Edmund Vance Cooke
Edmund Vance Cooke (June 5, 1866 – December 18, 1932) was a 19th- and 20th-century poet best remembered for his inspirational verse "How Did You Die?" Cooke was born in Port Dover, Canada West. In 1898, he married Lilith Castleberry, with whom he had five children. He later read his poems on radio station WWJ in Detroit, Michigan. He died in Cleveland, Ohio. Cooke’s poetry has been set to music by several composers, including Nellie Bangs Skelton and Kate Vanderpoel. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Port Dover (unincorporated community in Norfolk County, Ontario), Died December 18, 1932 (Cleveland (city in and county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1911 - 1918
Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker, author, lyricist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-9800 | 10-in. | 1/13/1911 | The moo-cow | Henry Allan Price | Recitation, with piano | author | |
| Victor | B-10048 | 10-in. | 3/14/1911 | The moo cow moo | Henry Allan Price | Recitation | author | |
| Victor | B-10049 | 10-in. | 3/14/1911 | The fairy tale | Henry Allan Price | Recitation | author | |
| Victor | B-13772 | 10-in. | 9/12/1913 | How did you die? | Homer A. Rodeheaver | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | author | |
| Victor | B-20313 | 10-in. | 7/2/1917 | For the freedom of the world | Harry Macdonough ; Orpheus Quartet | Male vocal quartet and soloist, with orchestra | lyricist | |
| Victor | [Trial 1916-09-19-01] | Not documented | 9/19/1916 | Educational recitations | Edmund Vance Cooke | Recitation | speaker | |
| Columbia | 38567 | 10-in. | 1/18/1913 | Don't you know? | Edmund Vance Cooke | Monologue, unaccompanied | speaker, author | |
| Columbia | 38568 | 10-in. | 1/18/1913 | Somebody calls at home | Edmund Vance Cooke | Monologue, unaccompanied | speaker, author | |
| Columbia | 77728 | 10-in. | 3/22/1918 | The moo cow moo | Edmund Vance Cooke | Recitation | speaker | |
| Columbia | 77729 | 10-in. | 3/22/1918 | Each for all | Edmund Vance Cooke | Recitation | speaker | |
| Columbia | 90203 | 10-in. | The monkey man | Edmund Vance Cooke | Recitations | speaker, author |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cooke, Edmund Vance," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110007.
Cooke, Edmund Vance. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110007.
"Cooke, Edmund Vance." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Edmund Vance Cooke
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cooke, Edmund Vance, 1866-1932 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no95011814
Wikidata: Edmund Vance Cooke - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q16050538
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/53732192
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/352921 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/352921
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