Play that Barber-Shop Ad

There’s a new commercial for DIRECTV starring Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Denver Broncos. As with other ads in the series, we have two versions of the star—Manning in this case: one is a suave, well-adjusted customer of DIRECTV; the other is a pathetic version of himself who is a cable customer. In this new ad, the pathetic Manning’s defining characteristic is his freakishly high voice. Instead of being able to watch all the NFL games on his mobile device like DIRECTV Peyton, really-high-voice Peyton sings with the Four Tunesmen—a barbershop quartet, appearing complete with Shakey’s uniforms. We get to hear them sing “The Camptown Races.” Well, that got our attention.

Countertenor Will Oakland, one of two male pioneer recording stars with naturally very high voices. (Archeophone Records Collection)

We looked around to gauge the “buzz” on the ad and found a Fox program that seemed to be having a lot of fun with it, heaping on mock indignation about the slight against barbershop quartets. They even interviewed a barbershop expert who tried to look serious as he condemned the ad for erroneously having Peyton, in the job of first tenor, carry the melody. Now, we’re not aficionados of the genre—we just love our American, Peerless, and Haydn Quartets—but yes, the second tenor would usually be the one carrying the melody in most of the arrangements. That means second tenors Billy Murray, Henry Burr, and Harry Macdonough of the American, Peerless, and Haydn, respectively—instead of first tenors John Bieling, Albert Campbell, and John Bieling (he was in demand).

But that wasn’t always the case with all quartets. The most notable example we can think of would be the Fisk University Jubilee Quartet. Director John Work II was the group’s first tenor on the records made between 1909 and 1916 for Victor, Edison, Columbia, and Starr, and he sings lead on a number of the arrangements. It is indeed a very odd thing to hear at first. Once you get used to it, of course, these songs have a beautiful, disarming quality.

The commercial really plays up the high speaking voice of Peyton. Some first tenors have higher-pitched speaking voices, but they are not usually so comically high-pitched (in fact, these days a lot of the first tenors are just regular tenors or even baritones who are faking it with falsetto). We wondered whether the ad-maker were really suggesting Peyton was a counter-tenor—that is, a male voice in the range of a female contralto or mezzo-soprano. The most famous counter-tenors of the early recording period were Richard Jose and Will Oakland. If you’ve never heard these two, they’re something else.

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Smith Arrives!

It’s new-release Friday and the beginning of Archeophone’s Fall Sale. Be sure to pick up your copy of our new double-CD set, Songs of the Night by Joseph C. Smith’s Orchestra, and grab those other items you’ve been eyeing. Everything is at least ten percent off.

For today’s blog, let’s celebrate by taking a good look at Smith’s band—literally. Admittedly, the print size of a standard CD-sized booklet means we can’t always print album art as big as we’d like. So we thought it would be nice to blow up the size of some Smith catalog pictures for you to examine.

Here’s the first time Smith’s band was pictured in a record-company catalog supplement, from Victor’s June 1917 “New Victor Records.” The studio lineup at this time consisted of two violins, cello, string bass, bass clarinet, cornet, trombone, piano, and traps—but we see no bass clarinet here, suggesting it was added only for recording purposes. The string bass provided a lovely foundation for the music, but it did not record especially well, so the bass clarinet was used to help out. Smith stands in the middle, holding his violin and bow. That’s probably Hugo Frey at the piano. (click photos to enlarge)

June 1917 Victor supplement (Archeophone Records Collection)

Band close up in June 1917 Victor supplement (Archeophone Records Collection)

Thoughts on Labor Day

Here’s a treat for your Labor Day weekend enjoyment: “Everybody Works but Father,” by Bob Roberts on Edison 9100, released in October 1905. The Edison Phonograph Monthly had this to say about the number:

No. 9100, “Everybody Works but Father,” by Bob Roberts, is now being sung by Lew Dockstader in performances by his minstrel organization. This is one of the biggest hits that Mr. Dockstader has had. in years, being repeatedly encored wherever he sings It. The song humorously tells how the various members of the family work with the exception of father, who sits on the front porch all day. Mr. Roberts’s unusually clear articulation makes every word clearly understood. The Record will be found one of his best efforts and will b: one of the best sellers on the October list. Mr. Roberts is accompanied by the orchestra. “Everybody Works but Father” was written by Helf and Hager.

A favorite with record collectors, Cincinnati-born Bob Roberts (1871-1930) was a comic singer very much in demand about the time he recorded this cylinder. Victor, Columbia, Edison, and others all sought his services in the 1903-07 range, after which his output fell off sharply. Roberts recorded a lot of “coon” songs and other humorous selections, often the same material that Billy Murray was singing. In fact, Roberts famously took Murray aside when the latter was starting out, warning him not to muscle in on his territory.