Two Cylinders, 1898

 These two cylinders may possibly be those of Roger Harding’s own records, or some that the Spencer’s devised in 1898:

this is “Carnival of Venice” by Charles P. Lowe, but it is for CERTAIN that Fred. Hylands is behind him, and Len Spencer announces:

http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/5000/5279/cusb-cyl5279d.mp3

Here’s the other one, This is “The Darkey’s Dream” played by Vess L Ossman, with Hylands SURELY on the piano behind him, Hylands is not playing the melody by the way, he’s just going off doing some complicated quick improvising behind Ossman(this is truly a fascinating cylinder!)

http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/5000/5286/cusb-cyl5286d.mp3

(Spencer announces here too)

I hope you enjoyed these!

A New piece of Art

This is a very accurate drawing of Len Spencer and Fred. Hylands, from around 1899. After I found that picture of Hylands, I drew a whole bunch of art that involves Hylands, now that I have a much better idea as to how he looked. I no longer have to guess.(they're in blackface by the way)

            Hylands is on the right here.

I hope you enjoyed this!

Rare Cards of mine!

I also have collected some Cabinet cards and original photographs over the last few years and what I've got it really cool!
      Here's what I have:

        Some of you may know who this is right off, but to those who don't get it right away, this is indeed "The March King" John Philip Sousa, without his trademark glasses! I learned not long after i got this that the company who took this photo was a very prestigious company who was very rather famous in the late 1880s to 1890s. This must have been taken in c.1889, just by how it looks.

     
           Here's the back, showing the company's logo:

      I'm sure all of you Ragtimers will know who this is, this is "The Ragtime Kid" Brun Campbell. When I got this picture, I thought it was awesome, I didn't have an original of Campbell.

BUT! I didn't realize what this really was until I flipped it over...

Autographed! and signed out to the owner of Riverside records! "S. Brun Campbell", I love it!

Now this next one is a little bit of a stretch, very few will know what this one is:

Most of you who don't know what this is will think that this is from "The King and I" but really it's DeWolf Hopper and Della Fox in their 1891 production of Wang which is somewhat similar to that, but is more of an early burlesque musical set in Siam. I love this card, only because you get an odd image of the man who popularized Edward Thayer's "Casey at the Bat". Also because I have often heard that the Coon Song singer Arthur Collins was in this show(somewhat surprising...) in 1891 and 92, so it's good to get an idea of what Collins would have worn in this show.

I hope you enjoyed these!

They All "Blacked up"

I was recently reading the wonderful book Monarchs of Minstrelsy (which is a great source for anyone interested in minstrels from the 1830's to 1911 when the book was written) and they had a big "They all blacked up" page with some surprising names listed. So in seeing that, I wanted to list some that weren't on this page with their names, jut as the book did.

                            Dan W. Quinn

                               Byron G. Harlan

                                George Graham

                    George J. Gaskin
   

Len Spencer (pretty obvious, he should really have been on the page...)

J. W. Myers 

And to close off, I need to explain why I think this picture is so important: 

this is what the website I found it from says about it:

"Len Spencer's "Columbia Minstrels" on display at Coney Island in 1907. The music and talking was concealed by Columbia Sound-Magnifying Graphophones. One of the wax models was supposed to represent Billy Murray. (Can you tell which one?) Others include Len Spencer, Arthur Collins, Byron G. Harlan, Steve Porter, Frank C. Stanley, Albert Campbell, Henry Burr, and J. W. Myers. The exibit was later destroyed by a fire. Library of Congress, Jim Walsh Collection."

this picture is very important, regardless of the fact that it isn't in the best of quality. I know that Spencer is in the middle, no doubt. And that I can kind of identify who everyone is(not everybody though! Don't get your hopes up...) I am certain that Collins is the second from the left end, and that Harlan is most likely on his right, I can kinda see it. I can't really make out everyone else at the moment, but if you want to know who anyone is, just make a comment about it and I'll try my best to figure it out.

 So this was one of the MANY schemes that the notorious hustler Len Spencer came up with. He decided(since he lived at Coney Island in 1907), to display a grand stage dedicated to the minstrel records that he and his "Columbia Minstrels" (really just the people he worked with at Columbia who were also minstrel singers).

Spencer also must have done vaudeville acts with his brother Harry in the 1890's at the famous shows that Coney Island is often known for in this time period. As they were and act and Spencer must have gotten his sketch writing skills from somewhere. He must have also found several new recording artists while visiting fairs and shows. This is another possibility as to where Columbia found Hylands...(hint, hint)...

More Hylands!

This has been a VERY productive day in my Fred. Hylands research, and i've even found another piece of sheet music just a few minutes ago, that isn't self published, and he's with a completely different lyricist here, and it's in the vicinity of when he was writing music with Len Spencer and when he was Columbia's pianist.

this was published in 1899, and I'm sure when he played this, he played it with more syncopation, as that's how he seems to have played on the cylinders he's on. He's truly a wonderful pianist that should be more acknowledged by Ragtimers everywhere. He was a REAL Ragtimer(and an early one!) just like Jay Roberts or Brun Campbell.

Finally! Picture of Fred Hylands!

As I was digging through some more sheet music on the internet this morning, I stumbled across a piece of sheet music that had this image on it:

     You may or may not know why I was just hysterical when I found this. IT'S A PICTURE OF THE PIANIST FRED HYLANDS!(he's the seated one here, obviously...) I had my art pretty spot on! I do have to go back an fix some things though, but it's so odd that I can often guess how many of these performers look and get SO close or perfect on how I draw them. One of the many interesting things about this picture is that Hylands is in blackface! I didn't know he was a full on minstrel man, I just thought he was a pianist, Ragtime performer, and a musical director.

        He really does look like Len Spencer, I can see why the two became immediate friends...

To-day, December 4.

                On this very date, one hundred years ago to be exact, the great Mister Leonard Spencer died a sudden and unpleasant death. He was more than just a singer and recording artist, he was a great vaudevillian and a prominent man in his community. He was one of the first to truly shape the recording industry, starting in 1889-1890 when Columbia began to record him, his vast ideas of recording music were influential, and progressive. He inspired singers to become owners of the music business, both in publishing and in recording itself. His work in establishing the modern music business shall forever live on.

       May his wonderful baritone voice live on forever...