J. W. Myers, the Welsh contribution to the earliest records.
J. W. Myers has always been a sort of mystery for record collectors, and even back in the time of his popularity in the 90's. He has a mysterious background in many aspects. Most accounts from the time period said that he was born in Wales(where in Wales has long been forgotten) around 1864, the exact date will perhaps never be known. He was always have been said to have come overseas to the U.S. first in the 1870's, when he was about the age of 12. He(just to the likeness of Cal Stewart) worked several different jobs before he found the calling of performing upon the stage. What some of these various jobs were has never been written down, but they were most likely laboring jobs, ones that privileged immigrants could get in the 1870's and 1880's(he's privileged because he wasn't Irish, or non-white). Myers found his first amount of luck on the stage in the late-1880's, traveling in small but successful operatic companies. Not long after he began in this, the newly-formed North American record company caught wind of him wherever they found him. Myers was an instant hit with the few record companies that existed at the time(1891-92).
Here's a an amazing surviving cylinder from Myers' first year in the recording studio:
This channel rim brown wax cylinder is some survivor!
It's one of the very few records that still exist from Myers' first three years in the recording business. Just for an interesting comparison and just another fascinating channel rim Myers cylinder, here you go from 1894:
This cylinder is only slightly haunting...
But, it's Myers, so it's good to listen to, and that piano! I have no idea who the pianist was on those North American cylinders. I don't think that it will ever be known, since the company burned to bits when they were dissolved in a devastating lawsuit the year that this cylinder was recorded. This Myers cylinder always gets to me, as the shaky speed of the record makes it even more haunting, as how the speed affects the content of the cylinder itself. It almost makes it less-than-pretty of a song. Also, at the very end of Myers' singing, he hits a note just enough too low for the weak cylinder to catch it, it's really a miserable failure...
Anyhow, back to the actual subject of this post. In 1895, Myers left an important theatrical position to become a full-time recording artist, and invest his earnings in the new recording community that Columbia was foraging at the time. In later 1896, Myers started his own record company. This company was called the Globe Phonograph Company.
Here's an add for it in The Phonoscope:
Myers really stressed the whole "original records" thing quite a heap.
This was a big deal in dealing records in the 1890's, if they weren't originals, they were considered cheap and not well made. As the people who weren't involved in the inner circles of the recording business thought that original records sounded clearer, and louder than copied records(even though this was not entirely true, even though there were differences).
Myers' records for the Globe company were a success for a few months, from about November 1896 to about mid-1897, but after that, it just busted terribly.
Here is another extraordinary record that is one of the very few that survive of the Globe Phonograph company, this one is a "double whamy" with Myers rarities. One, it's a coon song, and two, it's one of his own Globe record originals. Well, here you go for some early Rag-Time from late-1896 by J. W. Myers:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/8000/8112/cusb-cyl8112d.mp3
Who is that Damn pianist! Who!
That might be Hylands however, as Myers really took a beating to Hylands on most of the records of their collaborations, but he was a very close friend to Hylands at least by 1897. And he was "beating him up" if you know what I'm saying, by mid-1898, i.e. the section from you know what below
Here's an add for it in The Phonoscope:
This was a big deal in dealing records in the 1890's, if they weren't originals, they were considered cheap and not well made. As the people who weren't involved in the inner circles of the recording business thought that original records sounded clearer, and louder than copied records(even though this was not entirely true, even though there were differences).
Myers' records for the Globe company were a success for a few months, from about November 1896 to about mid-1897, but after that, it just busted terribly.
Here is another extraordinary record that is one of the very few that survive of the Globe Phonograph company, this one is a "double whamy" with Myers rarities. One, it's a coon song, and two, it's one of his own Globe record originals. Well, here you go for some early Rag-Time from late-1896 by J. W. Myers:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/8000/8112/cusb-cyl8112d.mp3
Who is that Damn pianist! Who!
That might be Hylands however, as Myers really took a beating to Hylands on most of the records of their collaborations, but he was a very close friend to Hylands at least by 1897. And he was "beating him up" if you know what I'm saying, by mid-1898, i.e. the section from you know what below
Still makes me laugh.
Another funny thing about this thing above that makes me furious is that this tune was recorded by Myers and Hylands the very month that this was in The Phonoscope, and I was digging on one of the famous cylinder sites here in internet land, and found the very cylinder here:
(We can't hear it! Damn it!)
But for a good idea of what it would have sounded like, here's a record of it by a different singer from about 1912:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/9000/9295/cusb-cyl9295d.mp3
It's really something!(very dark subject...)
So the Globe company didn't last very long, but he still continued to record like a fiend in 1897 to 1900, and it was all Columbia in this time frame, as he really had the time and heart to work Hylands to death in this time. Here's a good one from late-1899 with Hylands on the piano behind him:
He's not exactly wearing him out on this one, but there's some where it's REALLY relevant.
Myers still recorded for Berliner and Columbia in 1899 and 1900, but when Berliner became Victor in 1900, Myers was naturally carried along into the new catalog and recording staff. He recorded dozens of Victors from 1900 to 1903, and was very loyal to them at some points of his term there. But Columbia still remained his most valued asset in recording as their talent staff was more familiar to him, and much to his personal liking. He still recorded with that same old rambunctious pianist that Columbia had employed by 1903 and 1904, but by that time, the orchestra accompaniment had become much more common than just having Hylands on the piano playing his rough Rag-Time.
Myers was still a Columbia prize as late as 1912, as his records were still sold by 1914 for Columbia, but merciless Victor had thrown away his old takes in 1907.
He seemed to just vanish from all of the record company's eyes, and just in general by 1914. No one knows what happened to him after that. That's the mystery of J. W. Myers, he was so popular with the record companies for twenty years, but then just disappeared from there.
To what theories have arose about Myers, many think that he went back to Wales by the mid-teen's, that theory would explain why he cannot be found anywhere.
I believe that theory personally. It would make sense that he probably was just done with the whole recording thing anyway, and the performing life, he was just weary of it. According to most sources, Myers died around 1919. He was only about 55 when he died. And I doubt that he would have lived any longer than 1920, but who knows...
I hope you enjoyed this!
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