Vernon Dalhart.

[Inigo]

Back in the nineties, when i started to learn things about our hobby as I gained access to internet, one of the first things I happen to find was that marvelous website of Tim Gracyk. I started to read
everything there, and bought the 13 issues he made of his magazine, The Victrola and 78 Journal, which I read so many times that I almost learned the contents by heart!
I consider him my mentor, although he probably doesn't know it.
Thanks, Tim! I don't know if he's among us...
Through Tim I learned many things about Gramophones, records and record companies, artists, etc. I got an American biased view of all it, but also discovered that many things were logically exportable to the European and the Spanish development of the Gramophone industry and all things related.
Because of Tim information I also knew my second mentors, the people at 78-L, that marvelous email list that was my first 'forum' where I met all those great masters of the hobby as Mike Biel, Shoshani, Dennis Rooney, Steven C Barr, David Lennick, Christian Zwarg, Al and Sondra Simmons, and many many others from USA and Europe... sorry for the myriad of names I'm not mentioning... There were a pretty bunch of wise people glad to teach you on every aspect of this marvelous hobby. I believe that some, if not many, of them are also herein... All them put me in touch with the UK and USA dealers and Gramophone repairmen that taught me almost all I know about Gramophones and 78s.
Now to the plot, and sorry for the digression...
I also knew Nauck, and started to participate in his auctions since number 9...! Long years have passed since then!
I started buying records of the American artists whose names I knew from the Spanish pressings I already got, and also from the ones that were mentioned in Tim's magazine or in 78-L. One that I remember was biographers and analysed in the V&78 Journal was Dalhart. I acquired from Nauck both the electrical and the acoustic versions on Victor of Dalhart's The Wreck of the Old 97. These were the first records that I heard consciously by Dalhart.
I didn't like these songs very much, but through Brain Rust discographies and ask these other information sources I learned that Dalhart sang the vocal refrain in many dance band recordings, vocals credited or uncredited, or even using pseudonymes... And those I like, of course!
It's true that, despite not being aware of it, you may have several records of his voice in your collection!

[Wolfe]

Yes, he recorded under a bunch of pseudonyms. Joe Bussard doesn't call him "Vermin Dogfart" for no reason.

[Orchorsol]

Joe Bussard doesn't call him "Vermin Dogfart" for no reason.

Hahaha, I'm glad someone else mentioned that before I did!

[Inigo]

Ha, ha....! Sounds as a nickname given for the fact that he seems to be everywhere on records.
Nevertheless, maybe my record tastes are biased somehow, but among my dance band 78s, he's much less prolific than, say, Irving Kaufman or Arthur Fields... Those were terrible! You may find those two on every record from 1920 to 1930 !
I love the voice (voices) of Irving Kaufman.

[gramophone-georg]

Ha, ha....! Sounds as a nickname given for the fact that he seems to be everywhere on records.
Nevertheless, maybe my record tastes are biased somehow, but among my dance band 78s, he's much less prolific than, say, Irving Kaufman or Arthur Fields... Those were terrible! You may find those two on every record from 1920 to 1930 !
I love the voice (voices) of Irving Kaufman.

Dalhart's not bad- some of his jazz vocals are actually pretty good. Arthur Fields and Irving Kaufman don't bother me- Scrappy Lambert is 'meh' but not objectionable (far better as the Lambert half of Lambert and Hillpot on Ben Bernie records) but I draw the line at Dick Robertson. I avoid records where he is credited. Two notable exceptions are Gene Kardos' "Crazy People" where his schmaltz actually sort of works, and on Andy Kirk's "Sophomore"... probably because he's not credited on the label.

And then there's Ted Lewis who I jokingly refer to as the originator of (c)rap...

Just my "unbiased opinion"... your mileage may vary.

[marcapra]

All I know is I love my Dick Robertson records, at least the early stuff. Just listen to him sing "Sweet Music to worry the wolf away!" with the Fletcher Henderson band on Victor in 1931. What could be a better reference to the Depression? And he is very good singing I Fall Down and go Boom. It's the best version of that song I've ever heard. And on DD he sings a great "I've got a woman crazy for me, she's funny that way." And as for Ted Lewis, corny maybe, but for me enjoyable. "As we danced, danced until dawn!"

[larryh]

Here is the Dalhart" Fra Diavolo record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4RiK2FC2nA

Larry

[Phonoboy]

Here is the Dalhart" Fra Dalhart" record.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4RiK2FC2nA

Larry

Not too shabby. Thanks.

[Wolfe]

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[phonogal]

While I'm a country music fan, Vernon Dalhart's country style is just not my cup of tea. Most of his records are just sad and morbid. I do like a couple of his records though. Red Hot Henry Brown is one of his jazzy numbers and one of my favorites.