“Singapore Sorrows”
Ben Pollack And His Californians
Ben Pollack, vocal
1928 (Victor 21437-B mx 43540)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“Sweet Sue, Just You”
Ben Pollack And His Californians
Franklyn Baur, vocal
1928 (Victor 21437-A mx 43541)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Ben Pollack had a top-notch band in the late 1920s and into the 1930s with a number of outstanding side men who later became stars in the big band era.  But enduring success  was always elusive for Pollack – and he apparently became increasingly bitter about it over the years.  In 1971 he hanged himself.

“Baby Boo, March”
Band of H. M. Royal Irish Fusiliers
1913 (Zonophone 1106 mx 16798)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“Gardes du Corpes, March”
Band of H. M. Royal Irish Fusiliers
1913 (Zonophone 1106 mx 16796)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Here are a couple of marches from a 1913 British Zonophone disc – part of an ongoing series of selections from the collection of my friend Christian From Dallas who has loaned me a few boxes of records to sort through and digitize for the blog.

Here is a link where you can learn about the Royal Irish Fusiliers.

“Baby Boo March” was published in 1904 and composed by Fred Jewell who, at age 16, ran away and joined the circus and spent much of his career conducting bands for various traveling circuses.   The song commemorates the birth of an elephant at Baraboo, Wisconsin where the Ringling Brothers circus was spending the winter.  When he wrote the song he shortened the name to Baby Boo.

“Gardes du Corpes March” was composed in 1896 by American song writer Robert Browne Hall who wrote a number of marches and whose works were especially popular in Great Britain.

“Love Is Good For Anything That Ails You”
Orlando And His Orchestra
Phyllis Robbins, vocal
1937 (HMV BD 5236 mx OEA 5277)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“A Sailboat In The Moonlight”
Orlando And His Orchestra
1937 (HMV BD 5236 mx OEA 5275)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Here are a couple of selections by Joe Orlando’s orchestra which, at the time, had a long-term residency at the Hotel Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland.

“Love Is Good For Anything That Ails You” was probably the band’s most well-known recording.   The recording enjoyed a nice revival when it was featured in the 1981 film Pennies From Heaven.

“Dollar Princess Two Step”
The Black Diamonds
1910 (HMV B-124 mx 11541)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“Irish King March”
The Black Diamonds
1910 (HMV B 124 mx 12039)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Here are two more selections in an ongoing series featuring recordings from the collection of my friend Christian In Dallas who has loaned me a few boxes of his records to digitize and share on this blog.

“Dollar Princess Two Step” features tunes from the 1907 Leo Fall operetta The Dollar Princess.

“Irish King March” was composed by bandleader Arthur Pryor.

The Black Diamonds recorded many dozens of records for the British HMV label.  I am guessing that they were an in-house studio band – but that is only a guess.   According to the CHARM database the conductor on “Irish King March” was Eli Hudson who was a famous flute player of the era.   In additon to Hudson, other Black Diamonds recording sessions were conducted by violinist George W. Byng.

While both of these selections were recorded in 1910, the catalog number on this double sided pressing dates to 1912.   I suspect that there is a strong possibility that both selections were previously issued in 1910 on separate one-sided records.

“Together We Two”
Isham Jones Orchestra
Keller Sisters, vocal
1927 (Brunswick 3685 A)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“What’ll You Do?”
Isham Jones Orchestra
Eddie Thomas, vocal
1927 (Brunswick 3685 B)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Here is a nice Isham Jones record that I recently came across while sorting through a box of records I acquired last year.   Both sides feature very peppy arrangements – I especially enjoy the second part of “Together We Two” after the vocal.

The Keller Sisters featured on the vocal of “Together We Two” were Nan and Taddy Keller who, along with their brother Frank Lynch, came to fame on the vaudeville circuits under the billing The Keller Sisters and Lynch.   They also appeared on radio and made occasional recordings with several 1920s era dance bands – the most well-known being the Jean Goldkette recording of “Sunday.”

Here is a one-sided Standard Disc Record that I set aside when I was searching for the 1905 Standard record of “Silver Heels” that I featured on my April 15 posting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

As I mentioned in the April 15 posting, Standard Disc Records were pressed by Columbia on a contract basis for the Standard Talking Machine Company of Chicago using recordings that had already been issued on the Columbia label.

For this recording the artist credit on the original Columbia issue was “Columbia Band.”  On the Standard issue it is simply listed as an unaccredited band.  However, this recording is early enough that it features an opening announcement  – and note that the announcement credits it as “Columbia Band” even on the Standard issue.   Such opening announcements were a holdover from cylinder records where the lack of surface space for label and credits made them necessary.    In 1904 cylinders still had a larger share of the record market than discs.

“Yankee Patrol” was composed by Frank W. Meacham who is best remembered for his 1885 composition “American Patrol” which, decades later, was revived in a memorable 1941  Glenn Miller recording.

Here are a few Marta Eggerth YouTube clips for your enjoyment:

A 1932 scene set in a record shop (sorry, embedding is not permitted on this clip)

Performing at age 82

A very pretty song from 1932

Many more great Eggerth film clips and recordings can be found by simply entering “Marta Eggerth” into a YouTube search.

“Silver Heels”
Band
1906 (Standard Disc Record 3341)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

As you may already be aware from the extensive media coverage, this past evening was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.   A number of songs have been documented as having been played by Wallace Hartley’s salon orchestra during the voyage.  Here is one of my favorites among them.

“Silver Heels” was composed in 1905 by Charles Neil Daniels under the pseudonym of Neil Moret.  In addition to being a composer, Daniels was editorial director of the Jerome H. Remick Music Company which published a large number of ragtime time era songs.

“Silver Heels’ was promoted as an “Indian intermezzo.”   Daniels composed the very first Indian intermezzo “Hiawatha” in 1902 while on a train ride though Hiawatha, Kansas.   The rhythm of the locomotive made Daniels think of Indian drums.  The song’s publisher provided the “Indian intermezzo” subtitle and it became a popular success.    The Indian intermezzo quickly became one of the early popular music fads of the 20th century.  One commentator has suggested  that the use of the word “intermezzo” perhaps gave exotic popular music a classical respectability so that it would be appropriate for young ladies to purchase and play in their parlors.

This recording comes from a one-sided Standard Disc Record issued by the Standard Talking Machine Company of Chicago.   Standard manufactured phonographs which were sold at either very low prices or were sometimes given away as premiums.   The “catch” was that the machines had a larger than standard spindle that would only accommodate the company’s records  – an early form of what we today would call vendor lock in.   All of Standard’s records were pressed by Columbia and consisted of selections that had previously appeared on the Columbia label.   At the time the patents for conventional lateral grooved disc records in the United States were controlled by Victor and Columbia.  This recording was originally released in 1906 on Columbia 3341 with the band credited as “Columbia Band.”

“Dance Of The Song Birds”
Victor Orchestra
1905 (Victor 4648)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

This one sided Victor record from 1905 comes from the collection of my friend Christian From Dallas who has loaned me a few boxes of records to sort through and digitize for the blog.   It features a very charming song by turn of the century composer Benjamin J Richmond.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find much in the way of biographical information about Richmond (and it is also possible that “Benjamin Richmond” was but a pen name.)    In addition to “Dance Of The Song Birds” Richmond wrote “Dance Of The Honey Bees,” “Dance Of The Sparrows,” “Dance Of The Stars,” “Dance Of  The Bumble Bees”  as well as “Falling Star,” “Sparkling Stars” “June Roses” “When The Robin Calls Its Mate,” “Ohmar Khayyam,” “Yankee Notions” and “Campus Rag.”

Victor rerecorded “Dance Of The Song Birds” in December 1913 (Victor 17521).  The later recording was also issued under the name “Victor Orchestra” and featured whistling by Joseph Belmont.

“I’ve Got A Song For Sale (That My Sweetie Turned Down)”
Dixie Daisies
1923 (Cameo 414 mx 652)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

“Cry Baby”
Ernest Carle’s Society Players
1923 (Cameo 414 mx 650)

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Here is an acoustically recorded (i.e., pre microphone) Cameo record from 1923.   Cameo was a bargain priced label sold through department stores such as Macy’s as well as through the S.S. Kresge dime store chain (which, decades later, eventually became K-Mart).

Both the “Dixie Daisies” and “Ernest Carle” were recording pseudonyms.   Most of the bands on Cameo  during this period consisted of local New York City musicians assembled specifically for the recording session.   Both sides of this record were also issued on Cameo’s subsidiary label Lincoln (Lincoln 2103) with the pseudonym for the Dixie Daisies side changed to “Beale Street Five.”

“I’ve Got A Song For Sale (That My Sweetie Turned Down)” was also recorded by pretty much every  other American record label of the era including  versions by Original Memphis Five on Victor, Ladd’s Black Aces on Gennett, Frank Westphal on Columbia and Sam Lanin on Banner.   I enjoy the “wa wa wa” vocal effects at the beginning of this recording.

The song “Cry Baby” comes from the 1923 Broadway musical Helen of Troy New York.