July 2001
Cylinder of the Month


See also the  Cylinders of the Month Archive.

Stella Mayhew and Billie Taylor sing That Beautiful Rag (1910).

That Beautiful Rag
Company Edison's National Phonograph Company
Cylinder # 10438
Category Duet
Title That Beautiful Rag
Performed by Stella Mayhew and Billie Taylor
Circa November 1910
Announcement None

Before hip-hop, rap, rock, and jazz – music in rag-time (first published appearance being in 1897) was the "radical" new style of music causing some controversy between generations of music-lovers.

Stella Mayhew, the bright and, during this time period, busy star of the Broadway musical stage, found time to record three two-minute wax cylinders for Edison (as well as one four-minute Edison blue amberol cylinder).   Interestingly, in this recording Mayhew is accompanied by Billie Taylor, a song writer, who authored I'm Looking for Something to Eat (1909) which Mayhew sang in her first Edison recording.   Taylor is also remembered for his 1910 Dogzigity Rag.

To hear That Beautiful Rag  —

To hear an excerpt   —  
For help playing these sounds, click here.

A copy of the sheet music to That Beautiful Rag is available courtesy of the Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music.

10438   That Beautiful Rag Stella Mayhew and Billie Taylor
    In securing this clever pair exclusively for Edison Records we enlisted the services of two of the most versatile and popular artists of the musical comedy and vaudeville stage.   They were easily the "stars" of last season's big success, "The Jolly Bachelors."   The Record, a catchy, melodious "rag" with a bit of comedy interwoven, will give an idea of their style and what may be expected of them in future numbers.   Orchestra accompaniment.   Words, Irving Berlin; music, Ted Snyder; publishers, Ted Snyder Co., New York City.
— September 1910 Edison Phonograph Monthly [announcing the November records]

                                       

To hear other examples of wax cylinders, see the

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