History Through the Horn

"FAVORITE PIONEER RECORDING ARTISTS"
An Index to the Hobbies Articles of Jim Walsh

Compiled and annotated by Ryan Barna


            “To me it seems that one of the most strangely neglected fields of record collecting is that of the discs and cylinders made a generation or so ago by the outstanding ‘popular’ recording stars of their time. Musical snobs, of course, will protest scornfully against the assertation [sic], but the truth is that the many men and the fewer women who made reputation as recorders of popular songs and humorous sketches from, say, 1895 to 1920, were as brilliant a group as the Red Seal galaxy of the earlier days. If Caruso, Melba and Plancon are immortal, so, in their equally expert way, should be Billy Murray, Ada Jones and Len Spencer. In variety, and in versatility of achievement, these geniuses put the operatic contingent to shame...”
                                                                                                                                                           
Ulysses Walsh
                                                                                                                                                            Johnson City, Tennessee
(Letter printed in "The Record Collector," conducted by Albert Wehling, in Hobbies: The Magazine for Collectors, December 1935, p. 114)


            Giving equal treatment to the popular recording "geniuses" of the acoustic era (as classical, operatic, and jazz artists were given) would be the void in which Ulysses "Jim" Walsh filled in the same magazine this statement was printed. In his monthly Hobbies articles from 1942 to 1985, Walsh left an institute of writings on acoustic recording artists and the early phonograph industry that to this day, no one in the field has surpassed in consecutiveness. He was virtually the only journalist to preserve the life stories and first-hand accounts of the studio performers who specialized in popular songs that would otherwise be lost. While many of his statements do not hold up to factual scrutiny (not to mention his strong biases about certain artists and genres), his articles served as major foundations for other great books and articles to follow, and are a great starting point for further research.

            Walsh wrote prolifically for many publications, but his Hobbies articles are his most regarded in the collecting field. His first article appeared in the May 1937 issue as a special contribution (unrelated to records or artists), titled "Folk Music Collecting: A Fascinating Hobby." His long-running series first began in January 1942, under the heading "The Coney Island Crowd." He chose the name based on a statement made by Victor's head of Artists and Repertoire Calvin G. Child to dealers, trying to get their customers to veer away from the "Coney Island Crowd" of popular singers and to sell more prestigious Red Seal records (the "Coney Island Crowd," as Walsh claimed, was a name that the popular artists also referred to themselves). Since the heading seemed rather ambiguous (having nothing to do with the amusement park), it was renamed "Favorite Pioneer Recording Artists" for the next few decades until it was abbreviated to "Pioneer Recording Artists" in the 1980s.

            This is not the first index/chronology of Walsh's Hobbies articles published (nor will it probably be the last), but it is the first thorough online version, with issue dates, author credits (whether "Jim" was in quotes or not), titles (exactly the way they were printed), page numbers, illustrations, and other features. At this time, I have only been able to complete 1942 to 1954, and the rest will follow in future updates. To make sure I only include his own writings, I will only cite the articles that credit his authorship. This will exclude many of the death notices written anonymously, but I plan to eventually include them (with the notation that they are anonymous) if the subject matter is related to pioneer recording artists.

            As far as accessibility to these articles, the copyrights to Hobbies may still be held by Lightner (now defunct). Due to time constraints, I cannot fill requests for custom copies and scanning for individuals by email. I acquired my own Hobbies holdings by buying in bulk from eBay lots in the mid-2000s, but now that the auction site has become a museum for overpriced rummage, it may be quite costly to now buy all of the originals. However, I acquired photocopies of the remaining articles I didn't have by locating a nearby library through WorldCat. You may be able to find a library near you that has a complete run, or perhaps your local library can order them through Interlibrary Loan.

 

 

The first articles from January 1942 to August 1942 appear under the heading "The Coney Island Crowd." All authorship credits from January 1942 to September 1945 are given to Ulysses ("Jim") Walsh (with "Jim" in quotes) unless noted.

January 1942

“THE CONEY ISLAND CROWD”
pp. 18-19; no title under the heading, just an introduction to the series.

February 1942

None

March 1942

EDWARD M. FAVOR
p. 12; illus. Edward M. Favor. Authorship: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh (no quotations).

April 1942

“The Coney Island Crowd”
p. 15; no title under the heading, but it's the first part to Billy Murray's biography.

May 1942

“The Coney Island Crowd”
p. 15; no title under the heading, but it's the second part to Billy Murray's biography.

June 1942

Billy Murray
p. 21 + 23; illus. "Billy Murray, Ulysses Walsh and Jimmy Martindale."

July 1942

JOHN BIELING I
pp. 15-16; illus. Haydn Quartet.

August 1942

Pioneer Phonograph Singers John Bieling, II.
pp. 14-15

 


From this point, articles appear under the heading "Favorite Pioneer Recording Artists." Authorship credit is still Ulysses ("Jim") Walsh unless noted.

 

September 1942

Albert Campbell
pp. 12-13; illus. "Al Campbell as he appeared in 1892."

October 1942

Albert Campbell -- II
pp. 13-14.

November 1942

Arthur Collins, I
pp. 11-12; illus. Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan.

December 1942

ARTHUR COLLINS II
pp. 18-19; illus. Mrs. Arthur Collins.

January 1943

Arthur Collins – III
p. 13 + 19.

February 1943

Byron G. Harlan—I
p. 14.

March 1943

Byron G. Harlan – II
p. 14.

April 1943

Henry Burr—I
pp. 12-13; illus. "Henry Burr in his later years."

May 1943

Henry Burr II
p. 15 + 21.

June 1943

Henry Burr—III
p. 33 + 129.

July 1943

Steve Porter — I
pp. 21-22.

August 1943

None

September 1943

None

October 1943

Steve Porter – II
pp. 15-16.

November 1943

Harry Macdonough I
p. 34 + 129.

December 1943

Harry Macdonough, II
p. 26.

January 1944

 

S. H. Dudley, I
pp. 22-23.

February 1944

 

S. H. Dudley, II
pp. 20-21 + 23; illus. Jim Walsh playing a cylinder.

March 1944

 

William F. Hooley
p. 19.

April 1944

 

Favorite Pioneer Recording Artists
pp. 26-27. No title under the heading, but it's the biography of Bob Roberts.

May 1944

 

Performers Who “Doubled Up”
pp. 27-28; about artists in groups and using pseudonyms.

June 1944

 

BILLY GOLDEN
pp. 25-27.

July 1944

 

John W. Myers
p. 26-27; illus. J. W. Myers.

August 1944

 

Miscellaneous Notes
pp. 27-28; discusses artists he was not considering writing full biographies on; supplemented "ARTISTS [sic] WHO 'DOUBLED UP'", and wrote brief notes about Sam Ash, Charles D'Almaine, Mrs. Edward M. Favor (Edith Sinclair), Marion Harris, Percy Hemus, Murry K. Hill, Harvey Hindermeyer [sic], Charles E. King, Eddie Morton, Edward F. Rubsam, Harry Tally, Walter Van Brunt, and Nat M. Wills.

September 1944

 

George Washington Johnson
pp. 27-28; illus. "Recording song-birds of yesteryear" [various artists in group photo in Orange, NJ].

October 1944

 

George J. Gaskin
pp. 32-33.

November 1944

 

Russell Hunting, Sr.
pp. 27-28.

December 1944

 

Russell Hunting, Sr. II
pp. 26-27; illus. Russell Hunting, Sr.

January 1945

Russell Hunting, Sr. – III
pp. 24-25.

February 1945

Russell Hunting, Sr. – III [sic: IV]
pp. 26-27. Title is printed as part "III" although it's actually the fourth installment.

March 1945

Dan W. Quinn I
pp. 18-19. Authorship: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh.

April 1945

Dan W. Quinn II
p. 16; illus. "Dan W. Quinn, New York City, 1933."

May 1945

Dan W. Quinn III
pp. 16-17; illus. Walsh with announcer Dorothy Jennings Turner during "Jim Walsh's Wax Works" radio program.

June 1945

Are These the “Supreme Fifteen”?
pp. 16-17; discusses his choices for the top fifteen "most outstanding pioneer recording artists"; illus. Billy Murray singing into a recording machine operated by Freddie Maisch.

July 1945

Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison. I.
p. 18; illus. Frederick J. Wheeler.

August 1945

Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison. II.
p. 22.

September 1945

Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison. III.
pp. 13-14.

 


Authorship from October 1945 to January 1946: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh

 

October 1945

Collectors’ Vote on “The Supreme Fifteen.”
p. 18; collectors submit their own top fifteen choices of the "greatest" recording artists.

November 1945

COLLECTORS’ VOTE ON “THE SUPREME FIFTEEN”
p. 17.

December 1945

COLLECTORS’ VOTE ON “THE SUPREME FIFTEEN”
p. 21 + 114.

January 1946

COLLECTORS’ VOTE ON “THE SUPREME FIFTEEN”
p. 17.

 


Authorship from February 1946 to April 1946: Ulysses ("Jim") Walsh

 

February 1946

Edward Warren Meeker. I.
pp. 19-20; illus. Edward Meeker.

March 1946

Edward Warren Meeker. II.
p. 20.

April 1946

Edward Warren Meeker. III.
p. 22.

 


Authorship from May 1946 to May 1949: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh

 

May 1946

More About S. H. Dudley
pp. 20-21.

June 1946

Ada Jones. I
pp. 18-19; illus. Ada Jones.

July 1946

Ada Jones. II.
pp. 17-18.

August 1946

Ada Jones. III
pp. 18-19.

September 1946

ADA JONES. IV.
p. 24.

October 1946

ADA JONES. V.
p. 26.

November 1946

ADA JONES VI.
pp. 26-27.

December 1946

ADA JONES VII
pp. 25-26.

January 1947

ADA JONES VIII
p. 22.

February 1947

A Visit With John Bieling
p. 22 + 25; illus. "PIONEERS AND THEIR ADMIREERS MEET."

March 1947

LEN SPENCER. I.
p. 18 + 21 + 23.

April 1947

LEN SPENCER. II
pp. 20-21.

May 1947

LEN SPENCER. III
pp. 18-19.

June 1947

LEN SPENCER. IV
pp. 22-23; illus. Len Spencer's business card.

July 1947

LEN SPENCER. V
pp. 22-23.

August 1947

LEN SPENCER.—VI
pp. 31-32.

September 1947

SAD NEWS ABOUT S. H. DUDLEY
pp. 30-31; illus. S. H. Dudley.

October 1947

EUGENE C. ROSE. I
pp. 35-36; illus. "An early picture of Eugene C. Rose."

November 1947

EUGENE C. ROSE. II
pp. 34-35; illus. "A late picture of Eugene C. Rose."

December 1947

The “Cheapest Talking Machine”
pp. 31-32 + 36-37; illus. Excello Talking Machine ad.

January 1948

John Bieling Gives Another Party
pp. 34-35; illus. "Old Time Recording Artists Get Together" (John Bieling, Irving Kaufman, Walter Van Brunt, Will Oakland, and Billy Murray).

February 1948

GILBERT GIRARD
pp. 33-35; illus. "Gilbert Girard, Paris, July 18, 1913."

March 1948

JOE BELMONT, “The Human Bird”
pp. 35-37.

April 1948

GRACE SPENCER, “First Lady of the Phonograph” I.
pp. 35-36.

May 1948

GRACE SPENCER, “First Lady of the Phonograph” II
pp. 31-32. Has the odd authorship of "ULYSSES (JIM WALSH) [sic]."

June 1948

The Death of John Bieling
pp. 32-33 + 35; illus. John Bieling.

July 1948

FREDERIC C. FREEMANTEL
pp. 32-33; illus. Mr. & Mrs. Frederic C. Freemantel.

August 1948

REINALD WERRENRATH
pp. 32-33 + 37; illus. Reinald Werrenrath. Article has no authorship.

September 1948

SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “THE BANJO KING” I
pp. 32-33.

October 1948

SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King” II.
p. 36-38 + 57; illus. "Sylvester Louis Ossman, 'The Banjo King,' at the height of his career," and Walsh broadcasting in his home.

November 1948

SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King” III
p. 31-32.

December 1948

Another Memorable “John Bieling Day”
p. 33-35; illus. Eugene C. Rose, Billy Murray, and Grace Spencer with an Edison phonograph.

January 1949

SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King.” IV.
pp. 31-32.

February 1949

SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King”
pp. 34-35.

March 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY. I.
pp. 31-32; illus. Frank C. Stanley.

April 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY II
pp. 29-30 + 34.

May 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY III.
pp. 30-31.

 


Authorship from June 1949 to August 1949: Jim Walsh

 

June 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY. IV.
pp. 30-31.

July 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY V.
pp. 30-31; also "DEATHS OF THREE RECORDING ARTISTS," pp. 31-32 (John Meyer, Armand Vecsey, and Richard R. Czerwonky; "A Memorial Tribute to John L. Norton, Sr.," p. 32.

August 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY. VI.
pp. 30-31.

September 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY VII.
p. 30. Authorship: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh (the last article to credit his name "Ulysses").

October 1949

FRANK C. STANLEY VIII
p. 28 + 31. Article has no authorship.

 


At this point, all remaining articles credit Jim Walsh as the author or "conductor."

 

November 1949

WILL OAKLAND
pp. 23-26; illus. Will Oakland and Eula Christian at the Veterans Administration Hospital, Roanoke, VA. Also "'John Bieling Day' Observed By Family and Friends," on page 27, initialed "J. W."

December 1949

Notes From Early Victor Catalogues I
pp. 24-25 + 29.

January 1950

NOTES FROM EARLY VICTOR CATALOGUES. II.
pp. 20-21 + 25.

February 1950

BILLY WHITLOCK
pp. 19-21 + 31 + 35; illus. Billy Whitlock and Charles Penrose. Also "Death of Joe Belmont" on page 35, initialed "—J. W."

March 1950

RICHARD J. JOSE I [no accent on the E]
pp. 20-21 + 33.

April 1950

RICHARD J. JOSÉ II
pp. 19-21 + 33.

May 1950

RICHARD J. JOSÉ III
pp. 20-21 + 32; also "Deaths of Franklin [sic] Baur and E. Robert Schmitz" on page 32, initialed "J. W."

June 1950

FRED DUPREZ I
pp. 20-21 + 33.

July 1950

FRED DUPREZ II
pp. 20-21 + 23 + 35.

August 1950

SIR HARRY LAUDER
pp. 20-21 + 23 + 27 + 31; illus Harry Lauder.

September 1950

BERT WILLIAMS, A Thwarted Genius I
pp. 23-25 + 36.

October 1950

BERT WILLIAMS, A Thwarted Genius. II
pp. 19-20; illus. Bert Williams.

November 1950

BERT WILLIAMS, A Thwarted Genius, III
pp. 19-21; incl. "Records by Bert A. Williams and George Walker" on pages 21 and 22. Also "An Inexpensive Method of Storing Cylinder Records" on page 22.

December 1950

“The Best John Bieling Days”
pp. 20-21 + 23-25 + 38; illus. various artists attending the John Bieling Day party on September 9, 1950. No authorship.

January 1951

CAL STEWART I
pp. 20-22 + 35. Also "Death of Frederic C. Freemantle" on page 35, initialed "—J. W."

February 1951

CAL STEWART II
pp. 20-25; illus. Cal Stewart; cartoonist's sketch of "Uncle Josh on a Bicycle."

March 1951

CAL STEWART III
pp. 19-23; illus. Cal Stewart Columbia ad. Also "Another Record by Bert Williams" [Columbia A303] on page 23, initialed "—J. W."

April 1951

CAL STEWART IV
pp. 20-24; also "Deaths of Marguerite Farrell and Eddie Morton 'The Singing Policeman'" on page 24, initialed "—J. W."

May 1951

FRANK COOMBS AND WILLIAM H. THOMPSON
pp. 20-23.

June 1951

NAT M. WILLS, “The Happy Tramp”
pp. 20-23; illus. Nat M. Wills in tramp costume. Also "Records by Nat M. Wills" on pages 23 and 24, and "Information Wanted About William F. Myers" on pages 24 and 35, initialed "—J. W."

July 1951

MANUEL ROMAIN
pp. 21-25. Also "Deaths of Vesta Victoria and Edward Metcalfe," on page 19, initialed "—J. W."

August 1951

ELIZABETH SPENCER
pp. 28-29; illus. "A 1915 photograph of ELIZABETH SPENCER."

September 1951

ELIZABETH SPENCER
pp. 20-24; illus. group of Edison artists from September 1914; also "Deaths of W. H. Berry, Lucy Gates, Dan Hornsby and Fannie B. Hard" on page 24, initialed "—J. W."

October 1951

CHARLES W. HARRISON & BEULAH GAYLORD YOUNG
pp. 20-21 + 55; illus. recording the Sextet from Lucia for an Edison film; also "Death of Frederick James Wheeler[,] Famous Recording and Concert Baritone" on page 55.

November 1951

WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) I
pp. 20-21 + 25 + 28-29; illus. Walter Van Brunt.

December 1951

WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) I [sic: II]
pp. 18-19 + 27.

January 1952

WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) II
pp. 20-23 + 25; illus. Walter Van Brunt with three daughters and mother-in-law. Also "Free Records for Men in Veteran's Hospitals" on page 19.

February 1952

WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) III
pp. 21-23. Also "Surprise!—EDISON TALKING RECORDS by John Charles Thomas and a 'North Pole' Lecture by Dr. Cook" on pages 20 and 30.

March 1952

CHARLES W. HARRISON & BEULAH GAYLORD YOUNG
pp. 21-23 + 28 + 58. Second part from October 1951.

April 1952

ESTELLA LOUISE MANN (And Some “Forgotten Woman” Singers)
pp. 24-27 + 33 + 35; illus. Estella Louise Mann singing into recording horns, and profile portrait. Also "DEATH OF DANIEL E. BISHOP Veteran Record Collector" on page 20, and "A NEW ALBUM OF BANJO RECORDS BY FRED VAN EPS" on page 25, both articles initialed "—J. W." Page 21 transcribes a letter to Jim Walsh, titled "HOBBIES PHOTO BRINGS LETTER FROM MARY JORDAN."

May 1952

THE FIRST TEN YEARS
pp. 22-24; notes and corrections to his previous Hobbies articles. Also "MORE ABOUT COOK AND THOMAS RECORDS, and Some Acknowledgements" on page 25.

June 1952

ALBERT EDMUND BROWN, FREDERIC MARTIN AND W. FRANCIS FIRTH
pp. 22-26; illus. Dr. Albert Edmund Brown, William Francis Firth, and Frederic Louis Martin.

July 1952

ALBERT EDMUND BROWN, FREDERIC MARTIN AND W. FRANCIS FIRTH
pp. 25-27 + 31.

August 1952

“Professor Edison” Invents the Phonograph Whose Seventy-fifth Birthday Occurs this Month
pp. 22-25 + 27 + 35 + 37 + 55 + 61; illus. Thomas A. Edison; Helen Davis and Victor Young with Thomas A. Edison.

September 1952

EDDIE MORTON
pp. 22-25 + 35 + 37 + 47; illus. Victor ad; Eddie Morton in the Columbia studio.

October 1952

EDDIE MORTON
pp. 24-27; illus. "Eddie Morton at the peak of his long vaudeville career"; "I GOT YOU STEVE" sheet music cover.

November 1952

EDDIE MORTON
pp. 24-25. Also "RECORDS BY EDDIE MORTON" on pages 25 and 26, and "a [sic] brief discussion of The Value of Old Records" on pages 27 and 31.

December 1952

CHARLES ADAMS PRINCE
pp. 29-30; illus. Columbia Band with Charles Prince.

January 1953

CHARLES ADAMS PRINCE PART II
pp. 23-26 + 31.

February 1953

GEORGE N. and AUDLEY F. DUDLEY (of the OSSMAN-DUDLEY TRIO)
pp. 26-29 + 37-38 + 41; illus. Dudley quartet.

March 1953

WIZARDS OF ACCORDION AND CONCERTINA (Peter and Daniel Wyper and Alexander Prince)
pp. 32-33 + 35-37 + 42.

April 1953

More About the Early Days of the Phonograph
pp. 33-36 + 45; illus. Eight Victor Artists.

May 1953

More About the Early Days of the Phonograph
pp. 28-29.

June 1953

Arthur Fields Part One
p. 24 + 37 + 43 + 45.

July 1953

Arthur Fields Part Two
pp. 25-28 + 39; illus. Arthur Fields.

August 1953

Arthur Fields Part Three
pp. 26-28 + 33; illus. Arthur Fields photo from Edison ad.

September 1953

Frank Crumit Part One
p. 26-29; illus. Julia Sanderson and Frank Crumit. Also "HOBBIES Reader Records Ragtime Piano Melodies [Johnny Maddox]" on page 25, and "Recent Music Books That Are Helpful" [The Spice of "Variety," Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs, and The Victor Book of Operas] on pages 29 and 37, both articles initialed "—J. W."

October 1953

Frank Crumit Part Two
pp. 27-29; illus. Julia Sanderson and Frank Crumit.

November 1953

Frank Crumit Part Three
pp. 26-27; illus. home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Crumit, and Page Ellis interviewing Jim Walsh.

December 1953

Frank Crumit Part Four
pp. 25-26 + 28-29. Also "Records by Frank Crumit" on pages 29 and 30.

January 1954

Albert Benzler
pp. 24-29 + 35. Also "Correction and Addition to Frank Crumit Record List" on page 35, and "Her Dolls Depict Favorite Phonograph Stars" on pages 54 and 56; illus. three dolls depicting Billy Murray, Ada Jones, and Lillian Russell.

February 1954

Albert Spalding
pp. 28-30; illus. Albert Spalding and Marie Rappold, and "Albert Spalding in his later years."

March 1954

Albert Spalding PART II
pp. 25-26 + 28 + 41.

April 1954

Helen Trix PART I
pp. 30-32. Also "Explaining Those 'Mother's Day Songs'" on page 32.

May 1954

Helen Trix
pp. 25-27; illus. Trix Sisters.

June 1954

ADA JONES and the Shannon Four Give a Concert in Roanoke, Va.
p. 26 + 28-29; illus. Ada Jones and the Shannon Four.

July 1954

ADA JONES and the Shannon Four Give a Concert in Roanoke, Va.
pp. 26-28; illus. Victor Record Maker Troupe.

August 1954

Wizards of the Piano-Accordion Guido and Pietro Deiro
pp. 26-28; illus. Pietro Deiro, and Guido Deiro.

September 1954

Wizards of the Piano-Accordion Guido and Pietro Deiro PART II
pp. 26-28 + 30 + 33 + 35.

October 1954

Wizard of the Accordion Pietro Frosini
pp. 24-25 + 28 + 37; illus. Pietro Frosini. Also "BILLY MURRAY IS DEAD" on pages 37, 41, 45, and 67 (with illus. Billy Murray); although it has no authorship, Walsh writes in first-hand, transcribing letters sent by Jimmy Martindale. Includes "A Letter to HOBBIES Readers From Jim Walsh" on page 67.

November 1954

Wizard of the Accordion Pietro Frosini
pp. 26-28.

December 1954

More About the History of The Phonograph
pp. 26-27. Also "WORLD FAMOUS ACCORDIONIST, PIETRO DEIRO, IS DEAD" on page 28.

Last modified: June 1, 2015

Compilation and site © 2015 by Ryan Barna
"History Through the Horn"
www.phonostalgia.com