Ira Gershwin: For the Broadway musical 'Oh, Kay!' 1926 Composition: Charles Tobias/Al Sherman/Howard Johnson Composition: Lillian Rossdale Goodman Composition: Jean Davis Composition: Enoch Light I'm All Alone in a Palace of Stone Composition: Lon Mooney Kiss Your Little Baby Goodnight Composition: Walter Donaldson/Charley Straight Unissued test for Pathe Records Composition: Lon Mooney Benny Davis/Harry Akst/Harry Richman Composition: Walter Donaldson Annette Hanshaw 1927 Composition: Adrian Rollini/Keane/Richard Rodgers Music: Harry MacGregor Woods Lyrics: Mort Dixon Composition: Harry Ruby/Bert Kalmar Composition: Ev. E. Lyn (Evelyn Hiller) Francis Wheeler Ted Snyder What Do I Care What Someone Said Music: Harry MacGregor Woods Lyrics: Sidney Clare Who's That Knocking at My Door Music: Seymour Simon Lyrics: Gus Kahn Annette Hanshaw 1928 I Can't Give You Anything But Love Composition: Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields As Patsy Young Music: Herbert Stothart/Harry Ruby Lyrics: Bert Kalmar For the musical 'Good Boy' Composition: Bernie Seaman/Marvin Smolev My Blackbirds Are My Bluebirds Now Composition: Irving Caeser/Cliff Friend Annette Hanshaw 1929 Composition: Harry Akst/Grant Clarke Daddy Won't You Please Come Home Composition: Sam Coslow Music: Oscar Levant Lyrics: Billy Rose/Mort Dixon Composition: Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields As Patsy Young Music: Richard Whiting Lyrics: Billy Rose For the film 'Sweetie' I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling Music: Fats Waller/Harry Link Lyrics: George Marion Jr. Composition: Oscar Levant/Sidney Clare For the film 'Street Girl' Guitar: Eddie Lang Composition: Sigmund Romberg/Oscar Hammerstein II Also released as Gay Ellis Music: Fred E. Ahlert Lyrics: Roy Turk Music: Ralph Rainger Lyrics: Howard Dietz Composition: Abel Baer/Wolfe Gilbert Composition: Leo Robin/Sam Coslow/Richard Whiting You Wouldn't Fool Me Would You? As Dot Dare Composition: Buddy De Sylva/Lew Brown/Ray Henderson Annette Hanshaw 1930 As Patsy Young Composition: James Brockman/Leonard Stevens Annette Hanshaw 1932 Composition: Bing Crosby/Ned Washington/Victor Young Composition: Harry Woods
|
Annette Hanshaw Photo: Murray Kent Collection Source: Archive Org |
|
 Kate Smith 1943 Billboard Source: Wikipedia |
Born in Greenville, Virginia, on
1 May 1907,
Kate Smith was raised in Washington DC
by a father who owned the Capitol News Company which distributed magazines
and newspapers. Her father was Catholic and sang in a choir; her mother was
Presbyterian and played piano at her church. Kate herself began to sing in a
church capacity at age five, then sang for troops stationed in the
Washington DC area during World War I, also performing as an amateur
in vaudeville theatres. After graduating from high school in '24 she attended
college to become a nurse, but dropped out the next year to sing
professionally in theatres in Boston, New Jersey and NYC. Her name included
on billings for 'Honeymoon Lane' [1,
2] from the begin, she was also noted for
her corpulence, a hot 200 pounds in so many words (235 pounds per 5' 10" at
age 30 to be exact). Not something she took in
stride, being a big girl brought tears of shame. But the draw to entertain,
especially as she was talented and recognized for it, was the more powerful,
so she would have to work it out. While 'Honeymoon Lane' was being staged on
Broadway, Kate made her initial recordings for Victor on 7 Oct 1926, though
none were issued: 'White House', 'Mary Dear' and 'Jersey Walk'. A few
weeks later she recorded 'The Little White House' [audio] along w 'Mary Dear' on 28
Oct 1926 toward release on Columbia 810-D. Notable in '27 were 'One sweet
letter from you' [audio] recorded w ''I'm gonna meet my sweetie now'
[audio] on
Valentine's Day that year toward issue on Columbia 911-D. Composed
respectively by Sidney Clare w Lew Brown and Benny Davis w Jesse Greer, those were jazz
tunes backed by the studio recording ensemble named the Charleston Chasers
including Red
Nichols. Smith's major venue was radio with which she began in 1930
for NBC with a series called 'Kate Smith Sings'.
MusicVF has Smith topping the charts at #1 in 1931 w 'When
the Moon Comes over the Mountain' composed by Howard Johnson and Harry
Woods, recorded on 17 August toward issue on Columbia 2539 [audio].
Wikipedia comments that Smith's crediting on the label was likely
more a matter of sharing royalties than actual contribution. MusicVF
identifies twelve issues by Smith reaching the Top Ten to as late as Fred
Rose's 'Foggy River' in 1948 gaining the #10 tier in Country in October 1948
[audio].
On 28 Oct 1931 Smith recorded 'That's Why Darkies Were Born' toward issue on
Columbia 2563-D [*;
audio].
This is a title that would bring accusations of racism nigh ninety years
later. She has also been
posthumously accused of racism for the title, 'Pickaninny Heaven', which
she sang in the 1933 film directed by William Seiter,
'Hello, Everybody!'
[1,
2,
3,
4,
lyrics].
Having starred on several radio programs since 1930, Smith's 'The Kate Smith Hour'
remained on air from 1937 to 1945. During that period Smith published her
first memoir, 'Living in a Great Big Way' (Blue Ribbon Books Jan 1938). It was on 'The Kate Smith Hour' that she
premiered Irving Berlin's 1918 'God Bless America' in November 1938
[audio]. Most
sources give a date of 11 November, that being Armistice Day, but some
including Kaskowitz go with
a version of 10 November
[1,
2]. That title would become an unofficial national anthem and
Smith's major claim to fame. It would later see employment as an inaugural
to sporting events either with or without the 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
(official national anthem). The Philadelphia Flyers (hockey) began using
Smith's 'God Bless America' in 1969. The Yankees began a tradition with it
upon the 9/11 declaration of war against America. A statue
of
Smith erected in 1987 outside the Flyers Stadium was removed in 2019 to distance the team
from racism. Both the Flyers and Yankees also ceased using Smith's 'God
Bless America' at their games, perhaps figuring the song strong enough to
have a life of its own without Kate. Smith released a minimum of 34 albums
during her lifetime, her first believed to be 'U.S.A.' on Columbia-C-50 in
1941, that on 10" 78 rpm [audio].
Discogs has 'Songs of Erin' released on shellac as
well in 1947 on Columbia C-116, that a collection of Irish songs. 'Songs of
the Hills and Plains was issued on shellac in 1948 on
MGM 22.
Come 'Songs of Steven Foster' in 1952 on MGM E106. Her 10" vinyl 'TV Curtain Calls' arrived in 1954 on Capitol H515,
reissued in mono in 1957 as 'Kate Smith' Capitol T-854 [RYM]. Though Smith was queen of radio she
appeared on television numerously, also hosting a few of her own variety
shows: 'The Kate Smith Hour' (1950-54), 'The Kate Smith Evening Hour'
(1951-52) and 'The Kate Smith Show' (January 1960-July 1960)
[1,
2,
3].
Funk & Wagnalls had published Smith's second autobiography in Jan 1960
titled 'Upon My Lips a Song'. The Kate Smith Commemorative Society has her
singing for the last time in 1976, that "God Bless America' for a United
States bicentennial television special. The 'Orlando Sentinel' has her going
into a diabetic coma at that time, which would last four months and do brain
damage. Wikipedia differs from the Commemorative Society in placing Smith's
last performance nine years later on 23 May of 1985 before Game 2 of the
Stanley Cup Finals between the Flyers and Houston Oilers. Either way, she
lost a leg to amputation for diabetes in Jan of 1986, six months before her
death in Raleigh, NC, on 17 June 1986 (two days before Juneteenth)
[obits: 1,
2,
3].
As for Smith's presumed racism, those songs in question likely appear more
racist than they actually were. I'll not pretend to know. If they are, then
it's too bad they weren't rejected years ago. As for criticism these days,
howsoever relevant or not to Smith, much is made under the spell of a black
racism into which a great portion of the American nation has fallen of
recent. (Some would dispute that, yet it's the only assessment that
observation leaves available to me. In the writing of these histories I've
noted a load of racism in music alone, mixed with noting that being
black has often gained recording contracts as well, particularly in
transition from jazz to rock via R&B. Howsoever, the great majority of these
histories were written quite before the emergence of BLM or Woke Cancel
Culture. These profiles are styled to draw as direct and straight a line as
possible through the facts (like dates, et al) of musical careers. Beyond
that, since that alone is difficult enough, though I permit myself humor
here or there, I don't engage in such as music criticism nor commentary of
any kind, especially not to fan my or anyone else's political opinions.
Smith, here, is a solitary exception. That you may better weigh the
perspective from which this paragraph is written, it is not that of BLM nor
Cancel Culture regardless of what sympathies. Meanwhile, because Smith
is the last profile added to these histories, I'll allow myself to bow out w my own wish that,
indeed, God bless this Earth and everyone on it who would, including the USA and its
crucified flag, representing a nation consisting of a people (not all
fascists), become more beautiful the more its been burned, trampled,
despised and unappreciated unfairly.
References: 1,
2,
3.
Audio: 1926-34;
IA (unfiltered).
Discos: ADP,
All Music,
Discogs,
Music Brainz,
RYM.
On Broadway.
In film.
Other reading by source: Stephanie Buck.
Other reading by topic: 'God Bless America': 1,
2,
3,
4,
5;
Smith's alleged racism: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13;
radio career.
Bibliography: ''God Bless America'' by Sheryl Kaskowitz (Oxford U Press 2013).
Other profiles: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Per below, 'Blue Tail Fly' ('Jimmy Crack Corn') is a black minstrel concerning the death of a slave's "master"
in which "crack corn" might refer to opening a bottle of whiskey.
'The Kate Smith Show' of 1960 is fairly representative of the American variety show
that was basically televised vaudeville in some or other context.
Kate Smith 1931 Composition: Bayes/Norworth 1908 Kate Smith 1940 Composition: Harline/Washington 1939 Written for the film 'Pinocchio' 1940 Kate Smith 1942 Composition: Kent/Burton 1941 Kate Smith 1944 Composition: Porter/Fletcher 1934 Kate Smith 1950 May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You Composition: Meredith Willson 1950 Kate Smith 1958 See 'Jimmy Crack Corn' Composition: Anon traditional See also the Virginia MinstrelsFirst published 1846 See also Christy's Minstrels First published 1848 Kate Smith 1960 Kate Smith 1965 'Hollywood Palace' variety show Kate Smith 1966 Television: date/venue unidentified 'The London Palladium Show' 6 June 1966Composition: Bricusse/Newley 1962 Kate Smith 1968 Composition: Albert Hay Malotte 1935 Kate Smith 1976Flyers Stadium Stanley Cup 16 May 1976Composition: Irving Berlin 1918 |
|
| Horace Heidt See
Jazz:
Horace Heidt. |
||
| Though Frank Luther
[1,
2]
(aka Bud Billings:
1,
2) was a pianist he was better known as a tenor vocalist. Born Frank Luther Crow
on a Kansas farm near Lakin in 1899 (some sources 1900 or 1905), he began his professional career
at age 16 as a tenor in a traveling quartet called the Meistersingers. In
1926 he joined a group called the DeReszke
Singers, changing his name from Crow to Luther and touring with Will Rogers. Praguefrank's has
Luther recording with
Carson Robison as early as
June 26 of 1926: 'The Hills of Kentucky' (unissued) and 'The Little Green
Valley'/'Drifting Down the Trail of Dreams' (Melotone M12179, Polly P9062).
Early 1927 found Luther with
Sam Lanin and his Famous Players, 'Wherever
You Go' gone down on March 30 for issue the next year. Luther also joined
the
Revelers for a time in 1927 to tour to Great Britain, not known on what
recordings he may have sang. September 30, 1927, found him with Cass Hagan
for Columbia: 'Manhattan Mary', issue unknown. Early 1928 found Luther
with
Sam Lanin and his Famous Players, putting away such as 'Rain Or Shine' on
March 12. On July 13 of 1928 he sang on 'Blue Grass' for
Vincent Lopez
and His Casa Lopez Orchestra. July 28 saw 'Ten Little Miles from Town'
with Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra. Those
had followed Luther's
first tracks on June 7 of 1928 as a country
singer in partnership with Carson Robison:
'Steamboat (Keep Rockin')' and 'There's a Whippoorwill a Calling', neither
issued. Tony Russell's 'Country Music Records' (CMR) has Luther's next session circa June 15-16 "probably" accompanied by Murray Kellner on fiddle and
Robison (harmonica/guitar) on 'The West Plains
Explosion'/'The Hanging of Charles Birger' (Matrices: GEX 1439, GEX 1440;
Issued Gennett 6530).
Robison had recorded the same two songs with
Vernon Dalhart
earlier on April 26 for issue in July '28 on Domino 0241.
Luther's next
session on the 18th of August resulted in 'The Little Green Valley' (Edison
5572) and 'Six Feet of Earth' (Edison 5564).
Luther was accompanied by
unknowns on those,
Robison listed in CMR as "probably" on 'The Little Green
Valley'.
Luther and
Robison partnered to 1932, also performing as Bud & Joe Billings,
the Black Brothers, the Jones Brothers, et al. They stretched along 'I Tore
Up Your Picture When You Said Goodbye' as the Black Brothers on August 3,
1928, on Okeh 45253. Also recording under numerous aliases, Luther laid
out 'Hallelujah! I'm a Bum'/'The Bum Song' (Okeh 41092) as Pete Wiggins on
August 6 of '28. Praguefrank's gives up the Luther/Robison partnership on April 4
of 1932 for several tracks in NYC, three unissued. The
other two were released with Luther as
Bud Billings: 'When the Sun Goes Down
in a Little Prairie Town'/'Ma and Pa' (Victor 22997) [DAHR. Rocky52]. During
his country collaborations with Robison,
Luther also recorded with the jazz dance band, the
High Hatters,
from 1929 into 1931. After his four
year partnership with Robison Luther formed the
Luther Trio, a country outfit with baritone Leonard Stokes and the
latter's wife, Zora Layman. Albeit Luther
was an important figure in early country western he was more famous for his
recordings for children, commencing in 1933 (one example below, 'The
Gingerbread Boy' from 1948).
In 1936 he starred in 'High Hat', his only feature-length film. Having begun
an Americana series for Decca in the latter thirties, Luther published 'Americans
and Their Songs' in 1942 as something of a companion to albums featuring songs
of the Civil War, early New York, old California, the Gay Nineties, Irish
favorites and rare Christmas carols. He also issued a couple albums of Stephen
Foster (1826-64) compositions. Luther composed and recorded actively up to
the time of his death in New York City on November 16, 1980. Discogs lists
his last album of certain issue date as 'Winnie The Pooh and Christopher
Robin' in 1977. Luther had written titles like 'Your Lover' ('34), 'You're
the Only One' ('35), 'Your Dear Eyes' ('35), 'Your Loveliness and My
Devotion' ('35) and 'Punch and Judy' ('45). Discos w various credits at
1,
2,
3. Luther in
visual media. Other
biographical profiles:
1,
2. More
Luther and
Robison in
C&W.
HMR Project. Frank Luther 1928 With Carson Robison Composition: Carson Robison With Vincent Lopez & His Casa Lopez Orchestra With Ben Bernie & His Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra With Sam Lanin and His Famous Players Frank Luther 1929 With the Phil Ohman Orchestra Music: Kay Swift Lyrics: James Paul Warburg With the High Hatters Music: Louis Alter Lyrics: Joseph Trent With the Phil Ohman Orchestra With the High Hatters Frank Luther 1930 With the Elliot Jacoby Orchestra Composition: Elliott Jacoby/Merwin With the High Hatters Composition: Jerome Kern/P.G. Wodehouse With Leo Reisman & His Casino Royal Orchestra Composition: Cole Porter Frank Luther 1948
|
Frank Luther Source: Hillybilly Hearthrobs
|
|
|
Helen Morgan Source: Jonathan Bogart |
Born in 1900 in Danville, Illinois,
Helen Morgan (Helen Riggins) began her career as a hard drinking
torch singer in Chicago speakeasies at about age twenty (1920), her style
to lounge atop the piano while getting sauced. Dying some thirty years
earlier, she isn't the same Helen Morgan who killed her husband, trumpeter,
Lee Morgan, in 1972. This
Morgan comes with multiple accounts of her childhood, most of which have
her born to a farmer named Frank Riggins, to become Morgan upon her
mother's (Lulu Lang) remarriage while she was a youth. Ruhlmann (All Music)
has her performing in a railroad roundhouse (locomotive garage) in
Danville as early as age 12, whence she picked up a manager named Amy
Leslie who took her to Montreal to sing at the French Trocadero nightclub,
that foray into the entertainment business soon brought to a close by
running afoul of the Gerry Society, a child labor watchdog. Sources have
Lulu's second husband disappearing as well before she took Helen to live
in Chicago in time to quit school before the ninth grade. It likely no
easier then than it is now to be a single mother, Lulu's daughter worked
various jobs including as a film extra [Wikipedia]. Ruhlmann has her
working at the Green Mill nightclub in 1918. Her natural beauty also won
her the Miss Illinois pageant of 1918. Ruhlmann also has her acquiring the
$1,500 prize as Miss Mount Royal of the 1918 Winter Sports Festival in
Montreal. Come 1923 she found herself in the chorus of the
Florenz Ziegfeld
production of 'Sally' (uncredited if in the Broadway edition). [Some sources mention
Morgan in 'Sally' as early as 1920, the year
'Sally' premiered.] Howsoever, IMDb has her
in minor uncredited roles in silent
film as early as 1923 per 'The Heart Raider' and 'Six Cylinder Love'. The
music business for Morgan, though, was the speakeasy,
she performing at Billy Rose's [1,
2]
Backstage Club [1,
2,
3,
4] in 1925.
Her first credits on Broadway arrived that year per 'George White's
Scandals' staged from June into November. That was followed by a trip to
London in 1927 where she put down tracks for the British Brunswick 100
series in June: 'Me and My Shadow'/'When I Discover My Man' (British
Brunswick 104) and 'Just Like a Butterfly'/'You Remind Me of a Naughty
Springtime Cuckoo' (British Brunswick 110) [Laird: 1,
2,
3;
see also IA]. Several more tracks
like 'A Tree in a Park'/'Where's That Rainbow?' (British Brunswick 111)
went down in July. Circa September saw 'Do Do Do'/'Maybe' toward British
Brunswidk 129, those tunes by the
Gershwin brothers earlier performed in 1926 by
Gertrude Lawrence in the
Broadway musical, 'Oh! Kay'. She was back in NYC in time to appear as
Julie in
Ziegfeld's production of 'Show
Boat'
in Dec 1927. By that time she had
become so popular an entertainer that speakeasies were being named after her:
The House of Morgan, Chez Helen Morgan, Helen Morgan's Summer House and Helen
Morgan's 54th Street Club [1,
2]. She was arrested at the
Chez Morgan for liquor law violations. The club, shut down, reopened as Helen
Morgan's Summer House, after which she was arrested the following year a second
time and stopped performing in speakeasies. (Both violations arrived to acquittals.)
In 1929 Morgan appeared in the films, 'Show Boat' and 'Applause'. It was Broadway again in 1931,
she joining the last edition of the Ziegfeld Follies.
Wikipedia has her studying opera around that time. She was included among others like
the Three Stooges in the 1934 documentary, 'Screen Snapshots' (Series 14
#1). With several films under her belt, she starred in the 1936 version of
'Show Boat'. Ruhlmann has her performing in England in 1937-38. 1939 found
her working clubs in NYC at the Famous Door. In 1940 Morgan appeared in
the stage production of 'Show Boat' in Los Angeles. She married her third
husband, Lloyd Johnston, in July of '41. Ruhlmann has her with NBC radio
in NYC in the summer of '41, performing in Miami Beach as well. Morgan died young on 9 Oct 1941 of liver cirrhosis
upon twenty years of heavy alcohol consumption, she collapsing on stage during a performance in Chicago.
As Morgan's greater fame gravitated in the nightclub scene, productions of
'Show Boat' along the way, she wasn't the superstar on radio or disc that
others of her period were, though she did release several highly popular
songs. Using Music VF as a general gauge
(no actual national chart until 1936), Morgan's early release of 'A Tree in
a Park' for British Brunswick (above) in 1927 ranked at #9. 1928 saw 'Bill' at #4
and 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man' at #7. It was 'Mean to Me' at #11 in 1929.
In 1930 it was 'Body and Soul' at #16 and 'Why Was I Born?' at #8. She
made several more releases to what Connelly shows as the last of her
recording career in 1935 in Los Angeles: 'The Little Things You Used to
Do'/'I Was Taken by Storm' (Brunswick 7424). References: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Sessions.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3. Morgan
on Broadway.
Other theatre.
Archives: IA. Other
profiles: 1,
2,
3,
4. Helen Morgan 1927 Composition: George & Ira Gershwin From the Broadway musical 'Oh, Kay!' Composition: George & Ira Gershwin From the Broadway musical 'Oh, Kay!' Helen Morgan 1929 What I Wouldn't I Do for that Man Composition: Yip Harburg/Jay Gorney Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Helen Morgan 1930 Music: Johnny Green Lyrics: Edward Heyman/Robert Sour Film with Jimmy Durante Composition: Yip Harburg/Jay Gorney Helen Morgan 1936 Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II From the film 'Show Boat'
|
|
| Born Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolpho Colombo
in 1908 in Camden, New Jersey, actor and vocalist Russ
Columbo played violin professionally at age thirteen [age 9
All Music]. He quit high school at age seventeen to tour with bands and
perform in nightclubs. Sometime in 1927 he replaced an ill vocalist for a
CNS radio broadcast from the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood, that leading to
joining Gus Arnheim's
orchestra as
both a violinist and vocalist in what sources universally have as 1928.
Going by copyrights and revues in 'The First Hollywood Sound Shorts
1926-1931' by Edwin Bradley, Columbo appeared w both
Arnheim's Cocoanut
Grove Orchestra (CGO) and
Arnheim's Ambassadors in the Vitaphone shorts 2484 (©
Jan '28)
and 2485 (© July '28) in time for summer reviews. Bradley has Vitaphone
2136 w
Arnheim's Ambassador Hotel Orchestra copyrighted in Feb '29. As
both IMDb and Picking appear to have that released in '27 [1,
2], and data gets murky, it's
needful to leave Columbo's three Vitaphones w
Arnheim at that. He moved
on to film as an uncredited performer in 'Street Girl' and 'Dynamite' in
1929. Columbo's first
recordings had also been in 1928 w backing by
Arnheim's CGO. DAHR traces
sessions to as early as 12 April in Los Angeles for 'I Can't Do Without
You' (OKeh 41057) and 'If I Can't Have You' (OKeh 41037). The latter was
issued opposite to 'Back in Your Own Backyard' recorded two days later.
Parlophone handled releases in the UK. Jan 10 of '29 saw 'Everytime You
Smile' (OKeh 41207) go down w 'Avalon Town' (OKeh 41174) followed the next
day by 'My Inspiration Is You' (OKeh 41207) and 'The Song I Love' (OKeh
41203). Come 'Glad Rag Doll' (OKeh 41208) on the 17th tailed on the 24th
by 'A Love Tale of Alsace Lorraine' (OKeh 41203) and 'I'll Get By' (OKeh
41174). Arnheim backed Columbo once more, this time toward Victor 22546 on
29 May 1930 per 'A Peach of a Pair'. About that time he opened a place
called the Club Pyramid, a brief venture before crossing to the other
coast to work for NBC radio in New York City where he began his solo
career w Victor. DAHR traces sessions to as early as 3 Sep 1931 toward 'I
Don't Know Why'/'Guilty' (Victor 22801) and 'You Call It Madness' released
on Victor 22802 w 'Sweet and Lovely' recorded on the 9th. Music VF
places him at the #5 tier for 'You Call It Madness' in '31 along w 'Good
Night, Sweetheart' at #3. 'As You Desire Me' in '32 was among Columbo's
numerous high-selling issues. His place in the national spotlight,
however, was brief. It was
only 31 August of 1934 when Columbo made his last recordings of titles in
the film, 'Wake Up and Dream': 'Let's Pretend There's a Moon'/'When You're
in Love' (Brunswick 6972), 'Too Beautiful for Words' (Brunswick 7311) and
"I See Two Lovers'. He didn't live to see the release of those recordings,
nor the film in October, as two days later on
September 2nd he was accidentally shot in the head in Los Angeles by a friend,
portrait photographer, Lansing Brown, who was fiddling with a loaded antique
pistol that Brown used as a desk ornament [1,
2,
3,
4]. Beyond music, Columbo's major concern would appear to have been his relationship since '33 with actress, Carole
Lombard [1,
2,
3,
4,
5].
References: Wikipedia; Max Pierce:
1,
2;
All Music;
'A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers' by Will Friedwald;
'The Rise of the Crooners' by Michael Pitts and Frank Hoffmann;
Leigh;
Survey
of American Popular Music (Hoffmann/Birkline).
Film: Vitaphone,
other.
Sessions 1928-32.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3.
Compilations: 'The Complete Studio Recordings' by
BMG 2003.
Archives: early PR: 1,
2;
other: 1,
2.
Facebook tribute site. Other profiles: 1,
2,
3,
4.
Per 1929 below, 'Love Take My Heart' seems the most likely of the three
songs performed in 'The Wolf Song' [IMDb]. The others were 'Mi Amado'
(vocal by Velez) and 'Yo Te Amo Means I Love You', neither of which match
'Love Take My Heart'. Russ Columbo 1928 Composition: Billy Rose/Dave Dreyer/Al Jolson Composition: Irving Berlin Russ Columbo 1929 With Lupe Vélez Composition: Arthur J. Lamb/A. Teres Film: 'The Wolf Song' Russ Columbo 1931 Composition: Jimmy Campbell/Ray Noble/Reg Connelly Music: Russ Columbo/Clarence Gaskill Lyrics: Leo Robin Composition: Gus Arnheim/Harry Tobias/Jules Lemare Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold Composition: Roy Turk/Bing Crosby/Fred E. Ahlert Russ Columbo 1932 Composition: Milton Ager/Al Goodhart Al Hoffman/Eric Nelson Composition: John Klemmer/San Lewis Music: Victor Young Lyrics: Sam M. Lewis Composition: Russ Columbo/Con Conrad Gladys du Bois/Paul Gregory Composition: Harry Warren/Joe Young/Mort Dixon Russ Columbo 1933 Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Billy Rose/Edward Eliscu Composition: Russ Columbo Film Music: Vincent Youmans Lyrics: Harold Adamson/Mack Gordon You Are My Past, Present and Future Music: Harry Revel Lyrics: Mack Gordon Film: 'Broadway Through a Keyhole' With Constance Cummings Music: Harry Revel Lyrics: Mack Gordon Film: 'Broadway Through a Keyhole' With Constance Cummings Russ Columbo 1934 Music: Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics: Mitchell Parish Composition: Russ Columbo/Bernie Grossman/Jack Stern
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Russ Columbo Source: Live Journal |
|
|
Born in Dec 1901 in Schöneberg (now in Berlin), Germany, sultry actress, Marlene Dietrich, had intended to become a violinist upon enrollment at the Weimar Konservatorium in 1919. A wrist injury apparently made the instrument too difficult to play as a career, she to focus on theatre instead. She may have appeared as early as 1919 in the silent film, 'Im Schatten des Glücks' [*]. Bumming about as a chorus girl in Berlin's theatres for a few years, her first credited role in a major silent film arrived in 1923 as Lucy in 'Tragedy of Love' ('Tragodie der Liebe'). She made numerous silent films by the time she made her fist recordings. Werner Sudendorf at SLM (Sounds Like Marlene) has her in session as early as 30 May 1928 in Berlin for 'Potpourri' ('Medley') from the musical review, 'Es liegt in der Luft' which had opened on 15 May. That saw issue on Electrola EH-146 w orchestral backing by Mischa Spoliansky. June 2 witnessed 'Wenn die Beste Freundin' (Electrola EG-892), a duet w Margo Lion backed by Spoliansky at piano. 1930 saw the release of her first sound film, 'The Blue Angel' ('Der Blaue Engel'), directed by Josef von Sternberg. Among other titles performed in that was 'Falling in Love Again' to see issue on HMV B 3524 and Victor 22592. 'Nimm dich in acht vor Blonden Frau'n' saw release on Electrola EG-1170. The international success of 'The Blue Angel' found Dietrich in Hollywood in 1930 to work w Sternberg at Paramount. Their first such release was 'Morocco' in 1930 w actor, Gary Cooper. Her first technicolor film arrived in 1936 per 'The Garden of Allah'. She became a U.S. citizen in 1939. During World War II Dietrich sold more war bonds than any other entertainer, also performing for troops with the USO. After the war Dietrich began to concentrate on nightclub acts for the next couple decades. She released her initial LP, 'Marlene Dietrich Overseas', in 1951 [*]. 1952 saw the issue of the best-selling title, 'Too Old to Cut the Mustard', a duet w Rosemary Clooney. She was earning $30,000 a week at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas in 1953. She wrote the lyrics to 'Ich werde dich lieben' ('I Will Love You') in 1964, music by Bruce Welch. On 29 September 1975 Dietrich broke a thigh bone while falling from a stage in Sydney, Australia. This effectively put an end to her career. Her husband, Rudolf Sieber, died of cancer on 24 June 1976. She made a last appearance in the David Bowie film 'Just a Gigolo' in 1978 before retiring in Paris largely confined to her bed, long gone the appetite for which she had been something famous: said to be among her love affairs through the years were Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Erich Maria Remarque, Jean Gabin, Mercedes de Acosta, Yul Brynner, George Bernard Shaw, John F. Kennedy and John Wayne. Dietrich died of kidney or renal failure on 6 May 1992 in Paris. Memoirs by Dietrich: 'Marlene Dietrich's ABC' (Doubleday 1962), 'Nehmt nur mein Leben: Reflexionen' (Bertelsmann 1979), 'Marlene' translated by Salvator Attanasio (Grove Press 1989), 'Some Facts about Myself' w Gottfried Helnwein (Edition Cantz 1990). References encyclopedic: 1, 2, 3, 4; other: 1, 2, 3, 4. Dietrich in film: 1, 2, 3. Sessions: Aagaard, DAHR, SLM. Discographies: 45Worlds, Bach, Discogs, RYM, Wikipedia, LPs. Compilations: 'The Best of Marlene Dietrich' by Columbia 1973, 'The Cosmopolitan Marlene Dietrich' by Columbia 1993, 'Es Liegt In Der Luft' by EBM 1998, 'The Marlene Dietrich Collection' by Signature 2003, SLM. Dietrich in radio: 1, 2; OSS "black"Morale Operations; on 33 rpm. Touring: 1, 2. Concerts: 1, 2. Dietrich in television. On Broadway. Lyrics. Facebook tribute site. Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Filmmuseum Berlin Collection: 1, 2, 3. Further reading: Dietrich and fashion; as femme fatale; World War II and the USO: 1, 2. Other profiles: 1, 2, 3. 'Bitte Geh Nicht Fort' in 1963 below is a German version of Belgian singer, actor and director, Jacques Brel's [1, 2, 3] 1959 'Ne me quitte pas' ('Don't Leave Me). It is better known in English as 'If You Go Away' w lyrics by Rod McKuen [1, 2, 3]. Max Colpet supplied lyrics in German. 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone' below had been authored by Pete Seeger in 1955. Marlene Dietrich 1928 Music: Mischa Spoliansky Lyrics: Marcellus Schiffer Marlene Dietrich 1930 Composition: Friedrich Hollaender Film: 'The Blue Angel' Composition: Friedrich Hollaender Film: 'The Blue Angel' Marlene Dietrich 1939 Composition: Cole Porter Composition: J. Fred Coots/Haven Gillespie Marlene Dietrich 1948 From the film 'A Foreign Affair' Music by Friedrich Hollaender Marlene Dietrich 1963 From 'Ne me quitte pas': Composition: Jacques Brel 1959 German lyrics: Max Colpet Where Have All the Flowers Gone Live performance Composition: Seeger Marlene Dietrich 1965 Where Have All the Flowers Gone Composition: Seeger
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Marlene Dietrich Source: TVR
|
|
|
Gracie Fields Source: Echo Stains |
Gracie Fields
[1,
2], born in 1898 in Lancashire, England, was a British actress and vocalist
w a sense of humor. Wikipedia has her performing professionally as early
as 1910 at the Rochdale Hippodrome theatre. Five years later she acquired
manager, Archie Pitt, whom she would marry in '23. They staged their first
revue together in 1915 titled 'Yes I Think So'. They toured Great Britain
together through several productions until 1924. In the meantime she'd
made a couple of unissued recordings as a comedian for HMV in '23: 'Deedle
Deedle Dum' and 'Romany Love'. Laird ['Moanin' Low: A Discography of
Female Popular Vocal Recordings 1920-1933'] has her on a couple more
unissued titles in April of '28 w an unidentified orchestra: 'Because I
Love You' went down again on 3 May w 'My Blue Heaven' toward HMV B2733. Fields' first film was 'Sally In Our Alley' in 1931. In 1933 she established
the Gracie Fields Children's Home and Orphanage. After her divorce from Pitt
in 1939 she donated the house in which they had lived (with Pitt's mistress)
to a maternity hospital. In 1940 she and new husband, Italian film director
Monty Banks, moved to Santa Monica, California, to avoid his getting inducted
into the military. She was in New York City to star in the Broadway
production of 'Top-Notchers' for three weeks in 1942. During World War II Fields entertained Allied troops. Returning
to Great Britain after the war, Fields had her own BBC radio show in 1947:
'Our Gracie's Working Party'. Her issue of 'Now Is the Hour' reached the
#3 spot in America on the chart at Music VF in Jan of '48, she also singing at the London Palladium
that year. Upon the death of her husband, Banks, in 1950, Fields married a
Romanian radio repairman, Boris Alperovic, two weeks later, then somewhat
afterward established La Canzone Del Mare, a bathing and restaurant complex
for the very rich on the Isle of Capri. Fields appeared numerously in
American television, including eight dates with on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'
from '53 to '59. In the meantime she issued her highly popular plate in
the UK, 'Around the World'/'Far Away' in 1957 on Columbia in both the UK
and the States where hers was a limited audience throughout her career.
Fields published her memoir, 'Sing As We Go', in 1960. In 1978 she opened the Gracie Fields
Theatre in Lancashire. In January 1979 Fields made her last television appearance
on 'The Merv Griffin Show', the same year she was made Dame Commander of the
Order of the British Empire. She died on 27 September that year of
pneumonia. Sessionographies:
DAHR,
Laird. Discos: 1,
2,
3.
Compilations: 'Sing As We Go' by Ace of Clubs 1962;
'Singalong with Superstar' by MFP 1974;
'That Old Feeling' by ASV 1984.
Audio.
Fields in theatre,
film and
television; see also
IMDb.
Television interviews: 1975,
1977.
Documentaries: WikiVidi.
Archives (IA).
Further reading: 'British Stars and Stardom' edited by
Bruce Babington (Manchester University Press 2001). Other profiles: 1,
2,
3.
Per 'Forever and Ever' 1948 below, that was a German Luftwaffe song w
music from Franz Winkler's 1940 'Fliege mit mir in die Heimat' w lyrics by
Malia Rosa. Gracie Fields 1928 Composition: George Whiting/Walter Donaldson Gracie Fields 1929 Music: Dan Dougherty Lyrics: Phil Ponce Gracie Fields 1933 Composition: Sam Coslow/Arthur Johnston Composition: Irving Berlin Gracie Fields 1934 Composition: Al Hoffman/Mabel Wayne/Maurice Sigler Gracie Fields 1937 Composition: Harry Revel/Mack Gordon For the 1936 film 'Stowaway' Gracie Fields 1938 Composition: George & Ira Gershwin Music: Frank Churchill Lyrics: Larry Morey For the 1937 animated film: 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Performed by Adriana Caselotti Music: Frank Churchill Lyrics: Larry Morey For the 1937 animated film: 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' Performed by Adriana Caselotti Gracie Fields 1939 With Tommy Fields Composition: Hoagy Carmichael/Frank Loesser Gracie Fields 1940 Little Curly Hair in a High Chair Composition: Nat Simon/Charles Tobias Composition: Al Stillman/James Paul McGrane Gracie Fields 1943 Music: Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics: Johnny Burke Gracie Fields 1945 I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) Music: Fred E. Ahlert 1928 Lyrics: Roy Turk Gracie Fields 1948 Composition: See above Gracie Fields 1951 Composition: Donald O'Keefe Music: Richard Rodgers 1951 Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II For the Broadway musical 'The King and I' Performed by Gertrude Lawrence Gracie Fields 1961 Music: Richard Rodgers 1959 Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II For the Broadway musical 'The Sound of Music' Music: Richard Rodgers 1959 Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II For the Broadway musical 'The Sound of Music' Gracie Fields 1978 'Royal Variety Show' Final performance Composition: Harry Leon/Leo Towers/Will Haines
|
|
| Born in Oakland, CA, on St.
Valentines Day in 1896,
Anson Weeks
[1,
2,
3] was
a "sweet" hotel dance band leader who worked largely in Oakland, Sacramento and
San Francisco. It was 1927 that he began a seven-year engagement at the Mark
Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, his band there called the Hotel Mark Hopkins
Orchestra. Rust has Weeks making a test recording of 'New Moon', a title
co-written by Weeks w Herbert Marple and George Tyner, as early
as 7 Feb of 1925 for Victor. His first session to issue w his orchestra was 3 May 1928
toward 'Dream House'/'Wob-a-ly Walk' (Columbia 1409). Come Jan 28 and 29 w
his Hotel Mark Hopkins Orchestra toward 'Susianna'/'Give Your Little Baby
Lots of Lovin'' (Columbia 40004) and 'Senorita'/'Ploddin' Along' (Columbia
1742). Weeks' most
popular releases per charts at Music VF were 'The Breeze' in 1934 and 'How
Could You?' in 1937. In the meanwhile he and his band were featured in the
Paramount Headliner, 'Musical Cocktail', in 1935 (IMDb). Weeks was forced
to retire from performing in 1941 when an auto accident injured his arm.
He then became an auto salesman and real estate agent until in 1956 when
he began recording again. Early albums from that period
include the EP, 'Dancin' with Anson' ('57 per 45Worlds), 'Memories of
Dancin' with Anson' ('58), 'More Dancin' with Anson' ('60) and 'Dancin' at
Anson's' ('61). Weeks died of emphysema on 7
February 1969. Sessionographies:
DAHR;
Rust.
Discos: 1,
2. Other profiles:
1,
2,
3. Anson Weeks 1928 Vocal: Charles Hamp Music: Lynn Cowan Lyrics: Earle Foxe Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Bud Green Anson Weeks 1929 Music: Ted Shapiro Lyrics: Jack Yellen Composition: Peter De Rose/Willard Robison/Jo Trent Composition: Weeks Music: Lou Davis Lyrics: Jack Yellen Anson Weeks 1930 Composition: Murray Mencher/Billy Moll/Harry Richman Anson Weeks 1932 If I Could Call You Sweetheart Composition: Frank Magine Was That the Human Thing to Do Composition: Sammy Fain/Joe Young Anson Weeks 1933 Composition: Leo Robin/Ralph Rainger Anson Weeks 1937 Composition: Harry Warren/Al Dubin
|
Anson Weeks Source: Swing Time |
|
| Born in Englewood, New Jersey in
Feb 1904,
Elisabeth Welch began her
professional career as a chorus girl on Broadway
[1,
2] as a teenager. Johns
at Musician Guide traces
her to 'Liza' at age fourteen, that premiering at Daly's 63rd Street
Theatre on 27 Nov 1922 w music by Maceo Pinkard.
Other chorus roles arrived per 'Runnin' Wild' in '23, 'The Chocolate
Dandies' in '24 and the revue, 'Blackbirds of 1928'. The latter staged
from May into June, Welch afterward recording her first tracks to issue on
27 July w Irving Mills'
Hotsy Totsy Gang: 'Digga Digga Do' and 'Doin' The New Lowdown'
(Brunswick 4014). Discogs has her backed by
Ben Pollack (drums),
Eddie Lang
(guitar) and Jack Pettis (tenor sax). She also
married musician, Luke Smith, in 1928 until his death in '36. Welch would
remain single, no children, the rest of her life. She followed
'Blackbirds' to Paris where it premiered at the Moulin Rouge on 7 June
1929. Having a run of three months, Welch then worked cabarets until
returning to the States to sing in 'The New Yorkers' from Dec 1930 into
May 1931. Come a supporting role to sing Cole Porter's 'Solomon' in 'Nymph
Errant' back in Paris in 1933, that starring
Gertrude Lawrence. Her
rendition of 'Solomon' on Brunswick B 8031 was issued that year w 'Nymph
Errant' by
Lawrence flip side. She
premiered in London for the first time later that year in Porter's 'Dark
Doings', after which she moved to the island. Lord's Disco has her backed by Maceo Jefferson and His Boys in Paris in 1933 on 'Stormy Weather' and
'Crying for Love' (Salabert 3360) [see also 1,
2]. From 1934 to 1936 she had her own radio
program, 'Soft Lights and Sweet Music', with the BBC. 1936 saw duets w
Paul Robeson issued on HMV B.8497: 'Ol' Man River' and 'Still Suits Me'.
Those were titles from the film, 'Show Boat', in which Robeson (not Welch)
had starred (again in '51). Welch also appeared w Robeson in the British
films 'Song of Freedom' ('37) and 'Big Fella' ('38). A few titles such as
'When Lights Are Low' had gone down in '36 as well w backing by
Benny Carter. Her first
television appearance was also in 1936, that for BBC. Welch remained in London
during the Blitz and entertained troops. After the war she worked largely
in theatre, radio, film and television. She issued a few
titles in the forties such as 'Dark Music' on one side of HMV B.9357 in
1944. Discogs has her on LP for the first time in 1963 per the recording
of the musical, 'Cindy-Ella'
(stage version of 'Cinderella')
[1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6].
She didn't release an album in her own name until 1976 for World Records
called 'Elisabeth Welch'. About nine more albums followed to as late as
'This Thing Called Love' and 'Sings Jerome Kern Songbook' in 1989.
Performances at Carnegie Hall on 18-19 October of '89 weren't released
until 1995 on Jay CD 1309. Welch's last performance was a rendition of
'Stormy Weather' for the television documentary, 'Black
Divas', in 1996 at age 93. She died
[1,
2] in London July 15, 2003, half a year
shy of a hundred years old. Further references: 1,
2,
3,
4,
5.
Discographies; 1,
2,
3. Welch in film and television:
1,
2.
Archives.
HMR Project. Elisabeth Welch 1928 Music: Jimmy McHugh Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Music: Jimmy McHugh Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Elisabeth Welch 1934 Composition: Ord Hamilton Elisabeth Welch 1935 Composition: Ivor Novello Elisabeth Welch 1936 Film: 'Song of Freedom' Music: Eric Ansell/Jack Beaver Film: 'Soft Lights and Sweet Music' Elisabeth Welch 1944 Film: 'Fiddlers Three' Music: Spike Hughes Elisabeth Welch 1979 Composition: Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler 1933 For Ethel Waters issue '33
|
Elisabeth Welch Source: Music Timeline |
|
 Lawrence Welk Source: A.V. Club |
Lawrence Welk [1, 2, 3, 4], is best known for his television program, 'The Lawrence Welk Show' syndicated from 1951 to 1982. Popular music at the time of early rock n roll was very the offspring of Broadway, film and television, that is, entertainment, as compared to popular music elsewhere in the world, such as Brazil, where it arose as a political movement. The 'Lawrence Welk Show' was television that every youth knew about but few of them watched, it being intentionally old-fashioned per the great American songbook [1, 2]. That is, Welk was hugely popular with older audiences. (There is one rock n roll number, 'Wah Wahtusi', in all the list below.) Welk was born in Strasburg, North Dakota, in 1903. His was a family of farmers which had come a long way from an upturned wagon plastered in sod to when Welk's father purchased a $400 mail order accordion for him, that equivalent to above $4,000 now. The deal was that Welk repay his father by age 21 which he did, working as a farmer. He then took off to play in various bands. He formed his own bands, the Hotsy Totsy Boys and the Honolulu Fruit Gum Orchestra, also working in radio for WNAX in Yankton, SD. He graduated from the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1927. What distinguished Welk from sweet hotel jazz bands like Benny Goodman's was champagne hotel jazz bands, a light and bubbly approach arising in the twenties. Welk's first issues are thought to have been for Gennett in 1928, among them, 'Doin’ the New Lowdown' (6697) and 'Spiked Beer' (6712) [*]. Those were also issued on Champion. Recordings for Vocalion appeared from '38 to 1940, Decca spinning his carousel in 1941. He toured the nation with his Novelty Orchestra in the forties, also appearing in Soundies. Welk and Red Foley covered Spade Cooley's 'Shame On You' in 1945. Welk then had his own radio program from 1949 through '51 sponsored by Miller High-Life. 'The Lawrence Welk Show' premiered in 1951, broadcast from the Aragon Ballroom in Venice Beach by KTLA in Los Angeles [*]. That ballroom dance program remained in business until 1982. For someone big on champagne and beer Welk ran a clean, highly conservative operation: no comedians, no short skirts, no sponsors of alcohol or cigarettes. Though beer disappeared champagne remained in the form of the Champagne Ladies. There was also a bubble machine [1, 2] to immerse one's mind, making carbonated drinks unnecessary. The most notable of Welk's entourage were the Lennon Sisters [1, 2, 3, 4], working with Welk from '55 to 1968. The Sisters are thought to have released their first records in 1956 with Welk, such as 'Hi! To You' bw 'Mickey Mouse Mambo' (Coral 9-61597) and 'Graduation Day' bw 'Toy Tiger' (Coral 9-61648). They issued the album, 'Let's Get Acquainted' in 1957, commencing a recording career with well above twenty LPs to their catalogue [1, 2, 3]. Other longtime members of Welk's crew were the highly talented pianist, Jo Ann Castle [1, 2, 3], from '59 to '69, and vocalists, Bobby Burgess [*] and Barbara Boylan [*] in '61, Boylan replaced in '67 by Cissy King [*] until 1978. Welk retired to live with his wife in 1982, dying on May 17 of 1992 in Santa Monica, California [1, 2]. Discographies of Welk's issues with various credits at 1, 2, 3, 4. HMR Project. Welk fairly personified popular music during the decades he pumped out his show week after week without missing a beat, the enormity of his popularity reflected in the length of the list below. Per such, all titles from 1951 onward are either from or whole broadcasts of 'The Lawrence Welk Show' unless otherwise indicated. The Lennon Sisters are noted either by their own recordings or under Lawrence Welk titles. A few of Welk's guest Champagne Ladies, as well as Jo Ann Castle, also feature in selections below. Lawrence Welk 1928 Composition: Spider Webb (Kenny Rice) Lawrence Welk 1938 Composition: Alex Calamese/Frank Loesser/Lawrence Welk Vocals: Walter Bloom Composition: Con Conrad/Gilbert Wolfe Lawrence Welk 1939 Film Lawrence Welk 1950 Accordion: Myron Floren Composition: Myron Floren Lawrence Welk 1951 KTLA telecast Composition: Bert Lown/Chauncey Gray Dave Bennett/Fred Hamm KTLA telecast Composition: Bert White/Earl Burtnett Gus Chandler/H. Cohen Vocal: Dick Dale Music: Tolchard Evans 1931 Lyrics: Erell Reaves Lawrence Welk 1955 Lawrence Welk & His Champagne Music Lawrence Welk 1956 Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Skaarup/Gyldmark/Jimmy Dodd Composition: Henry Kleinkauf/Guy Hall Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Jimmy Dodd Vocals: Lennon Sisters Music: Lee David 1926 Lyrics: Billy Rose Lennon Sisters 1956 Composition: Noel Sherman/Jjoe Sherman Composition: Jimmy Dodd Composition: Mancini/Stein/Worth Lawrence Welk 1957 Music: Walter Donaldson 1924 Lyrics: George Whiting Lennon Sisters 1957 Composition: Noel Sherman/Jjoe Sherman LP: 'Let's Get Acquainted' 'Mickey Mouse Club' Lawrence Welk 1959 Music: John Kellette Debut: 1918 [1, 2] Lyrics: James Kendis/James Brockman/Nat Vincent Piano: Jo Ann Castle Composition: Scott Joplin 1899 Lawrence Welk 1960 Vocals: Patty Lorraine & Larry Dean Music: Frederick Loewe 1947 Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner Vocals: Lennon Sisters Vocal: Patty Clark Composition: 1930 Maceo Pinkard/Doris Tauber/William Tracey Lawrence Welk 1961 Composition: Heino Gaze LP: 'Calcutta!' Lawrence Welk 1962 Composition: Henry Mancini LP: 'Baby Elephant Walk' Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Kal Mann/Dave Appell Lawrence Welk 1963 Music: Barry Mann Lyrics: Cynthia Weil Vocal: Norma Zimmer Composition: Bert White/Earl Burtnett Gus Chandler/H. Cohen Composition: Jerry Lordan LP: 'Scarlett O'Hara' Lawrence Welk 1964 Piano: Jo Ann Castle Composition: Jerry Herman Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Don Robertson 1955 Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Riz Ortolani/Nino Oliviero 1962 Lawrence Welk 1965 Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Rodgers & Hammerstein 1959 Piano: Jo Ann Castle Composition: Cy Coben Lawrence Welk 1966 Vocal: Patti Lorraine Music: Harold Arlen 1939 Lyrics: Yip Harburg Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer Vocals: Lennon Sisters Composition: Bob Nolan 1934 Lawrence Welk 1968 Lawrence Welk 1972 Lawrence Welk 1973 Lawrence Welk 1974 Lawrence Welk 1981 Lawrence Welk 1982 Lennon Sisters 2003 Filmed live Composition: Hughie Prince/Don Raye
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The Lennon Sisters Source: Donkey-Show |
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Eddy Duchin
Photo: Paramount Productions
Source: One's Media |
Born in 1909 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, pianist Eddy Duchin was a pharmacist before hiring on to Leo Reisman's orchestra playing at the Central Park Casino in NYC in 1929. Duchin's first issued recording was with Reisman on August 6, 'Can't We Be Friends?', after which he kept with Reisman into latter 1930. By 1932 he became that band's leader. Duchin's was a "sweet" band that perdormed dance music for the polite hotel audience. A good example of that is what was his most popular issue, the pretty melody, 'Lovely to Look At', in 1935 w Lew Sherwood at vocals. Duchin released largely popular titles including numerous featuring him at piano and for film. Lord's disco which lists only jazz titles barely glances off Duchin with only eight sessions, passing by his rhythmic rendition of the jazz standard, 'Ol Man Mose', in 1938 w Patricia Norman, banned in Great Britain due that lyrics altered from the original had "bucket" rhyming w "fuck it". Going uncensored in the United States as if "fuck it" were 'bucket", the song reached the No. 2 spot on Billboard and sold a huge (at the time) 170,000 copies. Duchin served as an officer on a destroyer in the Pacific during World War II. He reentered the music industry after his tour, but didn't have long to accomplish a lot, dying of leukemia on 9 February 1951 in New York City, only 41 years old. Five years later the motion picture tribute, 'The Eddy Duchin Story', premiered 21 June 1956 w screenplay by Samuel Taylor, direction by George Sidney and Duchin played by Tyrone Power: 1, 2, 3. References: 1, 2, 3. Sessions: DAHR w composing credits; Lord. Catalogs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Duchin in visual media. HMR Project. Bibliography: 'Ghost of a Chance: A Memoir' by Eddy's son, Peter Duchin (Random House 1996). Eddy Duchin 1929 1st recording issued w Leo Reisman Vocal: Lew Conrad Music: Kay Swift Lyrics: Paul James/James Warburg Eddy Duchin 1932 Composition: Turner Layton/Henry Creamer Music: Harry Woods Lyrics: George Brown Now You've Got Me Worryin' for You Music: Joe Young Lyrics: Sammy Fain Composition: Bruce Sievier Eddy Duchin 1933 Did You Ever See a Dream Walking Vocal: Lew Sherwood Music: Harry Revel Lyrics: Mack Gordon Eddy Duchin 1934 Composition: Stanley Adams/Ernesto Lecuona Vocal: Lew Sherwood Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Al Dubin Vocal: Lew Sherwood Composition: Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler Eddy Duchin 1935 Composition: Jimmy McHugh/Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields Music: Nacio Herb Brown Lyrics: Arthur Freed Eddy Duchin 1936 Composition: Cole Porter 1936 For the musical 'Red Hot and Blue' Composition: Edward Heyman/Arthur Schwartz Eddy Duchin 1938 Vocal: Patricia Norman Original 'Ol Man Mose': 1935: Louis Armstrong/Zilner Randolph Eddy Duchin 1940 Composition: Eddy Duchin/Lew Sherwood Composition: Johnny Burke/James Monaco Eddy Duchin 1941 Composition: Ira (Israel) Gershwin/Kurt Weill
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| Born in 1906 in Cleveland, Ohio, bandleader and tenor saxophonist,
Freddy Martin, also played alto and
clarinet. He worked part time in a music shop and led his first band while in
high school. While attending Ohio
State University he sold musical instruments, leading to his first
confrontation with lifelong friend,
Guy Lombardo, trying to
unload some saxophones that
Lombardo didn't need
while the latter was playing an engagement in Cleveland in 1924. Lombardo did,
however, get Martin's band booked at either the Claremont Cafe or the
Music Box [*].
Lord's disco which lists only sessions relevant to jazz traces Martin on only eleven sessions, the first as early as August 15, 1929, for Brunswick with Oliver Cobb and his Rhythm Kings:
'The Duck's Yas Yas Yas' and 'Hot Stuff' (Brunswick 7107). 1930 found him with Jack Albin's Hotel Pennsylvania Music. (There
are a number of tracks by Hotel Pennsylvania Music offered at YouTube,
though it's not determined just on which Martin appears.) Martin
next recorded in 1932 with Eddie Johnson's Crackerjacks for Victor: 'The
Duck's Yas Yas Yas' and 'Good Old Bosom Bread' (Victor 23329). Martin
debuted with his own band in 1933. A session on January 16, 1933, in New York
for Oriole resulted in 'When the Morning Rolls Around' (Oriole 2635) w
Elmer Feldcamp (vocal), George Van Eps
(guitar) and Bobby Van Eps (brother and pianist).
Martin scored his first of no less than 32 Top Ten titles on Billboard in
Dec of 1933 when 'April in Paris' rose to #5. Martin and his band
performed largely popular hotel dance music to the schmaltz side. He also
issued best-selling classical works. Five of his releases topped the
chart: 'I Saw Stars' ('34), 'Piano Concerto in B Flat' (8/41), 'Symphony'
(12/25), 'To Each His Own' (8/46) and 'Managua, Nicaragua' (1/47).
Tsort
has 'Symphony' his most popular title overall. Radio
had been another of Martin's important venues, NBC's 'Maybelline Penthouse
Serenade' among the numerous shows on which he appeared (1937). Martin and
his orchestra began to feature in Hollywood
films in the early forties. Among vocalists
Martin employed were Merv Griffin,
Buddy Clark and
Helen Ward prior to her time with
Benny Goodman. Saxophonist,
Frank Morgan, recorded for the first
time at age fifteen in Martin's orchestra in 1948, backing Griffin on
'Over the Rainbow'. Martin performed
with his band into the eighties, booking hotels in high demand most the
way. Martin died in Newport Beach, California, on 30 Sep 1983. References:
1,
2,
3,
4.
Sessions: DAHR w composing credits; Lord.
Discos: 1,
2,
3.
Archives.
Other profiles 1,
2. Freddy Martin 1929 With Oliver Cobb and his Rhythm Kings Note: This is a hokum blues first recorded by James Stump Johnson in NYC on 21 Dec 1928 [Discogs]. Probably authored by James, brother of Jesse Johnson. With Oliver Cobb and his Rhythm Kings Composition: Jesse Johnson Freddy Martin 1932 With Eddie Johnson's Crackerjacks Freddy Martin 1933 Music: Vernon Duke 1932 Lyrics: Yip Harburg For the Broadway musical 'Walk a Little Faster' Tango Composition: Walter/Ervand/Weslyn Composition: Harry Woods Jimmy Campbell Reg Connelly Freddy Martin 1934 Composition: Sammy Fain/Irving Kahal For the film 'Fashions of 1934' Freddy Martin 1935 Freddy Martin 1940 Composition: Peter E. Bocage/Armand J. Piron Freddy Martin 1941 Music: Freddy Martin/Ray Austin Lyrics: Bobby Worth From Tchaikovsky's 'Piano Concerto No 1' Freddy Martin 1942 Composition: Al Lewis/Charles Tobias Freddy Martin 1945 Composition: Alex Alstone/André Tabet Freddy Martin 1946 Music: Irving Fields Lyrics: Albert Gamse Music: Jay Livingston Lyrics: Ray Evans For the film 'To Each His Own' Freddy Martin 1948 Composition: Howard Dietz/Sammy Fain Freddy Martin 1949 I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts Vocal: Merv Griffin Composition: Fred Heatherton Note: "Fred Heatherton" is a pseudonym for Harold Elton Box, Desmond Cox and Lewis Ilda. Freddy Martin 1951 With Merv Griffin The Freddy Martin Show Music: Don Swander 1941 Lyrics: June Hershey I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts With Merv Griffin The Freddy Martin Show Composition: Fred Heatherton
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Freddy Martin Source: Songbook |
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| The Three X Sisters
[Wikipedia]
provide example of early popular music moving toward swing jazz via female
vocal harmony. Though not a major group, their recordings obscure and
difficult to trace, archives are otherwise jam-full of advertisements and
articles which indicate that the Sisters were plenty successful. At first
called the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, the Three X Sisters consisted of
Jessie Fordyce (b 1905), Violet Hamilton (b 1906) and Pearl Santos (b
1900, Hamilton prior to
marriage). They officially formed Hamilton Sisters & Fordyce (HS&F) in 1924
upon successfully performing with each other in May of 1923 at B.F. Keiths
Theater in Syracuse, New York. All three were well-known
theater performers for several years before forming a trio. They played vaudeville
[1,
2,
3,
4] at first, but by 1927 were popular enough for a European tour
where they are thought to have first recorded for the British Brunswick
100 series in London in April of 1927: 'My Heart Stood Still' (Brunswick
105), 'One Summer Night'/'Possibly' (Brunswick 107) and 'The Birth of the
Blues' (Brunswick 108) [1 (Laird),
2 (Laird),
3 (Thomas),
4 (RYM)].
Those w Bert Ambrose [1,
2,
3,
4] and his Mayfair Orchestra, a couple saw later release
in 2005 by Vocalion on the Ambrose compilation, 'Goodnight But Not
Goodbye'. Other titles by HS&F gone down in '27 were
'Someone to Watch Over Me'/'Blue Room' (HMV B5322) and 'One Summer Night'
(HMV B5322) w the Savoy Orpheans [1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6]. Come 30 Nov '27 for 'Who You That's Who'/'Zulu Wail' (Columbia 4698)
w Billy Meryl at piano [Laird]. HS&F
recorded 'The Clouds Will Roll By' (Columbia 2680-D) with Eddy Duchan in
July of '32 before becoming the Three X Sisters with CBS radio that year. Other titles gone down in '32 were 'Where, I
Wonder, Where?' (Victor 24161) and 'What Would Happen to Me If Something
Happened to You?' (Victor 24162) [DAHR, Lord's]. They also filmed a couple Vitaphone shorts in latter '32 for release in
'33 as 'Speaking of Operations' and 'The Audition' [1,
2,
3,
4].
That was followed by 'Sing, Sisters, Sing' in June of '33 [IMDb].
The X Sisters had also appeared on radio in latter '32 to sing 'Barnacle
Bill the Sailor' and 'Betty Boop' for Radio WJZ in New York City (to become WABC)
in November, transcriptions likely made as well. Though the Sisters focused on radio, they
played the 1936 edition of the Ziegfeld Follies.
Recording into the forties, they also performed w the USO during World War
II before retiring into obscurity. None are yet living, Pearl having died
in 1978, Violet in 1983 and Fordyce in 2003. Further references:
1,
2.
Discography.
Archives: Internet Archive: 1,
2;
other: 1,
2.
Further reading: 'In Sweet Harmony' by Glenn Santos (Apple Blossom 1998).
HMR Project. Hamilton Sisters & Fordyce 1927 With the Savoy Orpheans Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart With the Savoy Orpheans Composition: Sam Coslow/Larry Spier Piano: Billy Meryl Hamilton Sisters & Fordyce 1932 With Eddy Duchin Music: Harry Woods Lyrics: George Brown Three X Sisters 1932 Isham Jones Orchestra Composition: Harry Woods Isham Jones Orchestra Composition: Milton Drake/Walter Kent/Terry Shand Three X Sisters 1933 Composition: Al Dubin/Harry Warren For the film musical '42nd Street' Three X Sisters 1935 Film: 'Excuse My Gloves' Three X Sisters 1937 Violet Hamilston 1940 Composition: Irving Berlin
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Three X Sisters Source: Wikipedia
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Richard Himber
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Born Herbert Richard Imber in 1900 in
Newark, New Jersey, violinist and sweet/swing bandleader Richard Himber
[1,
2] had
been sent to military school when he was fifteen, from which he ran away
to New York City to play violin in Sophie Tucker's Five Kings of
Syncopation. He next worked vaudeville and in Tin Pan Alley before
becoming a booking manager for Rudy Vallée. Himber first recorded in 1933
for Vocalion as Dick Himber, 'It Isn't Fair' among his first tracks,
thought to have been sitting in the orchestra of
Isham Jones. Himber also
contributing to the composition of that as well as lyrics. He is thought to have begun recording as Richard with his Ritz-Carlton
Orchestra in NYC per the Johnny Mercer composition, 'When a Woman Loves a
Man', on 19 March 1934, backing vocalist, Joey Nash, with whom Himber
worked from 1933 to 1935. The vocalist was Stuart Allen on July 27, 1935
for 'Me and the Moon' (Handman/Hirsch). Himber supported Allen into 1939. A
good parcel of Himber's recording career consisted of radio transcriptions due his main claim to fame
as a hotel operation in NYC, performing at various throughout the years. Himber was also a magician, often performing sleight of hand during
performances with his band. He died in NYC on 11 Dec 1966. Sessions:
DAHR w
composing credits; Lord. Discos: 1,
2,
3.
Compilations: 'Richard Himber & His Orchestra 1938-1939-1940' by
Circle Records 1994.
IMDb.
Bibliography: 'Richard Himber and His Orchestra' by Charles Garrod (Joyce
Record Club 1993); 'Richard Himber: The Man and His Magic' by Ed Levy (Magico
Magazine 1980). Vocals on all tracks below are by Joey Nash or Stuart
Allen unless otherwise indicated. Richard Himber 1933 Music: Sylvester Sprigato Himber Frank Warshauer Lyrics: Himber Composition: Johnny Mercer/Himber Richard Himber 1934 Vitaphone film Violin: Richard Himber Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics: Ted Koehler Music: Frank Perkins Lyrics: Mitchell Parish Music: Felix Bernard Lyrics: Richard Smith Richard Himber 1935 Music: Nacio Herb Brown Lyrics: Arthur Freed Music: Himber Lyrics: Elliot Grennard/Himber Composition: Mack Gordon/Harry Revel Zing Went The Strings of My Heart Composition: James Hanley Richard Himber 1936 Music: Ray Henderson Lyrics: Mort Dixon Music: Harold Spina Lyrics: Johnny Burke Richard Himber 1937 Richard Himber 1940 Richard Himber 1941 Vocal: Johnnie Johnston
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Buddy Clark Source: Vintage Bandstand |
We presently leave early
popular music at the tail end with tenor vocalist, Buddy Clark,
due to his early death in 1949. Born Samuel Goldberg in 1912 in
Dorchester, Massachusetts, Clark grew up in Boston where he attended law
school before dropping that to sing on Boston radio [*]. DAHR traces Clark to as early as 1 July 1932 w the
Gus Arnheim Orchestra in Chicago, Illinois, at the WMAQ
radio studio located in the Daily News Building. That was toward a
transcription disc
of a couple waltzes along with 'Down by the Old Mill Stream' (Victor
L-16011). Transcription discs [1,
2] were recordings scratched on wax by or at
radio stations for lease to broadcast by other radio stations throughout
the land, which was the way radio was heard until disc jockeys began to
spin commercial releases, especially upon the replacement of disc
recording by magnetic tape about 1945, introducing the modern recording
era [*]. Musicians weren't paid each time
they were heard on the radio, albeit those who performed commercial
jingles or held copyrights were paid a flat fee. On 2 July 1932 Arnheim
and Clark recorded 'Evening' (Victor L 24061). Tom Lord's discography has
Clark issuing commercially as early as 'Hands Across the Table' (Columbia 2970) with Lud Gluskin from a
session on October 26, 1934, in New York City. Clark hooked up the same year w
Benny Goodman's band. His debut recordings with
Goodman were on November 26,
'I'm a Hundred Percent for You' and 'Like a Bolt from the Blue' (Columbia 2988-D). Clark wasn't with
Goodman long, their last
session on April 4 of '35: 'I'm Living in a Great Big Way', 'Hooray
for Love' and 'The Dixieland Band'. Clark recorded with such as
Dick McDonough and
Johnny Hodges in the thirties.
Clark became famous via radio transcriptions several years before his big
name issues topping the charts in 1947 'Linda' (Columbia 37215 w the
Ray Noble Orchestra) and 'Peg o' My Heart' (Columbia 37392 w the Mitchell
Ayres Orchestra). 1948 saw major successes on the charts per duets with
Doris Day: 'Love Somebody' (#1 w 'Confess'
flip side) and 'My Darling, My Darling' (#7). 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' w Dinah
Shore reached #3 in May of '49. IMDb has Clark in the film short,
'Spin That Platter', in September of '49 before his death a week later at the age of only
37 on 1 October when the plane in which he was riding with five friends ran out of fuel
and crashed on Beverley Boulevard in Los Angeles. Further references: 1,
2,
3,
4,
synopsis.
Discographies: 1,
2,
3. Transcription discs amid the history of sound
recording. Transcription disc technology: 1,
2.
HMR Project. Buddy Clark 1934 With the Archie Bleyer Orchestra Buddy Clark 1935 Lud Gluskin Continental Orchestra Composition: Ralph Rainger Composition: Joe Burke/Edgar Leslie For the film 'Moon Over Miami' Buddy Clark 1936 Music: Joe Burke Lyrics: Edgar Leslie Composition: Al Goodhart/Al Hoffman/Maurice Sigler For the film 'She Shall Have Music' Buddy Clark 1938 Composition: Irving Berlin Composition: Lorenz Hart/Richard odgers Music: Ralph Rainger Lyrics: Leo Robin Buddy Clark 1941 We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Music: Henry Katzman Lyrics: Robert Sour Buddy Clark 1945 Composition: See Wikipedia Buddy Clark 1947 Composition: Jack Lawrence See Wikipedia How Are Things in Glocca Morra Music: Burton Lane Lyrics: Yip Harburg I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) Music: Fred E. Ahlert Lyrics: Roy Turk Music: Fred Fisher 1913 Lyrics: Alfred Bryan Buddy Clark 1948 Music: Mabel Wayne Lyrics: Kim Gannon Music: Carl Sigman Lyrics: Sidney Keith Bob Russell With Doris Day Composition: Frank Loesser With the Mitchel Ayers Orchestra Composition: Cole Porter 1928 Composition: Harold Rome Buddy Clark 1949 Composition: Harry Tierney With Dinah Shore Composition: Frank Loesser 1944 Composition: Pat Genaro/Sunny Skylar
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91 Years of 'Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye'Anthem of the Roaring Twenties Composition: Ted Fiorito & Dan Russo Lyrics: Ernie Erdman & Gus Kahn Bailey's Lucky Seven 1922 Benson Orchestra Of Chicago 1922 Al Jolson 1922 Hoosier Hot Shots 1936 Eddy Howard 1942 Mel Blanc 1949 Art Mooney 1949 Ted Fio Rito & Joy Lane 1950? June Allyson & Van Johnson 1953 Pearl Bailey 1955 Sonny Rollins 1957 Eydie Gormé 1958 Ben Light 1958 Brenda Lee 1959 The Doowackadoodlers 1962 Woody Herman 1966 Alex Welsh Band 1973? The Diamond Dolls 1979 Tuxedo Junction 1979 Jerry Lee Lewis 1980 Tiny Tim 1993 Gregg Isett 2008 Gelber & Manning 2008 Bijou Orchestra 2009 Helen Burns 2009 Rob Bourassa 2011 Bill Edwards 2011 The Vandervates 2011 Short Grain 2012 Alexander's Rag Time Band 2013 Bob Tulip 2013
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We leave early popular music in the early thirties culminating with the demise of minstrelsy and vaudeville. |
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Early Blues 2: Vocal - Other Instruments
Modern Blues 2: Vocal - Other Instruments
Romantic: Composers born 1770 to 1840
Modern: Composers born 1900 to 1950
Early Jazz 1: Ragtime - Bands - Horn
Early Jazz 2: Ragtime - Other Instrumentation
Modern 4: Guitar - Other String
Modern 5: Percussion - Other Orchestration
Modern 7: Latin Jazz - Latin Recording
Modern 8: United States 1960 - 1970
Modern 9: International 1960 - 1970
Latin
Latin Recording 2: The Caribbean
Latin Recording 3: South America
The Big Bang - Fifties American Rock
Total War - Sixties American Rock
Classical - Medieval to Renaissance
Classical - Baroque to Classical
Classical - Romantic to Modern
Jazz Early - Ragtime - Swing Jazz
Jazz Modern- Percussion - Latin - Song - Other
Boogie Woogie - Doo Wop - R&B - Rock & Roll - Soul - Disco
Sixties American Rock - Popular
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