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Did Vernon Dalhart ever perform / record any tunes that weren't mawkish, dirge-y ballads ?

Sure. Lots of his records weren't ballads. Try his Hallelujah, I'm A Bum or something else.

That said, he's one of my least favorite prolific record makers of that era.

I must be "lucky" so far I've only acquired the dearth of ballads...




"That said, he's one of my least favorite prolific record makers of that era."


I wonder whether I prefer him to the scads of "Hawaian Guitar" records...

I've read that Dalhart was classically trained.
Here's an Edison Blue Amberol of him performing Gilbert and Sullivan's "Nightingale's Song" from HMS Pinafore

The Nightingale's Song- Pinafore (Gilbert-Sullivan) Vernon Dalhart BA 3385

https://www.box.com/shared/b0b8oy2541

I have him on an Emerson record singing "St. Louis blues" and on a diamond disc singing "Roll em' Girls" Not too bad on either, but not my favorite singer.

He sang the vocals on this one, Red Hot Henry Brown. I would say it's pretty red hot!

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o48ogfIUHZE[/youtubehd]

He sings on "Bringin' Home The Bacon" by Kaplan's Melodists - DD and cylinder. It's a good lively dance number.

Jim

Here's "The Runaway Train", another of his folk-ish songs, but with tongue in cheek lyrics and in a brisk tempo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CxMieXyR0Q

He also recorded a light hearted song called "Don't marry a widow"

"I've gone and married a widow / who has a pair of twins / and now I'm walking the floor at night / gettn' stuck with safety pins"

He did start out as a conventional singer, doing quite a few duets with Gladys Rice for Edison, but by the 20's he was firmly stuck in the "hillbilly" style. He's ok, but I like Johnny Marvin much better.

And "The Prisoners Song" with Kaplans Melodists on Diamond Disc 51666R and BA5105 is, I think, the best recording ever of that tune.

The flip side, "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen", again with Kaplan's on 51666L and BA5126 is very nicely done too.

I'm informed that this is him singing "Hard Hearted Hannah" under a pseudonym:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... e8AvEKzbco