The Edison Files: Edna White

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Edna White. A native of Stamford, Connecticut born in 1892, Edna White Chandler was an american trumpeter, with a long career onstage and as a soloist with bands and orchestras. She had a vaudeville act with her second husband, and in the 1930s also sang in musicals. White was a prodigy, noticed by Frank Damrosch, who invited her to study at the Institute of Musical Arts (later the Juilliard School), where she graduated at age 15; she then toured the vaudeville circuit with a female ensemble (two trumpets, two trombones). The opening ceremony in March 1915 of the first transcontinental telephone transmission (Brooklyn to San Francisco) was enlivened by her performance of "Silver Threads among the Gold." In the 1930s she was on the radio, and on Feb.9,1949 she gave a recital at Carnegie Hall.

Edna retired in 1957, although she continued to mentor young trumpeters and was occasionally interviewed in the popular press and for trumpet-oriented publications. White began to record with the Edna White Trumpet Quartet in 1918, for Columbia, doing first "Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight". She continued with Columbia to 1921. Her first Edison discs (Dec.15,1920) were "The Debutante" and "Recollections of 1861--1865". She made eight more Edisons, the final one in September 1926: "Sweet Genevieve". During this period, she was married to vocalist Torcum Bezazian, who appeared on some of her recordings and toured with her on the vaudeville circuit. In 1980 Merritt Sound Recordings of Buffalo, New York, issued the cassette Life with My Trumpet, featuring some of her early recordings and White reminiscing about her career, recorded at that time (a copy is held by the Library of Congress).

Edna White Chandler died on June 25, 1992.

To listen to recordings by Edna White, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Ford Hawaiians

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Ford Hawaiians Henry Kailimai, was a virtuoso ukelele player and composer who came from Hawaii in 1915 to perform at the Pan Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The performances by him and other Hawaiian musicians exposed the public to Hawaiian music for the first time, fueling the exploding popularity of Hawaiian music on the mainland. Attending the exposition was Henry Ford, and he was so impressed with Henry Kailimai that he persuaded him and four other Hawaiian musicians to move to Detroit, Michigan to be artists in residence for the Ford Motor Company. Because of Henry Ford’s friendship with Thomas Edison, the group traveled to New York and made several recordings at The Edison Recording Studio, using Edison’s new phonograph invention, which he was perfecting at the time. Kailimai was a professional pianist by night, and an engineer by day. His career was curtailed due to the wishes of his wife, who didn’t want him to go on the road.

To listen to recordings of Ford Hawaiians, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Váša Příhoda

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Váša Příhoda, born August 22, 1900, was a famous Czech violinist known for the perfection of his technique and the beauty of his tone. He was considered a Paganini specialist, and his recording of the Violin Concerto in A minor by Dvorak is still very highly praised. His artistry was controversial, and tended to polarise listeners. His first public performance was at age 13. At age 19 a tour of Italy proved unsuccessful; poverty-stricken, he joined the orchestra of the Café Grand’Italia in Milan to earn money. There he was heard by chance by Arturo Toscanini, who arranged a benefit concert for him. He then resumed his Italian tour, this time to great success. He was said to have been given Niccolo Paganini's own violin on which to play. He toured Brazil and the United States in 1920 and the USA again in 1921. He once shared the stage of the Royal Albert Hall with Pablo Casals. Příhoda concertized extensively all over the world and made a number of recordings when the industry was in its infancy. Unfortunately, some of his recordings were not well-produced so the sound quality is poor. But, he was greatly admired for his style, dazzling technique, and finesse. He appeared in two films in 1936: Between Two Worlds and Die Liebe des Maharadscha. During World War II, he taught at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Because he continued to perform in Germany and German-occupied territories after the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, he was briefly charged with collaboration after the war, and censured by the Czech government. He later taught at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna. In later years, he dedicated most of his time to teaching and composing small chamber works. His last concert was in April 1960. He died on July 26, 1960.

To listen to recordings made by Vasa Prihoda, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Walter Van Brunt

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Walter Van Brunt, said to have been Thomas Edison’s favorite tenor, began his recording career at the age of 17. Recording and performing with such giants of his era as Billy Murray,  Ada Jones, the American Quartet and John Bieling, Van Brunt had 40 hits on the pop charts including ‘When I Dream in the Gloaming of You’ (#3, 1909), ‘It’s Hard to Kiss Your Sweetheart (When the Last Kiss Means Good-Bye)’ (#2, 1910), ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ (#2, 1911), ‘Don’t Wake Me Up, I’m Dreaming’ (#3, 1911), ‘That Was Before I Met You’ (#3, 1911), ‘I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad’ (#2, 1911), ‘Ghost of the Violin’ (#3, 1913), ‘Sympathy' with Helen Clark, #1, 1913), ‘And the Green Grass Grew All Around’ (#4, 1913) and ‘I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen’ (#3, 1916). Van Brunt also appeared in vaudeville sketches and Broadway productions including Eileen and was featured in radio programs with Billy Murray from 1929 through 1933.

To listen to the recordings of Walter Van Brunt, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: The American Quartet

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.,

The American Quartet, a highly successful vocal group with 12 number one hits during the 1910’s and ’20’s, was formed in 1909 and recorded together for over 15 years. Its original lineup consisted of tenor Billy Murray (the featured soloist), tenor John Bieling, baritone Steve Porter and bass William F. Hooley. Journalist Jim Walsh wrote in the 1970 February issue of Hobbies magazine that "For several years [Murray] had been singing frequently on Victor records with the assistance of the Haydn Quartet, but now it was decided there was a need for a foursome in which he would star. So John Bieling and Hooley were borrowed from the Haydn Quartet (in which, however, they continued to sing) and Porter was brought in from the Peerless, where he had been singing baritone." Bieling left in 1914 and was replaced by John Young. When Hooley died in late 1918, he was succeeded by Donald Chalmers.

In 1920, a revamped American Quartet featured Murray, Albert Campbell, John Meyer and Frank Croxton. While the individual members, particularly Murray, enjoyed solo success, the quartet is responsible for some of the most successful recordings of its day including the #1 hit songs ‘Casey Jones’ (1910), ‘Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon’ (1910 with Ada Jones), ‘Come Josephine in My Flying Machine’ (1911 with Ada Jones), ‘Oh, You Beautiful Doll’ (1911), ‘Moonlight Bay’ (1912), ‘Everybody Two-Step’ (1912), ‘Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm’ (1914), ‘It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary’ (1914), ‘Chinatown, My Chinatown’ (1915), ‘Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!’ (1917), ‘Over There’ (1917) and ‘Good-Bye Broadway, Hello France’ (1917). In total, American Quartet had over 65 top ten hits from 1910 through 1924 and is listed as #16 on the list of most #1 singles from 1890-1954.

The group disbanded in 1925.

To listen to recordings by The American Quartet, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Byron Harlan

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

While tenor Byron Harlan enjoyed an extremely successful solo career with over 50 top ten recordings from 1899 through 1919, he became hugely famous as one half of the “Half-ton duo” with baritone Arthur Collins.

As a solo artist, Harlan specialized in sentimental ballads including the #1 hits ‘Tell Me, Pretty Maiden’ (1901), ‘Hello Central, Give Me Heaven’ (1901), ‘The Mansion of Aching Hearts’ (1902), ‘Blue Bell’ (1904), ‘All Aboard for Dreamland’ (1904), ‘Where the Morning Glories Twine Around the Door’ (1905), ‘Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie’ (1906), ‘The Good Old U.S.A’ (1906), ‘My Gal Sal’ (1907), ‘School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)’ (1907), ‘Nobody’s Little Girl’ (1907) and ‘Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!’ (1910).

In contrast to Harlan’s sentimental ballad style, the Collins-Harlan duo’s emphasis was on ragtime and minstrel humor. Cited as the most popular comedy team in the early 1900’s, Collins-Harlan had #1 hits with ‘Down Where the Wurzburger Flows’ (1902), ‘Hurrah For Baffin’s Bay’ (1903), ‘Camp Meetin’ Time’ (1906), ‘The Right Church, But the Wrong Pew’ (1909), ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ (1911), ‘Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey’ (1911), ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ (1911), ‘When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’’ (1913), ‘I Love the Ladies’ (1914), ‘The Aba Dada Honeymoon’ (1914), ‘Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wachi Woo (That’s Love in Honolulu)’ (1916) and ‘Dark Town Strutters Hall’ (1918).

Byron G. Harlan died on September 11, 1936.


To listen to recordings by Byron Harlan, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Arthur Collins

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Baritone Arthur Collins, the leading mintrel-style dialect comedy singer of the early 1900’s was born on February 7, 1864 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His solo hits, led by the famous ‘Preacher and the Bear’ were plentiful with over 40 top ten hits, however he achieved his greatest success in his partnership with tenor Byron Harlan. He was also a member of the Peerless Quartet from 1909 until 1918. In the December 1942 issue of Hobbies magazine, Journalist Jim Walsh attributed Collins’ popularity to these qualities: "There probably has never been a sweeter, more naturally musical baritone voice than his....Then, too, Arthur Collins managed invariably to get into the wax the impression of a warm, lovable personality. The unctuous sound of his chuckles in dialect work is unfailingly charming." His solo hits include the #1 recordings of ‘Kiss Me, Honey, Do’ (1899), ‘When You Ain’t Got No More Money, Well, You Needn’t Come Around’ (1899), ‘I Guess I’ll Have to Telegraph My Baby’ (1899), ‘Hello Ma Baby’ (1899), ‘I’d Leave My Happy Home For You’ (1899), ‘Mandy Lee’ (1900), ‘Ma Tiger Lily’ (1900), ‘Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home’ (1902), ‘Under the Bamboo Tree’ (1902), ‘Good-Bye, Eliza Jane’ (1903), ‘Any Rags’ (1903) and ‘The Preacher and the Bear’ (1905).

With Harlan’the team nicknamed ‘the Half-ton duo’ because of both their portly stature… Collins collected #1 hits with ‘Down Where the Wurzburger Flows’ (1902), ‘Hurrah For Baffin’s Bay’ (1903), ‘Camp Meetin’ Time’ (1906), ‘The Right Church, But the Wrong Pew’ (1909), ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ (1911), ‘Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey’ (1911), ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band’ (1911), ‘When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’’ (1913), ‘I Love the Ladies’ (1914), ‘The Aba Dada Honeymoon’ (1914), ‘Oh How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wachi Woo (That’s Love in Honolulu)’ (1916) and ‘Dark Town Strutters Hall’ (1918).

Collins and Harlan recorded the first song to refer to "jazz": "That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland," copyrighted on November 8, 1916, recorded on January 12, 1917, and issued on Victor 18235.

On October 20, 1921, Collins was seriously injured during an Edison Tone Test demonstration. Collins exited the stage in the dark so the audience could guess whether the singing heard came from the singer himself or an Edison Diamond Disc machine, and he fell through a trap-door accidentally left open.

After a recovery period, he made a solo recording for Gennett—"I Ain't Got Enough For To Pass Around" (4866), issued in June 1922—and more recordings with Harlan for Edison, but heart ailments coupled with lingering effects from the fall prompted him to retire to Florida in 1926.

Arthur Collins died on August 3, 1933.

To listen to recordings by Arthur Collins, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Fred Van Eps

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Fred Van Eps (December 30, 1878 – November 22, 1960) was a noted bnjoist and banjo maker. The "Van Eps Recording Banjo" was a well-known model until 1930. Van Eps was born in Somerville, New Jersey and moved with his family to Plainfield, New Jersey in 1892. he learned to play the banjo and studied the phonograph cylinder recordings of Vess Ossman. In 1897, Van Eps was hired by Thomas Edison's National Phonograph Company in West Orange, New Jersey, working as a regular in studio engagements. Van Eps cylinder recordings, often remakes of Ossman tunes, sold well for Edison. Early ragtime banjo recordings by Van Eps included "A Bunch of Rags" (1900) and "A Ragtime Episode" (1902).He also recorded for a number of other companies, including Columbia (from 1904) and Victor (from 1910). His group the Van Eps Trio recorded steadily from 1912 to 1922. He also led other groups such as the Van Eps Quartet, the Van Eps Specialty Four, and the Van Eps Banjo Orchestra. In 1914, the latter group was one of the first to record for the American branch of the French Pathe Freres Company. In 1921, Orlando Kellum, inventor of the Photokinema sound-on-disc sound file system, filmed the Van Eps Trio in The Famous Van Eps Trio in a Bit of Jazz. With Henry Burr, he formed a company that manufactured and sold the Van Eps Recording Banjo, modeled on the one he used in recordings and concerts. The banjo remained on the market until about 1930, when widespread use of electric recording removed the need for the loud volume produced by the Van Eps model. By the 1930s the banjo had fallen out of favor in popular music, and Van Eps switched to guitar, playing as a studio musician with Benny Goodman, Ray Noble, Red Norvo and others. In the 1950s he attempted a comeback with a number of banjo recordings, before his death in Burbank, California at the age of 81. Van Eps also worked in vaudeville. He was the father of jazz guitarist George Van Eps.

To listen to recordings made by Fred Van Eps, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Thomas Chalmers

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Thomas Chalmers was born on October 20, 1884 in NewYork City, the son of Thomas Hardie and Sophia Amanda (De Bann) Chalmers. In 1909, he went to Florence to study singing with Vincenzo Lombardi and made his operatic debut in May 1911 in Fossombrone as Marcello in La boheme. His first appearance in the United States was as Jack Rance in The Girl of the Golden West with Henry Wilson Savage's English Grand Opera Company. Chalmers toured the United States with the company from 1911 to 12. He then sang as the leading baritone with the Boston National Opera Company and the Century Opera Company before making his Metropolitan Opera debut on November 17, 1917 as Valentin in Faust. He went on to appear regularly at the Met until 1922 and sang in the world premiere of Shanewis, the US premiere of Marouf, and the first Met performances of La forza del destino and Crispino e la Comare. His recordings were all made for Edison and covered a wide range of repertoire from folk songs to opera; he recorded both on cylinder and the Edison Disc Record formats. Following a throat operation, Chalmers withdrew from opera and became a stage and film actor. His many stage roles included several Broadway premieres such as Landolfo in Pirandello's The Living Mask (Henry IV), 1924; Doctor Schindler in Schnitzler's The Call of Life (Der Ruf des Lebens), 1925; Captain Adam Brant in O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, 1931; Ben Loman in Miller's Death of a Salesman, 1949; and Richard Bravo in Maxwell Anderson's The Bad Seed, 1954. One of Chalmers's earliest film roles was The Minister in the 1923 silent film Puritan Passions, based on Percy MacKaye's play The Scarecrow, which was in turn based on Feathertop, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. His last film role was The Judge in Martin Ritt's The Outrage, released in 1964. Chalmers also produced and directed several short comedy films. His voice can be heard as the narrator in two documentary films by Pare Lorentz, The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) and The River (1938), both with scores by Virgil Thomson. In the 1950s and 60s, Chalmers appeared on television as an actor in several drama anthology series including Westinghouse Studio One, CBS Television Workshop, Kraft Television Theatre, The DuPont Show of the Month and Play of the Week. He also appeared in single episodes of The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen, The Defenders, Mister Peepers, and several other weekly series. Thomas Hardie Chalmers died on June 11, 1966 at the Laurelton Nursing Home in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was survived by his wife and his daughter, Vilma Hayes.

To listen to recordings made by Thomas Chalmers, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Maggie Teyte

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Dame Maggie Teyte was born on April 17, 1888, in Wolfverhampton, England. In March 1906, she made her debut in a series of Mozart concerts conducted by Reynaldo Hahn and in 1907 became a member of the Paris Opéra-Comique. After a few small parts, she was cast as Mélisande. To prepare for Pelléas et Mélisande, Teyte was sent to study with Debussy himself. In 1910, she conquered London audiences with her portrayals of Cherubino in Marriage of Figaro, Blonde in Abduction from the Seraglio, and Mélisande. Despite her early successes, Teyte had a difficult time finding a place for herself in the main opera houses of the world. She developed a following in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, and sang in America through the end of World War I, but did not appear in New York. She married in 1921 and went into a period of semi-retirement. Upon the disruption of her marriage in the early 1930s, Teyte faced difficulties of resuming her career after an absence of nearly a decade. An Australian tour was a financial fiasco. Twice she attempted an American comeback but it seemed that the public had forgotten her. Teyte’s career was revived in 1936 by a set of recordings she made for EMI of Debussy songs accompanied by Alfred Cortot. Though the outbreak of the Second World War interrupted the progress of her “second career,” her recordings established her reputation in England and the United States as the leading French art singer of her time. In 1948, she made her first New York appearances: a Town Hall recital, followed by a series of performances of Pelléas at the City Center Opera. Teyte continued performing in opera until 1951 and on the concert stage until her retirement in 1955, at age 67. In 1958 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She died in London on May 26, 1976.

To listen to recordings by Maggie Teyte and other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Chester Gaylord

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. No one knows for sure who the very first recording artist was. Here is a look at the early recording artists I have in my collection.

Chester Gaylord was a vocalist and among the most active of recording artists in the United States during the late 1920s through the early 1930s. Born on February 24, 1899, he was known as The Whispering Serenader on radio and on his records. He began his career as a singer and announcer for radio station WTAG in Worcester, Massachusetts in the early 1920s. Chester Gaylord's first recordings (in 1920) were saxophone solos for Thomas Edison, whom he had personally met. In 1923, he signed with Columbia records and made a number of vocal records for them. His popularity spread rapidly leading Brunswick Records (the second largest record company in the United States in the 1920s) to offer him an exclusive contract. He became one of the labels most prolific vocalists during the late 1920s. After the Warner Brothers bought out the Brunswick Record company in April 1930 a reorganization occurred and Chester Gaylord's contact was one of numerous artists whose contract was not renewed. Chester Gaylord continued to be popular on radio throughout the early 1930s until the introduction of swing music, in 1935, a type of music that was unsuitable to his style of singing. From 1929 to 1931, he was a featured vocalist on NBC radio on the Top Notchers Coca Cola Radio Program with Leonard Joy and his All String Orchestra. Gaylord moved to WBZ in Boston in the late 40s. He retired in the mid-1960s. During his retirement years he lived in Sterling, Massachusetts. He regularly played 1920s and 1930s songs on piano at The Old Timer, and Irish Pub in neighboring Clinton, Mass. According to Gaylord's obituary, he was still performing right up until a few weeks before his death on July 1, 1984.

To listen to Chester Gaylord and other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.