Columbia matrix 21. The Arkansaw traveller / Harry Spencer

TitleSource
The Arkansaw traveller (Primary title)Disc label
PersonnelNotes Hide Additional Titles
Harry Spencer (speaker)
George Schweinfest (instrumentalist : violin)
  • Description: Descriptive scene, with violin
  • Category: Spoken
  • Language: English
  • Master Size: 10-in.
Notes
Brooks/Rust: "this famous routine, in which a rube cracks jokes at the expense of a passerby while playing snatches of 'The Arkansas Traveler' on the fiddle, was a best seller in the early 1900s. Len Spencer recorded it for Victor and Edison, and many researchers assume that the Columbia versions, which were generally uncredited (or credited to 'Spencer and Schweinfest,' without specifying first names), were by him as well. However a 1907 Marconi catalog confirms that the most common take (10" take 12) was by Len's younger brother Harry, who made many spoken word recordings for Columbia; lists compiled by Helene Chmura from now-lost Columbia files also give the artist as Harry Spencer. Based on the forgoing, as well as aural evidence, the compiler believes that most if not all Columbia versions were by Harry Spencer. George Schweinfest, a multi-talented instrumentalist, presumably played the violin, while Harry Spencer mimicked both the rube and the passerby."
Source(s): Tim Brooks files (issues); Rigler-Deutsch Index; disc.
Take Date and PlaceTakeStatusLabel Name/NumberFormatNote Hide Additional Titles
approximately 1901 New York, New York 1 Master Oxford 21 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1904 New York, New York 2 Master Columbia 21 10-in.
between 1901 and 1904 New York, New York 3 Master Columbia 21 10-in. Announced by Harry Spencer
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [4] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [5] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [6] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [7] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [8] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [9] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [10] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York [11] Unknown
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Columbia 21 10-in. Not announced.

The Arkansaw traveller / Harry Spencer

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Audio of this recording from the UCSB Library
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Columbia A406 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Harmony A406 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Lakeside 70586 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1907 New York, New York 12 Master Marconi 0381 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Oxford 21 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Silvertone 21 10-in.
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 12 Master Silvertone 3256 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1908 New York, New York 13 Master Columbia 21 10-in. Not announced.
between 1901 and 1910 New York, New York Unknown Master Aretino D505 10-in.
between 1901 and September 1902 New York, New York Unknown Master Climax 21 10-in.
between 1901 and 1910 New York, New York Unknown Master Climax K421 10-in.
between 1901 and 1910 New York, New York Unknown Master Diamond A406 10-in.

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Columbia matrix 21. The Arkansaw traveller / Harry Spencer," accessed April 23, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000135218/21-The_Arkansaw_traveller.

Columbia matrix 21. The Arkansaw traveller / Harry Spencer. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 23, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/2000135218/21-The_Arkansaw_traveller.

"Columbia matrix 21. The Arkansaw traveller / Harry Spencer." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 23 April 2024.

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