Charles Harrison
11 September 1878 Jersey City, NJ – 2 February 1965 New Providence, NJ
Charles W. Harrison was an American tenor ballad singer.
Harrison studied singing in New York City with Leo Koeffler (other source Frederick Bristol). In 1911 he began recording for the Columbia
Phonograph Company, making a number of recordings that were popular hits of the day: "Peg o' my heart" (1913), "Ireland must be heaven for
my mother came from there" (1916), and "I'm always chasing rainbows" (1918).
He also recorded an extensive operatic and concert song repertoire in English for Columbia, Victor, Edison (on both cylinder and disc),
Emerson and other companies such as Domino, Regal, Melotone, and other "dime-store" labels.
Simultaneously recording as a solo artist, Harrison also performed as a member of the era's most popular quartets. He was a founding
member of the Columbia Stellar Quartet, performing as first tenor until the quartet disbanded in 1921. He was also a member of the
Columbia Mixed Quartet and in September 1925 joined Albert Campbell, John H. Meyer, and Frank Croxton to form a Peerless Quartet that
was an alternative to Henry Burr's quartet of the same name.
Harrison formed the American Singers Quartet around 1927, with tenor
Redferne Hollinshead, baritone Vernon Archibald, and Frank Croxton.
Lambert Murphy later replaced Hollinshead. By 1924, he organized
the Eveready Mixed Quartet for the popular variety show The Eveready Hour radio show. His distinct and
riveting tenor caused Victor Records to advertise him as "a voice in a million."
Charles Harrison was married to Beulah Gaylord Young, another pioneer recording artist. They performed together as members of
the Eveready Mixed Quartet on The Eveready Hour.
Beginning in 1930, Harrison performed on the Broadway stage in the plays This one man, Precedent, The sellout and One more honeymoon.
He lived in Summit, New Jersey, and later moved to nearby New Providence, where he spent his final years and even recorded an
LP in 1954 at the age of 75 entitled, "Charles Harrison sings again". Charles Harrison recorded mostly under his own name, but
also used Billy Burton and other pseudonyms when recording for smaller labels.
Reference 1
Reference 2
In RA format
One of Harrison's pseudonyms was Hugh Donovan... and on this record, we have the rather unlikely case of a
pseudonymized pseudonym!
I wish to thank Richard J. Venezia for the recording (Faust).
Many thanks to Anton Bieber for the recordings and label scans (Elisir d'amore, Martha, Sleepin' pretty pretty).
Selective discography
Edison 4-min cylinders, New York 1912–1915
1003 Stabat mater (Rossini): Cuius animam 1003
1033 Mignon (Thomas): Never the maiden dreamed 1033, BA 1994
1057 Faust (Gounod): All hail thou dwelling 1057
The palms (Faure) BA 1503
Bohème (Puccini): Your tiny hand is frozen BA 2184
Edison, New York 1913 - 1915
Funiculì, funiculà (Denza) 80105, BA 2525
For Killarney and you (Teasdale) 80341
Land of the long ago (Ray) 80414
Trovatore (Verdi): Miserere (w. Kimball) 82516
(Harrison also recorded innumerable popular songs for the same company.)
Operaphone (H&D), USA 1916/1917
Bohemian girl (Balfe): Then you'll remember me 2006
Victor
B-12962 3/5/1913 When I met you last night in Dreamland
B-12963 3/5/1913 I hear you calling me
B-12964 3/5/1913 A dream
B-13012 3/25/1913 Alice, where art thou?
B-13013 3/25/1913 Then I'll stop loving you
B-13261 5/9/1913 Just say again you love me
B-13628 7/24/1913 Peg o' my heart
B-13629 7/24/1913 Come into the garden, Maud
B-13630 7/24/1913 Woman is fickle
B-13894 10/2/1913 You went away
B-13895 10/2/1913 When you and I were young, Maggie
B-13980 10/22/1913 Com'e gentil serenade
C-14057 11/11/1913 A furtive tear
C-14058 11/11/1913 All hail, thou dwelling pure and lowly
B-14148 12/3/1913 A little love, a little kiss
B-14149 12/3/1913 Questa o quella
B-14150 12/3/1913 Little grey home in the west
B-14199 12/15/1913 Macushla
B-15019 6/29/1914 You planted a rose in the garden of love
B-15020 6/29/1914 Where my caravan has rested
B-15029 6/29/1914 Mary, you're a little bit old-fashioned
B-15048 7/7/1914 Vesti la giubba
B-15147 8/25/1914 Once again
B-15826 3/24/1915 Runaway June
B-15827 3/24/1915 Mother Machree
B-15861 4/6/1915 A little bit of heaven
B-15983 5/3/1915 Sprinkle me with kisses if you want my love to grow, with Elsie Baker
B-15984 5/3/1915 Jane, with Andrea Sarto
B-16332 8/9/1915 In the gold fields of Nevada
B-16333 8/9/1915 When you're in love with someone who is not in love with you
B-16609 10/6/1915 Little Honolulu Lou
C-16756 11/8/1915 Hymns of praise, no. 1
B-16978 1/6/1916 She's the daughter of Mother Machree
B-16979 1/6/1916 My mother's rosary
B-16980 1/6/1916 Kilkenny
B-17042 1/20/1916 Give a little credit to your dad
B-17351 3/22/1916 The ashes of my heart
B-17676 5/12/1916 We're too old to go to you
B-18039 6/30/1916 All Erin is calling Mavourneen
B-18133 7/19/1916 I lost my heart in Honolulu, with Herbert Stuart
B-18134 7/19/1916 Ireland must be heaven for my mother came from there
B-18369 9/14/1916 Nora
B-18370 9/14/1916 Oh, for a day of spring
B-18749 11/22/1916 When I found the way to your heart
B-18750 11/22/1916 Any place is heaven if you are near me
C-18750 11/22/1916 Any place is heaven if you are near me
B-18751 11/22/1916 Molly Dhu
B-18994 1/17/1917 A picture of dear old Ireland
B-18995 1/17/1917 Down in lily land, with Elsie Baker
B-18996 1/17/1917 The magic of your eyes
B-19536 3/30/1917 Would you take back the love you gave me
B-19537 3/30/1917 Mister Butterfly
B-19690 5/4/1917 All the world will be jealous of me
B-20011 6/4/1917 Your eyes have told me so
B-20012 6/4/1917 The secret of home, sweet home
B-20083 6/22/1917 A study in black and white
B-20084 6/22/1917 Somewhere in Ireland
B-20308 6/29/1917 You brought Ireland right over to me
B-20309 6/29/1917 Sorter miss you
B-20883 10/19/1917 I'm coming back to you poor Butterfly
B-20884 10/19/1917 That's what Ireland means to me
B-20885 10/19/1917 Whenever I think of you
B-21031 10/31/1917 There's something in the name of Ireland
B-21032 10/31/1917 Daddy found you down beside the garden wall
B-21222 12/3/1917 The land where the good songs go, with Alice Green [i.e. Olive Kline]
B-21242 12/7/1917 Last night you told me that you loved me
B-22180 7/26/1918 What a wonderful message from home
B-22181 7/26/1918 I'm always chasing rainbows
B-22288 10/22/1918 Dreaming of home sweet home
B-22489 12/27/1918 I found the end of the rainbow
B-22493 12/31/1918 In the land of beginning again
B-22625 3/13/1919 Waiting
B-22626 3/13/1919 When shadows softly come and go
B-23181 10/1/1919 I love you just the same, sweet Adeline
B-23182 10/1/1919 Girl of mine
B-23196 10/8/1919 Someday you'll want me back
B-23197 10/8/1919 The new moon
B-23468 11/11/1919 Waiting
B-23469 11/11/1919 Life's perfect promise
B-23513 12/3/1919 Hand in hand again, with Reed Miller
B-23555 12/26/1919 You're a million miles from nowhere
B-23556 12/26/1919 Just like the rose
B-24150 6/3/1920 I'll be with you in apple blossom time
B-24151 6/3/1920 Pretty Kitty Kelly
B-24658 10/25/1920 Avalon
B-24659 10/25/1920 Home, sweet home
B-24660 10/25/1920 There's a vacant chair at home sweet home
B-24792 1/14/1921 Look for the silver lining
B-24952 2/18/1921 Springtime
B-25241 4/28/1921 Little crumbs of happiness
B-25510 8/10/1921 Mother, I didn't understand
B-25593 10/10/1921 I want you morning, noon and night
B-25594 10/10/1921 Love's ship
B-25967 1/18/1922 Play that 'Song of India' again
B-25978 1/27/1922 Leave me with a smile
B-25979 1/27/1922 April showers
B-26166 3/20/1922 My Machree's lullaby
B-26197 4/3/1922 It's a wonderful world after all
B-26453 5/5/1922 Pass me not, o gentle saviour, with Clifford Cairns
B-26454 5/5/1922 Life's railway to heaven, with Clifford Cairns
B-26493 5/29/1922 Coo-coo
B-26524 6/9/1922 The harbor bell, with Clifford Cairns
B-26833 8/15/1922 Call me back, pal o' mine
B-26834 8/15/1922 I love a little cottage
B-27097 12/4/1922 O Jesus, thou art standing, with Clifford Cairns
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