Byron G. Harlan

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Byron G. Harlan · Byron George Harlan (1861 to 1936) was an American singer from Kansas. He was a comic minstrel singer and ballad singer who became best known for his recordings with Arthur Collins. Together they were often credited on records as Collins & Harlan.

Music and breakthrough

Harlan recorded in the early period of the gramophone, when music was captured on cylinders and early discs. His solo recordings ran from 1899 to 1921 and appeared on Edison, Victor, Columbia and Pathé, among others. He sang sentimental ballads such as The Vacant Chair, Always in the Way and With the Robins I'll Return, but also light songs such as School Days and My Gal Sal. With Collins he recorded, among others, They Were All Doing the Same in 1902, and in 1905 In My Merry Oldsmobile, one of the first car songs.

Influence

The style belongs to the popular music for the audience of around 1900: clearly articulated singing, simple accompaniment and lyrics with humour or feeling. Harlan belongs among the singers who made up the first record market, even before jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll made their entrance. His work lets us hear what the ordinary listener in America heard at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Listening