The First Charleston Recording

[CDBPDX]

Back in October, I acquired a fairly magnificent collection of 78 rpm records, about 5000 pieces. I quickly picked through the collection and set aside some real gems. I began to figure out that the depth of the collection was far beyond what I have seen before. I picked through the collection a second time and found a lot more. This particular record wasn't picked until the third time through. It is the very first Charleston recording related to the play RUNNIN' WILD where The Charleston was officially introduced. It was recorded on October 10, 1923 and the play opened on October 29, 1923, so I assume this recording was timed to show up on the market at about the same time as the play opened. That is pretty cool.

I wonder how many other treasures are yet to be discovered, and how many more times I will have to go through the collection to find them all...

Anyway, here is CHARLESTON on Victor 19165 by Arthur Gibbs and his Gang:

https://youtu.be/cv15_1QwRpA

Enjoy!

Cliff

[EdiBrunsVic]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing it.

[donniej]

Love it!!!

[billybob62]

Thanks, Cliff.

[CDBPDX]

Would Arthur Gibbs have been the orchestra for the RUNNIN' WILD play? The A side of this record is OLD FASHIONED LOVE, also from RUNNIN' WILD.

[phonojim]

Great record and excellent transfer as well. Thanks for sharing it with us. I have a Vocalion record by The Ambassadors titled "Old Fashioned Love (Introducing The Charleston)". It is pressed on red shellac and is from the same time period as this record. My personal favorite recorded version of this song is by the Varsity Eight featuring Red Nichols on trumpet or cornet, not sure which. What I find interesting is that The Charelston, although a 1920s icon, seems to be difficult to find on records of that era.

Jim

[gramophone-georg]

Would Arthur Gibbs have been the orchestra for the RUNNIN' WILD play? The A side of this record is OLD FASHIONED LOVE, also from RUNNIN' WILD.

Cliff- it wasn't at all uncommon for both sides of a record to have two tunes from the same show or movie on the same disc. The most common example I can think off offhand is "Hallelujah" and "Sometimes I'm Happy" from "Hit The Deck" coupled on the same disc by seemingly everyone and his brother on every label. In my experience, if the Gibbs orchestra had been the actual pit band, the usual practice would have been to credit it as "Arthur Gibbs and his Runnin' Wild Orchestra" on the label. However, none of this is cast in stone.

Interestingly enough, there was a tune called "Runnin' Wild" that lists an "A.H. Gibbs" as one of the composers that was published a year earlier and did not, to my knowledge, have anything to do with the show unless the show used it later.

Wonder if "A.H. Gibbs" was Arthur?

[CDBPDX]

Wonder if "A.H. Gibbs" was Arthur?

http://www.radioswissjazz.ch/en/music-d ... /biography

Arthur Harrington Gibbs (1895-1956) was an American songwriter, composer, conductor and pianist. Gibbs was educated in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1913 he came to New York where he was a pianist in dance orchestras. By 1923 he was leading his own orchestra, eventually touring Europe in 1929 and 1930. Later he was half of a two-piano team in night clubs. Joining ASCAP in 1937. His popular-song compositions include:

"Runnin' Wild"

[gramophone-georg]

Wonder if "A.H. Gibbs" was Arthur?

http://www.radioswissjazz.ch/en/music-d ... /biography

Arthur Harrington Gibbs (1895-1956) was an American songwriter, composer, conductor and pianist. Gibbs was educated in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1913 he came to New York where he was a pianist in dance orchestras. By 1923 he was leading his own orchestra, eventually touring Europe in 1929 and 1930. Later he was half of a two-piano team in night clubs. Joining ASCAP in 1937. His popular-song compositions include:

"Runnin' Wild"

I thought as much. I've been pretty swamped with work today or I'da just Googled it myself.

[CDBPDX]

I'm retired, got all the time in the world.