George Hamilton Green
George Hamilton Green Jr. (May 23, 1893 – September 11, 1970) was a xylophonist, composer, and cartoonist born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was born into a musical family, both his grandfather and his father being composers, arrangers, and conductors for bands in Omaha. His father was the conductor of an army band and growing up in his house, he had access to many musical instruments. From age four G.H. Green showed a prodigious talent as a pianist; he then took up the xylophone and by the age of eleven was being promoted as the “world’s greatest xylophonist” and was playing for crowds of 7,000-10,000. In 1915, when Green was 22 years old, a review in the United States Musician stated: "He has begun where every other xylophone player left off. His touch, his attack, his technique, and his powers of interpretation in the rendition of his solos being far different than other performers. To say his work is marvelous and wonderful would not fully express it." George Hamilton Green wrote several pieces for solo ragtime xylophone with accompaniment, as well as a xylophone method book which continues to be used by percussion pedagogues across the country. Some of his compositions for xylophone include: "Ragtime Robin", "Cross Corners", "Charleston Capers", "Rainbow Ripples", "Log Cabin Blues", "The Whistler", "Chromatic Fox Trot", and "Jovial Jasper" for piano and xylophone because of his experience on both instruments. He was a popular recording artist starting in 1916 with the Edison Company and was employed, along with his two brothers, Joe and Lew Green, as the original sound music crew for Walt Disney's first three cartoons. According to Nathaniel Shilkret, Green was not only a "wonderful xylophone artist," but an inventor. Shilkret said that Green designed the vibraharp at Shilkret's request. Green was an important ragtime composer and authored many pieces that remain standards for the instrument even today. He retired from performing in the late 1940s to pursue a successful career in cartooning. Green would die in 1970, just a few years before a revival in the popularity of his ragtime xylophone music, and before his induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1983 The rebirth of his music was led by members of the NEXUS Percussion Ensemble in the late 1970s. Through their efforts, G.H. Green's xylophone music has been preserved and remains a relevant part of contemporary percussion pedagogy and performance. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Omaha (seat of Douglas County, and largest city in State of Nebraska, United States), Died 1970
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1916 - 1934
Roles Represented in DAHR: xylophone, composer, vibraphone, marimba, arranger, celeste, leader, percussion, bells, lyricist, songwriter, drums
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 176-200 of 363 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKeh | 579 | 10-in. | approximately January 1919 | Vanity Fair | Green Brothers' Xylophone Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | 678 | 10-in. | approximately May 1919 | Shake your shoulders | Green Brothers' Xylophone Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | 679 | 10-in. | approximately May 1919 | Fluffy ruffles | Green Brothers' Xylophone Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-788 | 10-in. | approximately August 1919 | Marilynn | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-789 | 10-in. | approximately August 1919 | My baby's arms | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7043 | 10-in. | approximately October 1919 | Where the lanterns glow | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7181 | 10-in. | approximately January 1920 | Hot foot | Conway's Band ; George Hamilton Green | Band, with xylophone solo | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7201 | Not documented | February 1920 | [Unknown title(s)] | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7202 | 10-in. | February 1920 | Don't you remember those school days | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7222 | 10-in. | February 1920 | Waiting under western skies | Green Brothers' Xylophone Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7274 | 10-in. | February 1920 | Alabama moon | Green Brothers' Novelty Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7302 | Not documented | February 1920 | [Unknown title(s)] | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7303 | 10-in. | February 1920 | Wond'ring | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7408 | 10-in. | April 1920 | Do another break | Green Brothers' Novelty Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7492 | 10-in. | July 1920 | In the land of rice and tea | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7493 | 10-in. | July 1920 | Bow-wow (Puppy love) | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7532 | 10-in. | August 1920 | Aloha land | Ferera and Franchini ; George Hamilton Green | Guitar duet, with xylophone (Hawaiian) | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7681 | Not documented | November 1920 | [Unknown title(s)] | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7682 | 10-in. | November 1920 | Rosie (Make it rosy for me) | All Star Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone | |
| OKeh | S-7693 | 10-in. | November 1920 | Arabia | Green Brothers' Novelty Band | Jazz/dance band | composer | |
| OKeh | S-7798 | 10-in. | February 1921 | Hawaiian blues | Frank Ferera ; Anthony J. Franchini ; George Hamilton Green | 2 steel guitars and marimba (Hawaiian) | instrumentalist, marimba | |
| OKeh | S-7799 | 10-in. | February 1921 | [Unknown title(s)] | Frank Ferera ; Anthony J. Franchini ; Joe Green | 2 guitars and marimba (Hawaiian) | instrumentalist, marimba | |
| OKeh | 9372 | 10-in. | September 1925 | My sweet gal | Jimmy Joy ; St. Anthony Hotel Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| OKeh | S-70047 | 10-in. | July 1921 | Sweet Hawaiian girl of mine | Ferera and Franchini ; George Hamilton Green | Guitar, steel guitar, and marimba (Hawaiian) | instrumentalist, marimba | |
| OKeh | S-70927 | 10-in. | Oct. 1922 | Childhood days | Blue Ribbon Trio | Instrumental trio | instrumentalist, xylophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Green, George Hamilton," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104861.
Green, George Hamilton. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104861.
"Green, George Hamilton." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Green, George Hamilton, 1893-1970 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85072593
Wikidata: George Hamilton Green - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5540185
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/105139051
MusicBrainz: George Hamilton Green - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/ad8bc914-efba-40e3-9ed2-fbc5673dcb24
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/165987 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/165987
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