We've all heard of this odd crew before. Three of them can be recognized.
You got it! It's the front line-up of Hylands, Spencer and Yeager! Well, I put Roger Harding in the mix instead of Harry Yeager.
Now this crew we all know were a small publishing firm from 1899 to 1900, and it had many of our favourite brown wax cylinder artists involved. Now here is the list of everyone in the top picture left to right:
Roger Harding, Harry Yeager, Hylands, Burt Green, and Len Spencer
This was the main group who came in and ran the firm daily, as half of all the people in the firm were everyday recording artists(such as Len Spencer and Hylands himself). This crew of about seven people ran this firm for the short but reasonably successful run, and found many performers that many of us record and even Rag-Time geeks would recognize upon just seeing their names. Some of these pieces of sheet music are ones that we can only hear of and never see, as many of them do not exist to-day(but which ones I am unsure of).
Here is one from April of 1899:
what's unfortunate about the fact that this firm didn't last long is that their covers were absolutely gorgeous and not too intricate. What you may be able to notice on this specific cover is that Ada Jones in pictured on it, what this tells you is that Spencer and Hylands had taken an early interest in Miss Jones far before she began officially recording in 1904. So, I know that the secret has been out for years now, but Billy Murray DID NOT discover Ada Jones first, no matter what he says, the truth is obvious---it was Hylands and Spencer.
She was picture on several of Hylands Spencer and Yeager's music, this was not the only one with her on the cover, she was also pictured on their second piece of music ever published "My Sunny Southern Home" by Roger Harding, which can be heard here on a Victor by Harding himself in 1901:
Sad to think that he died the month after this was recorded...
It would be very awkward if Banta was on piano on this record...
(I'm 99% sure that Hylands in on the piano here)
To continue on this talent scout note, here is another amazing collaboration between Hylands, Spencer, and another familiar face in recording:
(thank you ebay!)
this piece of music is a fascinating one, because of all the trails it connects by just what it is alone. Byron Harlan in one the cover, and Hylands Spencer and Yeager published it! It's an amazing thing really. Hylands(or Burt Green) must have been on a gig to accompany Harlan on the piano at some point in 1898 or 1899, as Harlan was becoming the famous tenor from the west at this time. Spencer and Hylands must have heard of him in 1898, and either Harlan came to them or they set out to find him. However this connection happened, it happened just before Harlan became employed at Edison(in fact it was within about two months of time! How Hylands and Spencer were quick!).
Hylands must have had an odd but strong connection with Harlan, as he later ran into him at Columbia less than two years later. It was a bond that Arthur Collins never understood when they recorded together with Hylands on the piano behind them. He must have assumed something like "Well, they're both blond hicks, they already know each other anyhow."
They published a surprising amount of Rag-Tine in their short run, as it pretty much out-weighs the non-Ragtime numbers. Even if the two I have shown here are not Rag-Time whatsoever.
Here are two more, this time they are Rag-Time:
Some of you really inside sheet music geeks might recognize the composer of the second one listed here. Barney Fagan. He was called to have been a fan of Len Spencer's "Coon songs" since the early 90's, as he had been an expert at it since his beginning in 1889. As Fagan was even more impressed with Spencer's performing ability and unique voice, especially when it came to his own songs, such as the one above and this one:
Here is the cylinder he recorded this on, with young Fred Hylands on the piano, in 1897:
(Wonderful piano playing Hylands!)
Since Hylands and Spencer were favourites of the publishers and popular composers, them starting a firm of their own only seemed like a flawless idea, as it was very profitable and successful for a short time. Of course, this is where Spencer and the rest of the recording crew really learned ho foolish and immature Hylands could be with his money and be sometimes a bit too committed. This is why it collapsed in 1900. But even with the end of this firm, Spencer continued to be a great talent scout and always find the bets possible people to do certain things he wanted to organize. Hylands was sort of exiled from the talent scout idea after the firm burned to bits in October 1900. The composers still loved them nonetheless, but it was nearly a free range as it was in the 90's, as too many new artists were taking their places at the top of the business. Ehm! Len spencer had Arthur Collins and Bob Roberts to deal with by 1902. Hylands still had Banta, but as we know, not for long.
I hope you enjoyed this!
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