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The 1900's --- Music hath charm to soothe the savage beast or Make it RAGTIME!

Sitting pretty at number 15 for the year 1904 is the song ALL ABOARD FOR DREAMLAND This is played on a Regina Music Box that was manufactured in Rahway, New Jersey. This machine is an automatic that was designed to automatically change discs. Byron G. Harlan sings this hit on an COLUMBIA Cylinder Record from that year:
 
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Dreamland was an amusement park that was a part of Coney Island. These were once considered destinations to encourage ridership on the Trolleys. In Pennsylvania, Willow Grove was considered such a destination park, with picnic groves and amusement rides for the entire family. They were a lark --- to coin the vernacular of the day.
 
In 1904 there would be a revival of a very popular song written in 1855. The song sold 20 million copies of sheet music and was claimed to be a special favorite of President Abraham Lincoln. Here is the very popular VICTOR Recording from 1904 sung by Frank Stanley and Corinne Morgan:
 
In 1905 George C. Cohen wrote a song for his musical play Little Johnny Jones which debuted in 1904. That song was Give My Regards to Broadway -- and would be a Number 1 smash hit that year and would become a standard for years and years. Here is Billy Murray singing his COLUMBIA Record hit from 1905:
 
In 1905 the second most popular recording was that of Enrico Caruso which had been recorded in 1904. The song is VISTI LA GIUBBA and would be recorded over and over due the popularity of both the operatic song and Caruso. This song with Caruso singing it would become the FIRST million seller. What follows are several renditions of the song ----- and note the improvement of the acoustic sound quality recording as techniques at VICTOR Records improved. (1902-1904-1907) This particular song became so popular that aspiring want-ta-be's would often sing their own rendition in the new fangled SHOWER which fast became popular with the rise of indoor plumbing. It seems the acoustics of the "bathroom" lent itself to the overall effect. Even I (I'm sorry to say) gave it a try at least once or twice in my youth. However, this was due to the Movie THE GREAT CARUSO where Mario Lanza played the part of this renown tenor who was still very much regarded as the greatest.
 
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In third place we have a song again from the musical LITTLE JOHNNY JONES from 1904. This song was again recorded by Billy Murray in 1905 and would another big hit for him in that year. Billy Murray and Ada Jones are two of my favorite singers from this period. They both new how to put a song over. Anyway, here now is THE YANKEE DOODLE BOY sung by Billy Murray. I understand that Murray was a very dependable singer. He rarely did any flubs and it was not uncommon for him to make a record in one take ------ which saved both time and money. Remember, if ANY noticeable mistake was made while recording they had to do the take all over again, so the main singer, the chorus, the band and the recording technician all had to be top notch.
 
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Billy Murray was certainly having a great recording year in 1905. Another of his hits would be IN MY MERRY OLDSMOBILE: This song was based on the Curve Dash Oldsmobile - MODEL R - Runabout of that time period. About 19,000 would eventually be sold, and sold for $650.00 when new (about $19,650 in todays money). The song is naively racy by today's standards. Our young driver suggesting to his darling that "You can go as far as you like with me in my merry Oldsmobile." However, he did suggest heading to the church first. And the MODEL R was little more than an open buggy with a gas powered motor. So, let's go for a drive in the Runabout!
 
Number 5 for the year 1905 was song that would appear again and again through the years. Author Collins had a great hit with it on an EDISON Cylinder Record. The song involves a country preacher who is out a hunting one Sunday morning. Unfortunately, a bear comes along and the preacher climbs a tree. And here is the song the preacher sang:
THE PREACHER AND THE BEAR:
 
In 1905 the song IN THE SHADE OF THE OLD APPLE TREE would become so popular that Billy Murray would record a parody of the song: And of course we have the original hit as recorded by Henry Burr:
 
1905 would see a good solid hit that actually would be recorded again and again. Even Groucho Marx sang this song during his career. EVERYBODY WORKS BUT FATHER recorded by Bob Roberts on an EDISON Cylinder Record:
 
In 1905 Byron G. Harlan would record WHERE THE MORNING GLORIES TWINE AROUND THE DOOR issued that year by VICTOR Records. The song would also recorded by Mr. Harlan in November for COLUMBIA Records. The AMERICAN RECORD CO. would also record the song that year :
 

Enrico CARUSO sings Cavalleria Rusticana ~ Brindis ​

This was recorded in 1905. Opera was very popular the world over at this time, and Caruso was a hit with audiences everywhere.

Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana was a one act opera that was composed as the result of a composition contest. The opera was one of three finalists (73 were originally submitted) and would eventually be performed to public acclaim in 1890.
 
We have a nice sentimental ballad titled COAX ME sung by Collins and Harlan on an EDISON Cylinder Record. It would also be sung Billie Murray on a AMERICAN RECORD COMPANY recording, and also jazzed up a bit for dancing (note the touch of Tango towards the end of the recording) by the EDISON MILITARY BAND that same year: The very rarest recording is the Billie Murray recording on the AMERICAN RECORD COMPANY Record.
 
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La Mattichiche was all the rage in France and so it would spill onto recorded music of the day. Here the song is performed in 1905 by Felix Mayol the popular French performer. You may also see how the dance was performed:
 
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TAMMANY was a big hit in 1905, from the Broadway musical of the very same name. Here is an AMERICAN RECORD COMPANY recording from that year: Here are the lyrics:
TAMMANY
(Gus Edwards & Vincent Bryan)

Hiawatha was an Indian,
So was Navajo,
Paleface organ-grinders killed them
Many moons ago;
But there is a band of Indians
That will never die,
When they're at the Indian Club
This is their battle cry:

chorus: Tammany, Tammany
Big Chief sits in his tepee
Cheering braves to victory,
Tammany, Tammany
Swamp 'em swamp 'em
Get me wampum
Tammany

On the island of Manhattan
By the bitter sea,
Lived this tribe of noble Red Men,
Tribe of Tammany,
From the Totem of the Greenlight
Wampum they would bring,
When their big Chief Man Behind,
Would pass the pipe and sing:


Paleface preacher, "Red Light Finder,"
To Manhattan came,
He was very old but he played
Leap-frog just the same,
He said he would run Manhattan
Like a Sunday school,
Made the village twice as bad
As under Tammany rule,

Paleface Band of Pirates called
"Reformers" made a fight,
Helped old "Red Light Finder" put the
Tam'my braves to flight;
Tammany came back and put this
Pirate band to rout,
Found the village treasure gone
"Reformers" cleaned it out,
 
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The Haydn Quartet would record SILENT NIGHT for the up and coming holiday and to everyone's surprise it would be a big hit and be 25 on the hit list for that year. The Haydn Quartet tended to sing a little more stately than the other quartets. This is considered possibly the earliest resisting recording of this song. Many recording companies thought that Christmas records would not sell well, and that there was a very narrow window, but this proved them wrong. A Christmas recording for Christmas now seemed the perfect gift, to go along with a NEW TALKING MACHINE. The machine was still a wind-up, and many still placed real candles on their tree .
 
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In 1905 Irving Gillette would have a hit with IN DEAR OLD GEORGIA on an EDISON Cylinder Record:
In the very same year Frank Stanley would also have a hit with this song on COLUMBIA Cylinder Record: It must be understood that in this era, the money was mostly made in sheet music. They really don't care who recorded the song ---- as long as people heard it and wanted to by sheet music to play on the piano.
 
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In 1905, Ada Jones would record MY CAROLINA LADY for both EDISON Record Co. (cylinder) and for VICTOR TALKING MACHINE. It would be a real hit back in the day. I enjoy both Billy Murray and Ada Jones ---- they both recorded well on the acoustic equipment of that day. Here is Ada Jones to sing it for us on a VICTOR Record:
 
A tune was written in 1903, but would become a real hit by 1905. Sylvester Louis Ossman, known by the stage name as Vess Ossman was a leading five-string banjoist and a very popular recording artist of the early 20th century. Vess made his first recording in 1893. He became one of the most recorded musicians of his day, recording marches, cakewalks, and rags. He also accompanied popular singers, such as Arthur Collins and Len Spence. In 1900 and 1903, when Ossman's reputation and fame had spread internationally, he toured England and recorded. Ossman played in what is now known as the classic banjo style. He fingerpicked gut strings using a technique similar to classical guitarists.

And here is Vess Ossman to play his banjo hit ST. LOUIS RAG on an EDISON Cylinder: 1654180441921.png
 
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In the 32 spot for 1905 is MY IRISH MOLLY-O. It was recorded by both Billy Murray on an EDISON Record and also Author Collins that year:
[Verse 1]

Molly dear now did you hear the news that's going round
Down in a corner of my heart a love is what you've found
Every time I look into your Irish eyes so blue
They seem to whisper darling boy, my love is all for you

[Chorus]

Oh, Molly, my Irish Molly, my sweet achusla dear

I'm fairly off my trolley, my Irish Molly when you are near

Springtime you know is ringtime, come dear now don't be slow

Change your name, go out with game,

begorrah wouldn't I do the same my Irish Molly O

[Verse 2]
Molly dear now did you hear I furnished up the flat
Three little cozy rooms with a bath and "welcome" on the mat
It's five pounds down and two a week, we'll soon be out of debt
It's all complete except they haven't brought the cradle yet
 
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Bert Williams was a Bahamian American and one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era. He was one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his era. He was by far the best-selling black recording artist before 1920. In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world. NOBODY is a popular song with music by Bert Williams and lyrics by Alex Rogers, published in 1905. The song was first publicly performed in February 1906, in the Broadway production Abyssinia. The show, which included live camels, was premièred at the Majestic Theater and continued the string of hits for the vaudeville team of Williams and Walker. NOBODY would became Bert Williams' signature theme, and the song he is best remembered for today. Williams had a very good baritone voice and was recorded on COLUMBIA Records. This song was still quite popular into the 1930's :
 
Billy Murray would have a GRAND hit with YOU'RE A GRAND OLD RAG in 1906 ---- and would come in 2nd to NOBODY that year. The song was published that year by George M. Cohan ------ It's title would be "modernized" as "Rag," eventually fell out of favor and became YOU'RE A GRAND OLD FLAG.
 
This song was recorded many times by the great Music Hall King ---- HARRY LAUDER. This performer was well like everywhere he went. He took on the world with his sweet, innocent songs of Scotland and tartan-clad routines. And this was one his first big hits --- STOP YOUR TICKLING JOCK ---- first recorded in 1903, then again in 1904 on a GRAMOPHONE AND TYPWRITER LTD. 12" recording and later in 1907 on a 12" version. The recording would be very popular by 1906 and reach the number 3 spot that year. Harry Lauder would be very popular in the States, Canada, and Great Britain:
 
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