Harry P. Guy
Harry P. Guy (July 17, 1870 – September 16, 1950) was an American ragtime composer. Guy was born in Zanesville, Ohio, where he wrote his first compositions. He then moved to New York, where he studied under Victor Herbert and started his career writing musical arrangements. He later moved to Detroit in 1895, where he worked first for Whitney-Warner and then Willard Bryant, writing songs for many famous artists of the era. He also composed arrangements for the University of Michigan and University of Detroit. His 1898 song, Echos from the Snowball Club, has become a ragtime classic. Later in life, Guy fell into obscurity, living alone and in poverty until he died on September 16, 1950. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit in an unmarked grave. His burial place was eventually recognized in 2003 when a group of local enthusiasts and citizens held a ceremony and placed a commemorative marker. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Zanesville (city in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States), Died September 19, 1950 (Detroit (city in and county seat of Wayne County, and largest city in State of Michigan, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1902 - 1919
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer
= 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 | [Pre-matrix A-]1659 | 7-in. | 10/8/1902 | The pearl of the harem | Vess L. Ossman | Banjo solo | composer | |
| Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]1659 | 10-in. | 10/8/1902 | The pearl of the harem | Vess L. Ossman | Banjo solo | composer | |
| Victor | B-10396 | 10-in. | 6/7/1911 | Pearl of the harem | Fred Van Eps | Banjo solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 1059 | 7-in. | approximately 1902 | Pearl of the harem | Vess L. Ossman | Banjo solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 1059 | 10-in. | approximately 1902 | Pearl of the harem | Vess L. Ossman | Banjo solo, with piano | composer | |
| Columbia | 19471 | 10-in. | 7/26/1911 | Pearl of the harem | Fred Van Eps | Banjo solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Columbia | 46486 | 10-in. | 3/10/1916 | Pearl of the harem | Fred Van Eps | Banjo solo, with orchestra | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Guy, Harry P.," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111671.
Guy, Harry P.. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111671.
"Guy, Harry P.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Harry P Guy
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Guy, Harry P., 1870-1950 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2001092197
Wikidata: Harry P Guy - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1586686
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56270405
MusicBrainz: Harry P Guy - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0ccde9b3-d319-473f-80a8-9886afd0cecf
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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