William F. Denny

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William F. Denny (circa 1860 – October 2, 1908) was an American vaudeville performer and pioneer recording artist.

Denny ca. 1899

Biography[edit]

William F. Denny (also known as Will F. Denny) was born in late 1859 or more likely in 1860 in Boston,[1][2] to James and Elizabeth Denny.[3] He gained fame performing on vaudeville stages,[1] specializing in comic numbers.[2] His first recordings were made in 1891 for the New England Phonograph Company.[4] Beginning in May 1898 his popularity was such that he signed an exclusive recording contract with Columbia that was in effect for one year.[2] He had a singular recording session for Victor Records on September 11, 1901.[2] His last records were made for the Zonophone company. He died in Seattle on October 2, 1908 of atherosclerosis,[5] while touring on the Pantages vaudeville circuit, and was buried in Philadelphia.[2]

Partial discography[edit]

Berliner Gramophone
  • 1748 – "Czar of the Tenderloin" (recorded July 14, 1897)[6]
  • 1749 – "I Didn't Know"[6]
  • 1750 – "Darling Mabel"[6]
  • 1762 – "She Was There"[6]
  • 0125-I – "How'd You Like to Be the Iceman" (recorded May 2, 1899)[7]
  • 0126-I – "When a Woman Loves" (recorded May 3, 1899)[7]
  • 0129-I – "And the Parrot Said" (recorded May 3, 1899)[7]
Columbia Records
cylinders
  • 6325 – "A Pity to Waste It"[2]
  • 6351 – "What Ze English Call Ze"[2]
  • 6365 – "Miss Helen Hunt"
  • 32919 – "Nothing Like That in Our Family"[2]
discs
  • 53 – "When The Harvest Days Are Over"[8]
  • 318 – "When Reuben Comes to Town" (Goodwin – Levi) [8]
  • 319 – "I Want to Be a Military Man" (Hall – Stuart)[8]
  • 0279 - "FOL DE IDDLEY IDO"
  • 3368 – "Nothing Like That in Our Family"[2]
  • A489 – "You'll Have to Get Out and Walk" (recorded May 1907)[9]
Edison Records
  • 7154 – "Naughty Banana Peel"[2]
  • 7379 – "Parody on 'Because'"[2]
  • 7875 – "Ain't Dat a Shame?"[2]
  • 7980 – "My Ebony Belle"[2]
  • 8015? – "Rip Van Winkle was a lucky man" c1902 from owned Edison Cylinder record
  • 8167 – "I Couldn't" [10]
  • 8442 – "Just When I Needed You Most"[10]
  • 8443 – "For Old Time's Sake"[10]
  • 8552 – "Trixie"[2]
  • 9306 – "Nothing Like That in Our Family"[2][11]
  • 9551 – "Ask Me Not" (Cobbs – Edwards)[2][12]
  • 9568 – "You'll Have to Get Off and Walk" (Dave Reed)[2][13]
  • 9598 – "Tale of the Bucket" (Joe A. Budd)[2][14]
  • 9620 – "My Word! What a Lot of It!" (Dave Reed)[2]
New England Phonograph Company
  • (?) – "You Can't Think of Everything" [15]
Victor Records
[16]
  • 953, 3561 – "I Want Someone to Care for Me"
  • 955, 3563 – "The Turkey and the Turk"
  • 956, 3564 – "Any Old Place I Hang My Hat Is Home Sweet Home to Me"
  • 957, 3565 – "I'm Looking at You, 'Lize"
  • 958, 3566 – "The Tick Tack Tocking of the Clocking on Her Stocking"
  • 959, 3567 – "The Shadows on the Door"
  • 960, 3568 – "Oh! Don't it Tickle You?"
  • 961, 3569 – "At the Pan-I-Merry-Can"
  • 962, 3570 – "Sarah from Syracuse"
Zonophone Records
  • 769 – "Rip Van Winckle Was a Lucky Man" [17]
  • 787 – "Ain't Dat a Shame"[17]
  • 1545 – "Sadie Say You Won't Be Sorry"[17]
  • 1546 – "Just When I Needed You Most"[17]
  • 1690 – "The Turkey and the Turk"[17]
  • 1798 – "I'm Tired"[17]
  • 9924 – "You Said a Plenty"[17]
  • 5934 – "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis"[2]
  • 1048 – "All the Girls Look Good to Me"[2]
  • 1081 – "Since My Mariutch Learned the Merry Widow Waltz" [18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hobbies, volume 60, page 56.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Gracyk, Tim and Hoffman, Frank W. (2000). Popular American recording pioneers, 1895-1925. Psychology Press, Binghamton, NY. ISBN 978-1-56024-993-1.
  3. ^ Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 1908.
  4. ^ 'ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) Journal' XI (1979) page 109.
  5. ^ Barna, Ryan. "A Trip to Will F. Denny's Grave". Retrieved August 24, 2010
  6. ^ a b c d Settlemier, Tyrone. "The Online Discographical Project – Berliner numerical listing: Early releases without '0' prefix". Retrieved August 24, 2010
  7. ^ a b c Settlemier, Tyrone. "The Online Discographical Project – Berliner: Later '0'-prefix series". Retrieved August 24, 2010
  8. ^ a b c Brooks, Tim (1999). The Columbia Master Book Discography, Volume I: U.S. Matrix Series 1 through 4999, 1901-1910 with a History of the Columbia Phonograph Company to 1934. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30821-5.
  9. ^ Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone. "The Online Discographical Project – Columbia A-prefix numerical listing: A1 - A499 (1908)". Retrieved August 24, 2010
  10. ^ a b c Koenigsberg, Allen (1969). Edison cylinder records, 1889-1912: with an illustrated history of the phonograph. Stellar Productions.
  11. ^ Sage, Glenn. "August 1997 Cylinder of the Month". Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  12. ^ Success Magazine, January 1907, page 360.
  13. ^ Pacific Monthly, Portland, OR, Volume 17 (1907), page 755.
  14. ^ Success Magazine, January 1907, page 509.
  15. ^ Sage, Glenn. "May 2007 Cylinder of the Month". Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  16. ^ University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries. " Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings: Will F. Denny (vocalist)". Retrieved August 24, 2010
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Settlemier, Tyrone. "The Online Discographical Project – Zonophone Numerical Listings: Etched-label issues (1899 – 1903)". Retrieved August 24, 2010
  18. ^ Settlemier, Tyrone. "The Online Discographical Project - Zonophone Numerical Listings: 10-inch single-sided paper labels, 1904 - 1909". Retrieved August 24, 2010
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