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I posted a second Edison record on ebay. The record sounds great and comes with an interesting sleeve. If you like Scottish folk songs, you will love Glen Ellison. The posting has an embedded You Tube video. Glen goes into a monologue in the middle of the song, but it's not in the video. The camera I used is tiny and reduces the sound quality, but it will give you an idea of how it sounds.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/272967627966?s ... 1558.l2649

That DD is sung by Glen Ellison; it was written by Harry Lauder. Lauder recorded cylinders for Edison but not discs and most, if not all of his 4 minute cylinders were originally issued on black wax. 2 minute Edisons by Harry Lauder exist as well. There was at least one (and possibly more) that was not issued at the time it was recorded and was first issued in the 5000 block. Edison hired Glen Ellison to record Scottish material on disc because Lauder had an exclusive contract with Victor/Hmv for discs.

Jim

phonojim wrote:That DD is sung by Glen Ellison; it was written by Harry Lauder. Lauder recorded cylinders for Edison but not discs and most, if not all of his 4 minute cylinders were originally issued on black wax. 2 minute Edisons by Harry Lauder exist as well. There was at least one (and possibly more) that was not issued at the time it was recorded and was first issued in the 5000 block. Edison hired Glen Ellison to record Scottish material on disc because Lauder had an exclusive contract with Victor/Hmv for discs.

Jim

Thanks for the correction. Interesting facts. I'll have to correct my ebay listing.

Such was Harry Lauder's popularity that his songs and his style of singing them were widely copied. The Australian bass-baritone Peter Dawson recorded many of Lauder's songs on HMV's Zonophone label under the pseudonym of Hector Grant and even went on tour as Grant, heavily disguised and wearing a kilt.

Years later the two men met in the recording studio, and Dawson confessed to Lauder that he was Hector Grant. Lauder refused to believe him, insisting that he had seen Hector Grant on stage in Glasgow!

Glen Ellison was a good singer- technically I'd say he was better than Lauder - but he doesn't really sound like Lauder.

Colin O'More (not the name he was born with) did recordings in the John McCormack manner for Vocallion - and later for Victor.