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1903–1925 · Victor, Edison, Columbia

Billy Murray

The Denver Nightingale, and the most recorded voice of the acoustic era.

Billy Murray sang into a horn for a quarter of a century and sold more records doing it than any other American man of his generation. His diction was the reason: every consonant survived the cut, which mattered enormously when the medium swallowed detail. He is the sound of the ragtime-era hit parade — novelty songs, patriotic marches, and comic duets — and the reason so much of that repertoire survives at all.

40 recordings · New York

Transfers from original discs and cylinders held by the Internet Archive. Dates and titles as given in the archive's metadata.

19052

Transmission

1 January

1905

Don't Cry Katie Dear

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_dont-cry-katie-dear_billy-murray-mills_gbia0479023a

Transmission

1 January

1905

"Heinie"

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_heinie_billy-murray_gbia0193394a

19062

Transmission

1 January

1906

Every One is in Slumberland But You and Me

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_every-one-is-in-slumberland-but-you-and-me_billy-murray_gbia0301234a

Transmission

1 January

1906

I Would Like To Marry You

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_i-would-like-to-marry-you_billy-murray_gbia0363088a

19074

Transmission

1 January

1907

Dixie Dan

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_dixie-dan_billy-murray_gbia0060574a

Transmission

31 December

1907

I'd Rather be a Lobster Than a Wise Guy

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_id-rather-be-a-lobster-than-a-wise-guy_billy-murray-morse_gbia0363262a

Transmission

1 January

1907

I'd Rather Two-Step than Waltz, Bill

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_id-rather-two-step-than-waltz-bill_billy-murray_gbia0363089a

Transmission

1 January

1907

IN MY MERRY OLDSMOBILE

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_in-my-merry-oldsmobile_billy-murray_gbia0543963a

19102

Transmission

1 January

1910

BECAUSE I'M MARRIED NOW

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_because-im-married-now_billy-murray_gbia0397838a

Transmission

1 January

1910

I'M AFRAID TO COME HOME IN THE DARK

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_im-afraid-to-come-home-in-the-dark_billy-murray_gbia0298141b

19111

Transmission

12 May

1911

All Alone

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_all-alone_ada-jones-and-billy-murray_gbia0030601a

19143

Transmission

1 January

1914

He'd have to get under, get out, and get under

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_hed-have-to-get-under-get-out-and-get-under_billy-murray-abrahams_gbia3038398b

Transmission

1 January

1914

I Want To Go Back To Michigan

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_i-want-to-go-back-to-michigan_billy-murray-irving-berlin_gbia0300490b

Transmission

1 January

1914

In Siam

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_in-siam_billy-murray-manuel-klein_gbia0300490a

19154

Transmission

1 January

1915

Under The Mellow Arabian Moon

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 1915-USA-Archives-1915-00-00-Billy-Murray-Irving-Kaufman-Under-The-Mellow-Arabian-Moon

Transmission

7 May

1915

I Wonder Who Wished Her On Me

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_i-wonder-who-wished-her-on-me_billy-murray-andrew-b-sterling-harry-von-tilzer_gbia0216700b

Transmission

1 January

1915

I'd Rather Be a Lamp-Post on Old Broadway

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 78_id-rather-be-a-lamp-post-on-old-broadway_billy-murray-benjamin-hapgood-burt_gbia0082903a

Transmission

1 January

1915

I've Been Floating Down The Old Green River

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_ive-been-floating-down-the-old-green-river_billy-murray-joe-cooper_gbia0023266b

19162

Transmission

1 January

1916

For Me And My Gal

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 78_for-me-and-my-gal_billy-murray-geo-w-meyer_gbia0083422b

Transmission

1 January

1916

I Can Dance with Everybody but My Wife

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 78_i-can-dance-with-everybody-but-my-wife_billy-murray-sybil-golden_gbia0177665b

19171

Transmission

1 January

1917

I'm So Busy

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_im-so-busy_rachael-grant-and-billy-murray-jerome-kern_gbia0083444a

19184

Transmission

1 January

1918

After You've Gone

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 78_after-youve-gone_rachael-grant-and-billy-murray-creamer-layton_gbia0176423b

Transmission

1 January

1918

I'll Take You Back To Italy

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_ill-take-you-back-to-italy_ada-jones-and-billy-murray-irving-berlin_gbia0083502b

Transmission

1 January

1918

I'm Going To Follow The Boys

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_im-going-to-follow-the-boys_rachael-grant-and-billy-murray-james-v-monaco_gbia0087242a

Transmission

1 January

1918

In The Land O'Yamo, Yamo (Funiculi, Funiculi, Funicala)

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 78_in-the-land-oyamo-yamo-funiculi-funiculi-funicala_billy-murray-fred-fisher_gbia0192087a

19199

Transmission

1 January

1919

Yerkes Jazarimba Orch. - Columbia A 6108 (1919)

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 2-yerkes-jazarimba-orch-col-a-6108-49618-3-1919_202311

Transmission

1 April

1919

And He'd Say Oo-La-La! Wee, Wee

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_and-hed-say-oo-la-la-wee-wee_billy-murray-ruby-jessel_gbia0057034a

Transmission

1 January

1919

ANYTHING IS NICE IF IT COMES FROM DIXIELAND

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_anything-is-nice-if-it-comes-from-dixieland_billy-murray-clarke-meyer-ager_gbia0289414a

Transmission

1 November

1919

COME ON AND PLAY WIZ ME MY SWEET BABY

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_come-on-and-play-wiz-me-my-sweet-baby_billy-murray-ruby_gbia0418928b

Transmission

1 January

1919

FRECKLES

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_freckles_billy-murray-hess-johnson-ager_gbia0532795a

Transmission

1 January

1919

Frenchy, Come To Yankee Land

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_frenchy-come-to-yankee-land_billy-murray-ehrlich-conrad_gbia0275316b

Transmission

1 January

1919

GIMME THIS, GIMME THIS, GIMME THAT

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_gimme-this-gimme-this-gimme-that_billy-murray-gilbert-vincent_gbia0404725a

Transmission

1 November

1919

HE WENT IN LIKE A LION

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_he-went-in-like-a-lion_billy-murray-harry-von-tilzer_gbia3018750a

Transmission

1 January

1919

I Ain't-en Got-en No Time To Have The Blues

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

4 min

Internet Archive · 78_i-aint-en-got-en-no-time-to-have-the-blues_billy-murray-and-ed-smalle-harry-von-t_gbia0088455b

19206

Transmission

1 January

1920

Chili Bean

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_chili-bean_billy-murray-albert-von-tilzer_gbia0023200b

Transmission

1 January

1920

COME ON AND PLAY WIZ ME (MY SWEET BABEE)

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_come-on-and-play-wiz-me-my-sweet-babee_billy-murray-kalmar-leslie-ruby_gbia0363901b

Transmission

1 February

1920

Dardanella

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_dardanella_billy-murray-with-rega-orchestra-fisher-bernard-black_gbia0010599b

Transmission

1 January

1920

(How Sorry You'll Be) Wait'll You See

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_how-sorry-youll-be-waitll-you-see_billy-murray-kalmar-ruby_gbia0106899a

Transmission

1 January

1920

I'LL SEE YOU IN C-U-B-A

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

2 min

Internet Archive · 78_ill-see-you-in-c-u-b-a_billy-murray-berlin_gbia0304806b

Transmission

1 January

1920

I've Got The Profiteering Blues

Network

Victor, Edison, Columbia

Running time

3 min

Internet Archive · 78_ive-got-the-profiteering-blues_billy-murray-irving-bibo_gbia0195506b