Last evening, I went through a multitude of Victors from 1900 to 1904, seeing if I could tell who the pianist was on certain recording dates. I can for some reason really tell the difference now. I have easily been able to spot Banta from Hylands. When digging through those relatively few records by Silas Leachman:
(from Archeophone's blog, thanks for putting up this fantastic photograph you guys!)
One might be able to tell that the piano accompaniment on many of them is exceptional and reasonably different from some of the usual records you would hear from pre-1905 Victor's. This is because the pianist is Fred Hylands on many of them. I tried to explain this to a friend of mine(who is a piano player), that Hylands did indeed have to make trips off to the Victor studio that was in Philadelphia reasonably often, and that it wouldn't be surprising that he went back to Columbia in the early evening for a few sessions after a few hours at Victor, or vice versa. Sometimes Fred would have to board somewhere near the Victor studio in Philly for a few recording days in a row at Victor, which as looking into Leachman's records, were usually recorded in bunches. A great example of this are the days of December 3 to the 7 of 1901.
Here is a record from each one of these days:
The ones from December 7 are not digitized, but I have heard Leachman's "My Maid of Hindoostan" from that date. It's a record that should not have been issued, as it's a pretty substantial "mess" of a record. The only problem with the record is that Leachman genuinely forgets the lyrics, and improvises on some made-up-on-the-spot words to the song. I do not recall how it all fits together, but I do know that Hylands was pretty good behind him and that Leachman completely mixes up the lyrics. It was one of those few records I have heard that really weren't supposed to be issued, but were anyway. As I try my hardest to recollect the sequence of the record, and how it sounded, I can just see the look on Hylands' face when Leachman started to go off on his improvised section. They must have run through it at least once before they did the take, but when they actually did it, Leachman probably was at a loss for words to continue on in the song. Leachman was usually able to make up words on the spot, without any real thought, even if they didn't rhyme. He can be heard here in the second verse of this record doing this:
http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100002503/Pre-matrix_B-3360-Turkey_in_de_straw
Leachman was one of the rarest cases of perfect pitch. He was one of the best I have ever heard of in my studies of these recording stars(better than Frank P. Banta!). It would seem that he was able to listen to two different versions of the same song(on cylinders!) and play back each of them, imitating the versions with their small distinctions, both the accompaniment and the singing as well.
Leachman and Hylands was probably the most powerful and crazily intelligent duo that any of the artists at Victor ever had, in all its history. The sheer power and musical intellect of these two could probably have been felt in the breath of the air of the Victor studio when they came together. It's two musical powerhouses together, one who had the might on the piano, and the other who had the best of all the earliest recording artists in one singer. Leachman imitated EVERYONE. No matter who is mentioned, Leachman heard them and imitated them somehow. He heard Len Spencer, Arthur Collins, Billy Golden, Fred Hylands, J. W. Myers, George Gaskin, Steve Porter, Edward M. Favor, Russell Hunting, and who knows who else. Leachman probably got a kick out of Len Spencer and Billy Golden, and this is why he imitated them quite often, recording exactly the same songs that they did, with the lyrics they chose, and small details that distinguished their versions. He must have been considerd a real "Freak" in the Chicago area in the 1890's for being able to do this. This is where I am sure that Leachman ran into those popular Chicago eccentrics like Fred Hylands and W. H. Krell:
Krell, in 1895.
Krell was just a local bandleader in Chicago, but he was a very well-known one in that area. I know for a fact that Leachman and Krell met. Krell's song from 1893 called "In Memory of Our Carter", says that the co-writer and introducer of the song was Silas Leachman. Interestingly enough, Leachman later recorded this very song on a Victor in 1903, but it was never issued for some reason. Hylands wasn't really as well-known as Krell, but I am almost 100% sure that Leachman would have run into Hylands at some point between 1893 and 1895, as that was the time that Hylands lived there, and when Leachman was making records, and a name for himself as a local musical "freak". Hylands must have accompanied him at some of the few concerts Leachman did in the Chicago area as well, as Hylands was a reasonable pick for an accompanist at that time. He wasn't really doing too much, so it would seem very possible that Hylands would have gotten picked out of the crowd of musicians by Leachman to be his pianist.
There was no other recording star like Leachman, not even someone with as good an ear like Hylands could play and sing to the awesome ability that Leachman could. It's extraordinary really, and hard to fathom, even to me being an ear-player. He could imitate any singer he heard, and could pronounce every syllable like the singer he heard. Since he had an extraordinary vocal range(from high tenor to low baritone)so he had all the means for mimicking any singer he heard. Leachman probably showed Hylands and Krell's band(at different times of course!) what he did, and how he did it. They all must have watched in awe, and silence, at the musical miracle that occurred before their eyes. Hylands must have been fascinated first with the phonograph upon first hearing about Leachman's temendously rare and extraordinary talent.
It's a damn shame that Leachman left all of these amazing talent behind him and made the heaving effort to never speak of it again after he ended his time in the business. People still spoke of it here and there, and Hylands probably remembered Leachman until the day he died, as I'm sure one meeting with Leachman could be one to remember for one's entire life.
http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/100002503/Pre-matrix_B-3360-Turkey_in_de_straw
Leachman was one of the rarest cases of perfect pitch. He was one of the best I have ever heard of in my studies of these recording stars(better than Frank P. Banta!). It would seem that he was able to listen to two different versions of the same song(on cylinders!) and play back each of them, imitating the versions with their small distinctions, both the accompaniment and the singing as well.
Leachman and Hylands was probably the most powerful and crazily intelligent duo that any of the artists at Victor ever had, in all its history. The sheer power and musical intellect of these two could probably have been felt in the breath of the air of the Victor studio when they came together. It's two musical powerhouses together, one who had the might on the piano, and the other who had the best of all the earliest recording artists in one singer. Leachman imitated EVERYONE. No matter who is mentioned, Leachman heard them and imitated them somehow. He heard Len Spencer, Arthur Collins, Billy Golden, Fred Hylands, J. W. Myers, George Gaskin, Steve Porter, Edward M. Favor, Russell Hunting, and who knows who else. Leachman probably got a kick out of Len Spencer and Billy Golden, and this is why he imitated them quite often, recording exactly the same songs that they did, with the lyrics they chose, and small details that distinguished their versions. He must have been considerd a real "Freak" in the Chicago area in the 1890's for being able to do this. This is where I am sure that Leachman ran into those popular Chicago eccentrics like Fred Hylands and W. H. Krell:
Krell was just a local bandleader in Chicago, but he was a very well-known one in that area. I know for a fact that Leachman and Krell met. Krell's song from 1893 called "In Memory of Our Carter", says that the co-writer and introducer of the song was Silas Leachman. Interestingly enough, Leachman later recorded this very song on a Victor in 1903, but it was never issued for some reason. Hylands wasn't really as well-known as Krell, but I am almost 100% sure that Leachman would have run into Hylands at some point between 1893 and 1895, as that was the time that Hylands lived there, and when Leachman was making records, and a name for himself as a local musical "freak". Hylands must have accompanied him at some of the few concerts Leachman did in the Chicago area as well, as Hylands was a reasonable pick for an accompanist at that time. He wasn't really doing too much, so it would seem very possible that Hylands would have gotten picked out of the crowd of musicians by Leachman to be his pianist.
There was no other recording star like Leachman, not even someone with as good an ear like Hylands could play and sing to the awesome ability that Leachman could. It's extraordinary really, and hard to fathom, even to me being an ear-player. He could imitate any singer he heard, and could pronounce every syllable like the singer he heard. Since he had an extraordinary vocal range(from high tenor to low baritone)so he had all the means for mimicking any singer he heard. Leachman probably showed Hylands and Krell's band(at different times of course!) what he did, and how he did it. They all must have watched in awe, and silence, at the musical miracle that occurred before their eyes. Hylands must have been fascinated first with the phonograph upon first hearing about Leachman's temendously rare and extraordinary talent.
It's a damn shame that Leachman left all of these amazing talent behind him and made the heaving effort to never speak of it again after he ended his time in the business. People still spoke of it here and there, and Hylands probably remembered Leachman until the day he died, as I'm sure one meeting with Leachman could be one to remember for one's entire life.
I hope you enjoyed this! Sorry it's been a few days, I've been getting ready for the West Coast Ragtime Festival.
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