(From my own art, representing Hylands and his wife Marie reading unexpectedly bad reviews of his shows in 1907)
Well, we all know how Hylands accompanied all the popular singers of the 1890's on those brown wax Columbia's. Singers like Len Spencer, J. W. Myers, George J. Gaskin, Dan Quinn, etc. But what about the singers who began in the end of the 1890's and became more popular in the 1900's and later the teen's? Singers like Billy Murray, Arthur Collins, Collins and Harlan, Bob Roberts, and more. He had at least been behind them all once.
Hylands had a special friendship with Byron G. Harlan however, only because Harlan was endorsed by the "Hylands Spencer and Yeager" firm back in 1899. From there, Hylands had gotten Harlan some shows here and there in 1899 and 1900, which helped him along finely, as his recording career was just beginning. They had formed a friendship early, and it may even go back even further in Hylands' history. The connection between Hylands and Harlan may go back to when the Hylands family lived in Chicago, which is where Harlan may or may not have still been living in 1893 and 1894. Harlan had ben living there in the late 1880's and possibly off and on in the early 1890's. Which may have called for the two blond hicks to run into each other at some point, and exchange some information maybe.
Anyhow, Hylands had to accompany EVERYONE. It's just how the job as a house pianist went, everyone who worked there as a featured artist had to deal with whoever was the pianist there when they showed up.
To start off with the cavalcade of wonderful cylinders, I would like to start off with a cylinder that one of my close collector friends really has a strong liking for. Here you go with the one and only Billy Murray with Fred Hylands in 1904:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/4000/4730/cusb-cyl4730d.mp3
Hylands is a riot on this one! I love the sound of the piano on this!
Murray's earliest three years in the commercial recording business were very fun and interesting. Columbia(believe it or not) was the first company to hire him after the recording bust in San Francisco in 1897. They had him in their studio for the first time in late-1902. Which is surprising, because he was doing the big minstrel shows at that time, not yet really using "Billy" as his first name. His records from 1902 are very few, and very hard to find in general. I'm not sure whether the boys at Columbia used "William Murray" or "Billy" when they issued his first records, it's unclear, if anyone can tell me, please do!
This next one is one of Murray's 1902 Columbia's. It's on a disc however.
This is a very interesting and unusual one by Murray, other than it being an early one for him, the song itself was one that he never went at later. He really does sound very young.
Here you go, from 1902, with Hylands' piano accompaniment:
https://ia802606.us.archive.org/6/items/BillyMurray_part1/BillyMurray-HasAnybodySeenOurCat_64kb.mp3
Hylands hits a bunch of tenths in there...
That's very early Billy Murray alright.
Murray became a new imported part of the late Imperial Minstrels, which to that fact, Len Spencer probably found him. How ironic is that! Murray lied about much of the so-called "Discoveries" of new recording artists, such as the whole Ada Jones thing. We all know that it was Hylands and Spencer who first found her.
Now onto Collins and Harlan:
I still have a special place in my heart for these two. Only because after I did my big seminar about them, I had to read every thing about them I could possibly get my hands on for a whole year. So basically, it was a whole year fully dedicated to Collins and Harlan. So in this, after I did my seminar, I had to lay off anything about them for a long while, to where it almost seemed as though I forgot about them, but that will never be so.
When Hylands was behind these two on piano, it was a very fun time in the studio. As He and Harlan just fooled with each other sometimes, having that connection that Collins hadn't with Harlan. Here you go with my favourite Collins and Harlan with Hylands, from 1903:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/6000/6868/cusb-cyl6868d.mp3
I know I have shared this one before, but I love it just the same. Hylands' jarring and LOUD elbow on the piano thing is just wonderful. It's so perfect and proves how much fun those Collins and Harlan with Hylands sessions must have been.
This next one I think I may have shared before on this blog, if not, it was the Collins and Natus version. This is also a fun Collins and Harlan with Hylands collaboration. This one is eh...Interesting...
Here you go, from late-1902:
https://ia801408.us.archive.org/8/items/CollinsHarlan_part3/CollinsHarlan-TellUsPrettyLadies_64kb.mp3
I love this parody os much. Weber and Fields really got it right.
Hylands is really hitting the piano keys HARD! You can hear it very well. He kills it on this one! I love the lyrics and the piano, even if the record itself is pretty muted.
This next one has the same personnel as the last two, and it's from early-1903. This one is a very odd one...
https://ia801408.us.archive.org/8/items/CollinsHarlan_part3/CollinsHarlan-TheWeddingoftheRubenandtheMaid.mp3
Ok, I have a lot of speculation about this record. There isn't an announcement at the beginning, but it's for sure a Columbia disc. Hylands is drunk for sure, just listen to the piano playing. And I hate to say it, but one of Collins and Harlan is too. I'm not sure which one, but I'm leaning more toward Collins. Tell me what you think!
To close off, here is one of Collins' most famous records, which just happened to feature Fred Hylands on the piano behind him:
https://ia700407.us.archive.org/17/items/ArthurCollins_part1/ArthurCollins-BillBaileyWontYouPleaseComeHomeCoonSong.mp3
This is indeed a very famous recording. I still love it, even if it's slightly cliche.
This is a very interesting record to try to dissect, as Hylands's playing speeds up and slows down quite a lot, and Collins' positions at the horn vary clearly. This is one of those few records where you can actually tell when the singer moves toward and away from the horn. It's odd that way. Also, Hylands was drunk, and I now have the feeling that Collins may have been too, as he's very tame and calmed compared to some of his other coon songs from around the same time. Really take a few listens!
Hylands had a special friendship with Byron G. Harlan however, only because Harlan was endorsed by the "Hylands Spencer and Yeager" firm back in 1899. From there, Hylands had gotten Harlan some shows here and there in 1899 and 1900, which helped him along finely, as his recording career was just beginning. They had formed a friendship early, and it may even go back even further in Hylands' history. The connection between Hylands and Harlan may go back to when the Hylands family lived in Chicago, which is where Harlan may or may not have still been living in 1893 and 1894. Harlan had ben living there in the late 1880's and possibly off and on in the early 1890's. Which may have called for the two blond hicks to run into each other at some point, and exchange some information maybe.
Anyhow, Hylands had to accompany EVERYONE. It's just how the job as a house pianist went, everyone who worked there as a featured artist had to deal with whoever was the pianist there when they showed up.
To start off with the cavalcade of wonderful cylinders, I would like to start off with a cylinder that one of my close collector friends really has a strong liking for. Here you go with the one and only Billy Murray with Fred Hylands in 1904:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/4000/4730/cusb-cyl4730d.mp3
Hylands is a riot on this one! I love the sound of the piano on this!
Murray's earliest three years in the commercial recording business were very fun and interesting. Columbia(believe it or not) was the first company to hire him after the recording bust in San Francisco in 1897. They had him in their studio for the first time in late-1902. Which is surprising, because he was doing the big minstrel shows at that time, not yet really using "Billy" as his first name. His records from 1902 are very few, and very hard to find in general. I'm not sure whether the boys at Columbia used "William Murray" or "Billy" when they issued his first records, it's unclear, if anyone can tell me, please do!
This next one is one of Murray's 1902 Columbia's. It's on a disc however.
This is a very interesting and unusual one by Murray, other than it being an early one for him, the song itself was one that he never went at later. He really does sound very young.
Here you go, from 1902, with Hylands' piano accompaniment:
https://ia802606.us.archive.org/6/items/BillyMurray_part1/BillyMurray-HasAnybodySeenOurCat_64kb.mp3
Hylands hits a bunch of tenths in there...
That's very early Billy Murray alright.
Murray became a new imported part of the late Imperial Minstrels, which to that fact, Len Spencer probably found him. How ironic is that! Murray lied about much of the so-called "Discoveries" of new recording artists, such as the whole Ada Jones thing. We all know that it was Hylands and Spencer who first found her.
Now onto Collins and Harlan:
When Hylands was behind these two on piano, it was a very fun time in the studio. As He and Harlan just fooled with each other sometimes, having that connection that Collins hadn't with Harlan. Here you go with my favourite Collins and Harlan with Hylands, from 1903:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/6000/6868/cusb-cyl6868d.mp3
I know I have shared this one before, but I love it just the same. Hylands' jarring and LOUD elbow on the piano thing is just wonderful. It's so perfect and proves how much fun those Collins and Harlan with Hylands sessions must have been.
This next one I think I may have shared before on this blog, if not, it was the Collins and Natus version. This is also a fun Collins and Harlan with Hylands collaboration. This one is eh...Interesting...
Here you go, from late-1902:
https://ia801408.us.archive.org/8/items/CollinsHarlan_part3/CollinsHarlan-TellUsPrettyLadies_64kb.mp3
I love this parody os much. Weber and Fields really got it right.
Hylands is really hitting the piano keys HARD! You can hear it very well. He kills it on this one! I love the lyrics and the piano, even if the record itself is pretty muted.
This next one has the same personnel as the last two, and it's from early-1903. This one is a very odd one...
https://ia801408.us.archive.org/8/items/CollinsHarlan_part3/CollinsHarlan-TheWeddingoftheRubenandtheMaid.mp3
Ok, I have a lot of speculation about this record. There isn't an announcement at the beginning, but it's for sure a Columbia disc. Hylands is drunk for sure, just listen to the piano playing. And I hate to say it, but one of Collins and Harlan is too. I'm not sure which one, but I'm leaning more toward Collins. Tell me what you think!
To close off, here is one of Collins' most famous records, which just happened to feature Fred Hylands on the piano behind him:
https://ia700407.us.archive.org/17/items/ArthurCollins_part1/ArthurCollins-BillBaileyWontYouPleaseComeHomeCoonSong.mp3
This is indeed a very famous recording. I still love it, even if it's slightly cliche.
This is a very interesting record to try to dissect, as Hylands's playing speeds up and slows down quite a lot, and Collins' positions at the horn vary clearly. This is one of those few records where you can actually tell when the singer moves toward and away from the horn. It's odd that way. Also, Hylands was drunk, and I now have the feeling that Collins may have been too, as he's very tame and calmed compared to some of his other coon songs from around the same time. Really take a few listens!
Sorry it's been a few days, I'm just about to go to another Rag-Time festival this weekend, so I'll be out of commission from Thursday to Monday, so I'll try to do a post tomorrow night before lights out. I hope you enjoyed this!
And now I know about Hylands! Enjoying your blog, and the links (which really bring to life all that you are writing about). Thank you for elevating some of these pioneer recordings with background information and your understanding of the musical environment of the times. Hoping you have a wonderful time in Sutter Creek!
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