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Watson in 1898
Watson in 1900
(cropped from the large picture of 42 of Edison's recording artists, as you can see, he's numbered as no.37)
George P. Watson is just seen to the few record collectors that know him as that yodeler who was so beloved on early records. He was funky character is many ways: pretty good-looking, blond, average height, slightly stringy, and had a very comical voice, one that wasn't to be expected before he spoke. He had a similar habit that the majority of the Columbia(and later Edison) staff had--
drinking.
He was just as much fun and exciting as all of the others on the Columbia and Edison staff, but he had his kinks, just the rest of them.
He was a rather late edition to the Columbia staff, as compared to the rest of the "regulars" on Columbia's talent staff who were hired in 1890 and 1891 , as they took him in around the same time that they hooked in Hylands as their pianist. He was a great new edition to Columbia, and made an instant hit with them, even if his booming yodeling sometimes muffled the sound quality of the brown cylinders that he recorded from 1897 to 1900. He and Hylands must have been quite a duo in the studio, as their drinking habits matched one another, and they were effected in the same sort of ways when they did drink. Watson was pulled in to the group of rambling regulars at Columbia just like Hylands or Steve Porter, as he was taken in 1897, and he was quickly invited to all of their various get-togethers and special performances.
Watson was a greatly beloved performer at all of those exhibitions that us brown cylinder collector hear about. These exhibitions were basically performances at the recording studio by the artists, it was them showing to the massed how records were made, in a much more formal environment than regular recording. These exhibitions are explained below:
(from the September 1898 issue of The Phonoscope)
In the picture above, George Watson might be the guy with his back up against the piano. Steve Porter looks to be the guy with his hands behind his back.
Anyhow, as I have explained before, these exhibitions were very long and tiring for everyone who participated(durr...especially Hylands!). As these performances/demonstrations lasted from the end of the recording day(i.e. about 6 or 7 in the evening) to far after midnight. Just like many of the Columbia staff, Watson probably came to the management and told him he had had enough of these. This must have been around 1901, because that was about the time that they stopped doing these. Watson had another company paying him, Edison. He is in the famous picture of 42 of Edison's artists form 1900, which meant that he had been there since about late-1898. But of course, Columbia still had him.
From what the July 1898 issue of The Phonoscope says, Watson was also doing all of his performances and shtick on the stage. This must have been where all the record companies found him.
He continued to record for quite longer than many would think. I didn't even know he recorded for so long! He kept recording into the early 20's. He just happened to stay very popular with his fun and spontaneous Germanic humor for so many decades.
But for as long as he lived from 1897 onward, Columbia and Edison fought over Watson. They both wanted him on their permanent staff, but he wouldn't allow one of the two companies own his talents. He was much like:
Dan W. Quinn.
Quinn specifically stated that he didn't want to be contracted with one of the many record companies that he worked for, and after he made this statement, the record companies kept their papers away from him. Not long after this, Watson boldly followed Quinn.
One thing to notice when hearing Watson, is that the songs that he sung were always either in flat or sharp keys, and he often mixes up lyrics(especially on Columbia's!)
Here's one of his first records on Columbia in 1897:
(laggy and uneven piano by Fred Hylands!)
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/5000/5331/cusb-cyl5331d.mp3
For the music geeks out there, Hylands is playing in A flat.
Here is another Watson and Hylands collaboration, this time it is on and early Columbia(issued as Climax) from 1901:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxeWJAZju8
Hylands also lags behind Watson a little bit here and there, and plays his own thing(again...no sheet music needed).
He was just as much fun and exciting as all of the others on the Columbia and Edison staff, but he had his kinks, just the rest of them.
He was a rather late edition to the Columbia staff, as compared to the rest of the "regulars" on Columbia's talent staff who were hired in 1890 and 1891 , as they took him in around the same time that they hooked in Hylands as their pianist. He was a great new edition to Columbia, and made an instant hit with them, even if his booming yodeling sometimes muffled the sound quality of the brown cylinders that he recorded from 1897 to 1900. He and Hylands must have been quite a duo in the studio, as their drinking habits matched one another, and they were effected in the same sort of ways when they did drink. Watson was pulled in to the group of rambling regulars at Columbia just like Hylands or Steve Porter, as he was taken in 1897, and he was quickly invited to all of their various get-togethers and special performances.
Watson was a greatly beloved performer at all of those exhibitions that us brown cylinder collector hear about. These exhibitions were basically performances at the recording studio by the artists, it was them showing to the massed how records were made, in a much more formal environment than regular recording. These exhibitions are explained below:
In the picture above, George Watson might be the guy with his back up against the piano. Steve Porter looks to be the guy with his hands behind his back.
Anyhow, as I have explained before, these exhibitions were very long and tiring for everyone who participated(durr...especially Hylands!). As these performances/demonstrations lasted from the end of the recording day(i.e. about 6 or 7 in the evening) to far after midnight. Just like many of the Columbia staff, Watson probably came to the management and told him he had had enough of these. This must have been around 1901, because that was about the time that they stopped doing these. Watson had another company paying him, Edison. He is in the famous picture of 42 of Edison's artists form 1900, which meant that he had been there since about late-1898. But of course, Columbia still had him.
From what the July 1898 issue of The Phonoscope says, Watson was also doing all of his performances and shtick on the stage. This must have been where all the record companies found him.
He continued to record for quite longer than many would think. I didn't even know he recorded for so long! He kept recording into the early 20's. He just happened to stay very popular with his fun and spontaneous Germanic humor for so many decades.
But for as long as he lived from 1897 onward, Columbia and Edison fought over Watson. They both wanted him on their permanent staff, but he wouldn't allow one of the two companies own his talents. He was much like:
Quinn specifically stated that he didn't want to be contracted with one of the many record companies that he worked for, and after he made this statement, the record companies kept their papers away from him. Not long after this, Watson boldly followed Quinn.
One thing to notice when hearing Watson, is that the songs that he sung were always either in flat or sharp keys, and he often mixes up lyrics(especially on Columbia's!)
Here's one of his first records on Columbia in 1897:
(laggy and uneven piano by Fred Hylands!)
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/5000/5331/cusb-cyl5331d.mp3
For the music geeks out there, Hylands is playing in A flat.
Here is another Watson and Hylands collaboration, this time it is on and early Columbia(issued as Climax) from 1901:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxeWJAZju8
Hylands also lags behind Watson a little bit here and there, and plays his own thing(again...no sheet music needed).
Anyhow, I still have more information to find about Watson, but this is all I can do now. I hope you enjoyed this!
(sorry I haven't posted for a handful of days, I have been at the Sacramento music festival)
GEORGE P> WATSON - JIMMIE ROGERS CONNECTION: I loved Ken Burns "Country Music" Was fascinated by Jimmie Rogers and his yodel. Where did it come from? I think I have found the answer. I am a collector of old Edison cylinders and early 78's. Some of my favorite old recordings are by George P. Watson, a second generation German entertainer. He recorded "Sleep, Baby, Sleep" a yodel song numerous times on cylinder and 78 between 1901 and 1910. When Rogers was discovered in Bristol in 1927 he recorded only two records. Just one was a yodel tune, his first yodel recording. It was "Sleep, Baby, Sleep". Rogers' yodel here is almost identical to Watson's! The rest is country music history. I hope some day George P. Watson will get some credit for his unintentional contribution to country music.
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