The Edison Files: American Symphony Orchestra

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

American Symphony Orchestra. Edison's National Phonograph Company "symphony" recordings began in 1898 under the Edison Symphony Orchestra. In October 1908, Edison renamed the orchestra the American Symphony Orchestra (the same month the Edison Military Band was renamed the New York Military Band).

Listen to recordings by American Symphony Orchestra or Edison Symphony Orchestra, or other early recording artists, by visiting the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Frederick J. Wheeler

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

Frederick J. Wheeler, also known as James F. Harrison, rose to prominence as part of the gospel duo, James F. Harrison and Harry Anthony, and enjoyed a string of hits as a soloist, paired with James Reed (real name: Reed Miller), and as a member of the Knickerbocker Quartet. The baritone balladeer's top- selling recordings included "Keep the Home Fires Burning" (Victor 17881, 1915/16), "My Little Dream Girl" (with Reed, Victor 17789, 1915), and "There's A Long, Long Trail" (with Reed, Victor 17882, 1915/16).

The Knickerbocker Quartet was formed in 1908 to replace the Edison Male Quartet. Original members were John Young, George M. Stricklett, Frederick Wheeler and Gus Reed. Personnel changed around 1912. Young and Wheeler were joined by Walter Van Brunt and William F. Hooley.


To listen to recordings made by Frederick J. Wheeler/James F. Harrison, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Betsy Lane Shepherd

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

From an advertisement in October 1920 The Etude, Pressers Musical Magazine:

Miss Shepherd, who is a famous concert soprano, stood beside the new Edison and started to sing. “In the gloaming, oh! My darling…..” With a soft, rounded loveliness, the melody filled the auditorium. Pulsing through its theme was the soul of a great artist. It’s message, warm with understanding, reached the hearts of the hushed listeners and sped their imaginations back to cherished memories.

It was the magic of music.


Suddenly, Miss Shepherd’s lips went absolutely still. But, her lovely voice went smoothly on, ….it was best to leave you, thus.


The audience was puzzled. Then it awoke. Miss Shepherd’s voice was now coming from the new Edison – and no one had been able to tell the difference between the living voice and the re-created voice. The new Edison’s realism had put into the re-created music all the magic of the living voice with which Miss Shepherd charmed her listeners.

This test, on April 26, 1920 in Dallas, Texas, was the 185th test given by Betsy Lane Shepherd in 185 cities and towns of the United States and Canada. The 185 audiences aggregated more than a hundred thousand people. Each audience found itself absolutely unable to tell when Miss Shepherd was singing and when the new Edison was re-creating her voice, except by watching her lips. According to the advertisement, it was a most phenomenal achievement. No other phonograph or talking machine manufacturer dares to make this comparison, the ad read. Mr. Edison subjected the new Edison to these tests because he wanted to prove that perfect realism was an everyday performance with the new Edison.

To listen to recordings of Betsy Lane Shepherd, and other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.



The Edison Files: Elliot Shaw

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

Baritone Elliott Shaw started his recording career 1907 with the Victor Company. He sung solo and in different duos, trios and quartets and was the singing part of many well known orchestras till the end of the 1920's. He was a Member of the Victor Light Opera Company, the Trinity Choir, the Shannon Quartet, the Shannon Four, the Crescent Trio, the Victor Light Opera Sextette, the All Star Trio, the Hawaiian Trio and the Revelers.


The Revelers' recordings of "Dinah", "Old Man River", "Valencia", "Baby Face", "Blue Room", "The Birth of the Blues" and many more, became popular in the United States and then Europe in the late 1920s. All of the members had recorded individually or in various combinations, and formed a group in 1925. Other members, besides Shaw, were tenors Franklyn Baur and Lewis James, bass Wilfred Glenn, and pianist Ed Smalle, who was later replaced by Frank Black. The group appeared in a short movie musical, The Revelers (1927), filmed in the sound-on-disc Vitaphone process. This one-reel short film, recently restored by "The Vitaphone Project," shows the group performing "Mine", "Dinah", and "No Foolin'". A second short, filmed the same day with another three songs, awaits restoration. The Revelers were stars on radio and in vaudeville, as well as in the recording studio. On radio they were regulars on The Palmolive Hour (1927–31). They had a recording contract with Victor (later RCA Victor) but made extra money by moonlighting under pseudonyms for other labels (such as "The Singing Sophomores" on Columbia Records and "The Merrymakers" on Brunswick Records). The Revelers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.

Listen to recordings of Elliot Shaw, and other early recording artists, by visiting the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Elizabeth Spencer

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

Elizabeth Spencer was an American singer during the later 19th century and early 20th century. She is primarily remembered as a recording artist for Thomas Edision. She made numerous recordings for Edison Standard Records from 1888 until 1912. Her voice is noted for its sterling operatic quality combined with ability to sing in the vernacular. Spencer died in 1935.

To hear recordings made by Elizabeth Spencer, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: George Wilton Ballard

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

George Wilton Ballard (1887-1950) was one of Edison's most popular tenors. He began recording in 1910 on US Everlasting cylinders. His first performance for Edison was released in 1914 on Blue Amberol cyliner #2150. Subsequent performances were released on about 70 cylinders and a similar number of Diamond Discs. He retired from studio work in 1923. His last Edison recording released in 1926 was recorded several years before its release. Ballard teamed up with singer Helen Clark to record some very memorable duets.

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

The Edison Files: Lyric Male Quartet (Shannon Four)

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

Lyric Male Quartet. Victor's popular Shannon Four, which began recording in mid-1917 and consisted of Charles Hart, Harvey Hindermyer, Elliott Shaw, and Wilfred Glenn. The first Shannon Four disc was issued in September 1917: "I May Be Gone For A Long, Long Time," followed in October by "Wake Up, Virginia." Some discs were credited to "Charles Hart and the Shannon Four," such as two titles issued in May 1918: "A Little Bit of Sunshine" and "The Last Long Mile." The quartet also recorded for Edison Records, sometimes being called Lyric Male Quartet.

To listen to recordings by the Lyric Male Quartet (Shannon Four), or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Edison Files: Sibyl Sanderson

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

Sibyl Sanderson was a famous American operatic soprano during the Parisian Belle Epoque. She was born on December 7, 1864 in Sacramento, California. Her father, Silas Sanderson, was once Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California. After his death in 1886, Sibyl and her mother moved to Paris and became transplanted socialites. Sanderson proved to be a remarkably gifted singer and began to appear on stage. She was Jules Massenet's favorite soprano and appeared in the premieres of a number of his operas. Sanderson was also admired by Camille Saint-Saens, who wrote the title role in Phryne' for her. Success outside of Paris was elusive for Sanderson; she appeared at Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera (debut in title role of Manon on January 16, 1895, the last performance as Juliette in Romeo et Juliette on December 31, 1901) to lackluster reviews. In 1896 she married a Cuban millionaire and sugar heir, Antonio Terry, after which she temporarily halted her operatic activity, making an unsuccessful comeback two years later. Her last years were marred by depression, alcoholism and illness and she died from pneumonia on May 16, 1903 at the age of 38.

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

The Edison Files: Lewis James

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.

Lewis James was a vocalist and among the most active of recording artists in the United States from 1917 through much of the 1930s. He was a member of the The Shannon Four, The Revelers and the Criterion Trio. He had many top ten hits during that time, including My Baby Boy, Till We Meet Again, What'll I Do and Pal of my Cradle Days, among others. He died in 1959.

Lewis James was born in Dexter, Michigan on July 29, 1892. He recorded extensively as a soloist,duet partner, and quartet lead singer. His first recording with the Shannon Four (aka the Shannon Quartet) was the World War I chestnut, "All Aboard For Home Sweet Home." Like many of his colleagues, he proved exceedingly versatile in recording love ballads, hymns, children's songs and the more sophisticated early jazz harmonies of the Revelers with whom he made several successful European tours. The Shannon Four, Revelers, Crescent Trio, and Merrymakers consisted mostly of the same singers, with occasional substitutes. His sweet melodic tenor is immortalized on Victor, Columbia, and Edison recordings, mostly from 1917 through 1927.

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

The Edison Files: Ernest L. Stevens Trio

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.

Ernest L. Stevens Trio. Ernest Stevens was Thomas Edison's personal pianist-arranger from 1922 to 1924 when Edison was experimenting with recording sounds and making recordings on wax cylinders. Stevens, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on December 15, 1894, was involved with music until his death in Montclair, New Jersey on April 6, 1981. His basic musical training was in Plainfield, New Jersey, with Howard Case. A study of the pipe organ was with the well-known Mark Andrews (who made many pipe organ recordings) in Montclair, New Jersey. From 1917 to 1919 he made piano rolls for Aeolian, Piano Style, Gulbransen and Rose Valley companies. In 1919 he began making test records for the Edison Studios in West Orange. Mr. Edison hired Ernest to be his personal pianist in testing for the proper procedure to record on cylinders. His test records were used to evaluate placement of instruments relative to the recording horn. He was a prolific Edison recording artist, appearing on the Edison label as solo pianist, a member of his own trio and dance quartet and was the leader of his own dance orchestra. Records for Edison were under pseudonyms.

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

The Edison Files: Anna Case

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.

Anna Case was an American soprano born on October 29, 1888. She recorded with Thomas Edison, who used her voice extensively in "tone tests" of whether a live audience could tell the difference between the actual singer and a recording. She also made recordings for Diamond Records, RCA Victor, Vitaphone and Columbia Records. She was born on October 29, 1888 in Clinton, New Jersey. She sang in the American premiere of Boris Gudonov in 1913 at the Metropolitan Opera. She retired in 1930. In 1931 she married ITT Corporation executive Clarence Mackay. She died on January 7, 1984 in New York City and left her 167.97-carat (33.59 g) Colombian emerald ring and Boucheron necklace to the Smithsonian Institution.

To hear recordings by Anna Case, or other early recording artists, visit the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara.