William Halley - At Uncle Tom's Cabin Door (1913)
- hace 4 meses
I deplore the racist sentiments expressed in the lyrics, but I upload this since some people are curious about America's past--how popular culture shaped and reflected outdated notions. It is wrong to romanticize plantation as this song does. It is not true that enslaved people were happier before the Civil War. Would it better to not upload such a song? I feel with this disclaimer, it is OK. People might be doing research, and if some music disappeared due to objectionable content, we would have no way of piecing together a full picture of our past.
"At Uncle Tom's Cabin Door"
Victor 17316
1913
Words by Chas. A. Bayha
Music by Rubey Cowan
In Eighteen Sixty, In Eighteen Sixty,
Those happy days before Emancipation,
‘way down in Dixie, ‘way down in Dixie,
merry darkies you would see.
They had their sorrows, that’s quite true,
But there were happy hours too,
Let’s go back once more,
Back before the war,
and we’ll see some jubilee.
See them dancing around,
Watch them prance on the ground,
Uncle Tom is gay, troubles fade away,
Hear them after each encore,
Roar for more,
Banjo’s strumming a tune,
Topsy’s acting like a loon,
There’s some celebration on the old plantation
At Uncle Tom’s Cabin door.
Just hear them singing, Just hear them singing,
Those good ole darkey tunes they’re harmonizing,
Just see them swinging, just see them swinging
to the strains of “Old Black Joe.”
Here comes the Marsa from his ride,
There’s little Eva by his side,
Sime Legree’s away, bloodhounds are at play,
Those were happy, happy days.
William Halley
"I'm Afraid I'm Beginning To Love You"
Oxford 39040 (this is a Columbia recording)
Song by Lew Brown & Joe Goodwin
The singer was born William Joseph Hanley in Hoboken, New Jersey, on January 17, 1893.
He recorded only for Victor and Columbia, his recording career lasting from 1913 to 1915. He was a young man, and he soon gave up recording for legal work and the U.S. Marine Corps
He made his debut with "At Uncle Tom's Cabin Door," issued on Victor 17316 in May 1913. It was recorded on March 3, 1913. Also on that day he recorded "In The Golden West," issued on a disc with a slightly higher number (Victor 17323).
The tenor's heyday as a recording artist was 1913 and 1914, with two final titles recorded in 1915.
He covered upbeat material, usually comic.
He first worked for Victor, but by the end of 1913 he switched to Columbia.
Victor labels identify him as a tenor, but Columbia calls him a baritone.
The Victor supplement for that month states that Halley "is making a success in vaudeville" but he was not famous in vaudeville.
He was evidently attending Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, when his first discs were issued in mid-1913.
He soon afterwards attended New York Law School.
Victor labels at first identified him as William J. Halley, later as Will Halley.
The young singer enjoyed no big hits.
"At Uncle Tom's Cabin Door"
Victor 17316
1913
Words by Chas. A. Bayha
Music by Rubey Cowan
In Eighteen Sixty, In Eighteen Sixty,
Those happy days before Emancipation,
‘way down in Dixie, ‘way down in Dixie,
merry darkies you would see.
They had their sorrows, that’s quite true,
But there were happy hours too,
Let’s go back once more,
Back before the war,
and we’ll see some jubilee.
See them dancing around,
Watch them prance on the ground,
Uncle Tom is gay, troubles fade away,
Hear them after each encore,
Roar for more,
Banjo’s strumming a tune,
Topsy’s acting like a loon,
There’s some celebration on the old plantation
At Uncle Tom’s Cabin door.
Just hear them singing, Just hear them singing,
Those good ole darkey tunes they’re harmonizing,
Just see them swinging, just see them swinging
to the strains of “Old Black Joe.”
Here comes the Marsa from his ride,
There’s little Eva by his side,
Sime Legree’s away, bloodhounds are at play,
Those were happy, happy days.
William Halley
"I'm Afraid I'm Beginning To Love You"
Oxford 39040 (this is a Columbia recording)
Song by Lew Brown & Joe Goodwin
The singer was born William Joseph Hanley in Hoboken, New Jersey, on January 17, 1893.
He recorded only for Victor and Columbia, his recording career lasting from 1913 to 1915. He was a young man, and he soon gave up recording for legal work and the U.S. Marine Corps
He made his debut with "At Uncle Tom's Cabin Door," issued on Victor 17316 in May 1913. It was recorded on March 3, 1913. Also on that day he recorded "In The Golden West," issued on a disc with a slightly higher number (Victor 17323).
The tenor's heyday as a recording artist was 1913 and 1914, with two final titles recorded in 1915.
He covered upbeat material, usually comic.
He first worked for Victor, but by the end of 1913 he switched to Columbia.
Victor labels identify him as a tenor, but Columbia calls him a baritone.
The Victor supplement for that month states that Halley "is making a success in vaudeville" but he was not famous in vaudeville.
He was evidently attending Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, when his first discs were issued in mid-1913.
He soon afterwards attended New York Law School.
Victor labels at first identified him as William J. Halley, later as Will Halley.
The young singer enjoyed no big hits.