"FAVORITE PIONEER RECORDING ARTISTS" An Index to the Hobbies Articles of Jim Walsh Compiled and annotated by Ryan Barna             “To me it seems that one of the most strangely neglected fields of record collecting is that of the discs and cylinders made a generation or so ago by the outstanding ‘popular’ recording stars of their time. Musical snobs, of course, will protest scornfully against the assertation [sic], but the truth is that the many men and the fewer women who made reputation as recorders of popular songs and humorous sketches from, say, 1895 to 1920, were as brilliant a group as the Red Seal galaxy of the earlier days. If Caruso, Melba and Plancon are immortal, so, in their equally expert way, should be Billy Murray, Ada Jones and Len Spencer. In variety, and in versatility of achievement, these geniuses put the operatic contingent to shame...”                                                                                                                                                             —Ulysses Walsh                                                                                                                                                             Johnson City, Tennessee (Letter printed in "The Record Collector," conducted by Albert Wehling, in Hobbies: The Magazine for Collectors, December 1935, p. 114)             Giving equal treatment to the popular recording "geniuses" of the acoustic era (as classical, operatic, and jazz artists were given) would be the void in which Ulysses "Jim" Walsh filled in the same magazine this statement was printed. In his monthly Hobbies articles from 1942 to 1985, Walsh left an institute of writings on acoustic recording artists and the early phonograph industry that to this day, no one in the field has surpassed in consecutiveness. He was virtually the only journalist to preserve the life stories and first-hand accounts of the studio performers who specialized in popular songs that would otherwise be lost. While many of his statements do not hold up to factual scrutiny (not to mention his strong biases about certain artists and genres), his articles served as major foundations for other great books and articles to follow, and are a great starting point for further research.             Walsh wrote prolifically for many publications, but his Hobbies articles are his most regarded in the collecting field. His first article appeared in the May 1937 issue as a special contribution (unrelated to records or artists), titled "Folk Music Collecting: A Fascinating Hobby." His long-running series first began in January 1942, under the heading "The Coney Island Crowd." He chose the name based on a statement made by Victor's head of Artists and Repertoire Calvin G. Child to dealers, trying to get their customers to veer away from the "Coney Island Crowd" of popular singers and to sell more prestigious Red Seal records (the "Coney Island Crowd," as Walsh claimed, was a name that the popular artists also referred to themselves). Since the heading seemed rather ambiguous (having nothing to do with the amusement park), it was renamed "Favorite Pioneer Recording Artists" for the next few decades until it was abbreviated to "Pioneer Recording Artists" in the 1980s.             This is not the first index/chronology of Walsh's Hobbies articles published (nor will it probably be the last), but it is the first thorough online version, with issue dates, author credits (whether "Jim" was in quotes or not), titles (exactly the way they were printed), page numbers, illustrations, and other features. At this time, I have only been able to complete 1942 to 1954, and the rest will follow in future updates. To make sure I only include his own writings, I will only cite the articles that credit his authorship. This will exclude many of the death notices written anonymously, but I plan to eventually include them (with the notation that they are anonymous) if the subject matter is related to pioneer recording artists.             As far as accessibility to these articles, the copyrights to Hobbies may still be held by Lightner (now defunct). Due to time constraints, I cannot fill requests for custom copies and scanning for individuals by email. I acquired my own Hobbies holdings by buying in bulk from eBay lots in the mid-2000s, but now that the auction site has become a museum for overpriced rummage, it may be quite costly to now buy all of the originals. However, I acquired photocopies of the remaining articles I didn't have by locating a nearby library through WorldCat. You may be able to find a library near you that has a complete run, or perhaps your local library can order them through Interlibrary Loan.

	The first articles from January 1942 to August 1942 appear under the heading "The Coney Island Crowd." All authorship credits from January 1942 to September 1945 are given to Ulysses ("Jim") Walsh (with "Jim" in quotes) unless noted.
January 1942	“THE CONEY ISLAND CROWD” pp. 18-19; no title under the heading, just an introduction to the series.
February 1942	None
March 1942	EDWARD M. FAVOR p. 12; illus. Edward M. Favor. Authorship: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh (no quotations).
April 1942	“The Coney Island Crowd” p. 15; no title under the heading, but it's the first part to Billy Murray's biography.
May 1942	“The Coney Island Crowd” p. 15; no title under the heading, but it's the second part to Billy Murray's biography.
June 1942	Billy Murray p. 21 + 23; illus. "Billy Murray, Ulysses Walsh and Jimmy Martindale."
July 1942	JOHN BIELING I pp. 15-16; illus. Haydn Quartet.
August 1942	Pioneer Phonograph Singers John Bieling, II. pp. 14-15
	From this point, articles appear under the heading "Favorite Pioneer Recording Artists." Authorship credit is still Ulysses ("Jim") Walsh unless noted.
September 1942	Albert Campbell pp. 12-13; illus. "Al Campbell as he appeared in 1892."
October 1942	Albert Campbell -- II pp. 13-14.
November 1942	Arthur Collins, I pp. 11-12; illus. Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan.
December 1942	ARTHUR COLLINS II pp. 18-19; illus. Mrs. Arthur Collins.
January 1943	Arthur Collins – III p. 13 + 19.
February 1943	Byron G. Harlan—I p. 14.
March 1943	Byron G. Harlan – II p. 14.
April 1943	Henry Burr—I pp. 12-13; illus. "Henry Burr in his later years."
May 1943	Henry Burr II p. 15 + 21.
June 1943	Henry Burr—III p. 33 + 129.
July 1943	Steve Porter — I pp. 21-22.
August 1943	None
September 1943	None
October 1943	Steve Porter – II pp. 15-16.
November 1943	Harry Macdonough I p. 34 + 129.
December 1943	Harry Macdonough, II p. 26.
January 1944	S. H. Dudley, I pp. 22-23.
February 1944	S. H. Dudley, II pp. 20-21 + 23; illus. Jim Walsh playing a cylinder.
March 1944	William F. Hooley p. 19.
April 1944	Favorite Pioneer Recording Artists pp. 26-27. No title under the heading, but it's the biography of Bob Roberts.
May 1944	Performers Who “Doubled Up” pp. 27-28; about artists in groups and using pseudonyms.
June 1944	BILLY GOLDEN pp. 25-27.
July 1944	John W. Myers p. 26-27; illus. J. W. Myers.
August 1944	Miscellaneous Notes pp. 27-28; discusses artists he was not considering writing full biographies on; supplemented "ARTISTS [sic] WHO 'DOUBLED UP'", and wrote brief notes about Sam Ash, Charles D'Almaine, Mrs. Edward M. Favor (Edith Sinclair), Marion Harris, Percy Hemus, Murry K. Hill, Harvey Hindermeyer [sic], Charles E. King, Eddie Morton, Edward F. Rubsam, Harry Tally, Walter Van Brunt, and Nat M. Wills.
September 1944	George Washington Johnson pp. 27-28; illus. "Recording song-birds of yesteryear" [various artists in group photo in Orange, NJ].
October 1944	George J. Gaskin pp. 32-33.
November 1944	Russell Hunting, Sr. pp. 27-28.
December 1944	Russell Hunting, Sr. II pp. 26-27; illus. Russell Hunting, Sr.
January 1945	Russell Hunting, Sr. – III pp. 24-25.
February 1945	Russell Hunting, Sr. – III [sic: IV] pp. 26-27. Title is printed as part "III" although it's actually the fourth installment.
March 1945	Dan W. Quinn I pp. 18-19. Authorship: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh.
April 1945	Dan W. Quinn II p. 16; illus. "Dan W. Quinn, New York City, 1933."
May 1945	Dan W. Quinn III pp. 16-17; illus. Walsh with announcer Dorothy Jennings Turner during "Jim Walsh's Wax Works" radio program.
June 1945	Are These the “Supreme Fifteen”? pp. 16-17; discusses his choices for the top fifteen "most outstanding pioneer recording artists"; illus. Billy Murray singing into a recording machine operated by Freddie Maisch.
July 1945	Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison. I. p. 18; illus. Frederick J. Wheeler.
August 1945	Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison. II. p. 22.
September 1945	Harry Anthony and James F. Harrison. III. pp. 13-14.
	Authorship from October 1945 to January 1946: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh
October 1945	Collectors’ Vote on “The Supreme Fifteen.” p. 18; collectors submit their own top fifteen choices of the "greatest" recording artists.
November 1945	COLLECTORS’ VOTE ON “THE SUPREME FIFTEEN” p. 17.
December 1945	COLLECTORS’ VOTE ON “THE SUPREME FIFTEEN” p. 21 + 114.
January 1946	COLLECTORS’ VOTE ON “THE SUPREME FIFTEEN” p. 17.
	Authorship from February 1946 to April 1946: Ulysses ("Jim") Walsh
February 1946	Edward Warren Meeker. I. pp. 19-20; illus. Edward Meeker.
March 1946	Edward Warren Meeker. II. p. 20.
April 1946	Edward Warren Meeker. III. p. 22.
	Authorship from May 1946 to May 1949: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh
May 1946	More About S. H. Dudley pp. 20-21.
June 1946	Ada Jones. I pp. 18-19; illus. Ada Jones.
July 1946	Ada Jones. II. pp. 17-18.
August 1946	Ada Jones. III pp. 18-19.
September 1946	ADA JONES. IV. p. 24.
October 1946	ADA JONES. V. p. 26.
November 1946	ADA JONES VI. pp. 26-27.
December 1946	ADA JONES VII pp. 25-26.
January 1947	ADA JONES VIII p. 22.
February 1947	A Visit With John Bieling p. 22 + 25; illus. "PIONEERS AND THEIR ADMIREERS MEET."
March 1947	LEN SPENCER. I. p. 18 + 21 + 23.
April 1947	LEN SPENCER. II pp. 20-21.
May 1947	LEN SPENCER. III pp. 18-19.
June 1947	LEN SPENCER. IV pp. 22-23; illus. Len Spencer's business card.
July 1947	LEN SPENCER. V pp. 22-23.
August 1947	LEN SPENCER.—VI pp. 31-32.
September 1947	SAD NEWS ABOUT S. H. DUDLEY pp. 30-31; illus. S. H. Dudley.
October 1947	EUGENE C. ROSE. I pp. 35-36; illus. "An early picture of Eugene C. Rose."
November 1947	EUGENE C. ROSE. II pp. 34-35; illus. "A late picture of Eugene C. Rose."
December 1947	The “Cheapest Talking Machine” pp. 31-32 + 36-37; illus. Excello Talking Machine ad.
January 1948	John Bieling Gives Another Party pp. 34-35; illus. "Old Time Recording Artists Get Together" (John Bieling, Irving Kaufman, Walter Van Brunt, Will Oakland, and Billy Murray).
February 1948	GILBERT GIRARD pp. 33-35; illus. "Gilbert Girard, Paris, July 18, 1913."
March 1948	JOE BELMONT, “The Human Bird” pp. 35-37.
April 1948	GRACE SPENCER, “First Lady of the Phonograph” I. pp. 35-36.
May 1948	GRACE SPENCER, “First Lady of the Phonograph” II pp. 31-32. Has the odd authorship of "ULYSSES (JIM WALSH) [sic]."
June 1948	The Death of John Bieling pp. 32-33 + 35; illus. John Bieling.
July 1948	FREDERIC C. FREEMANTEL pp. 32-33; illus. Mr. & Mrs. Frederic C. Freemantel.
August 1948	REINALD WERRENRATH pp. 32-33 + 37; illus. Reinald Werrenrath. Article has no authorship.
September 1948	SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “THE BANJO KING” I pp. 32-33.
October 1948	SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King” II. p. 36-38 + 57; illus. "Sylvester Louis Ossman, 'The Banjo King,' at the height of his career," and Walsh broadcasting in his home.
November 1948	SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King” III p. 31-32.
December 1948	Another Memorable “John Bieling Day” p. 33-35; illus. Eugene C. Rose, Billy Murray, and Grace Spencer with an Edison phonograph.
January 1949	SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King.” IV. pp. 31-32.
February 1949	SYLVESTER LOUIS OSSMAN, “The Banjo King” pp. 34-35.
March 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY. I. pp. 31-32; illus. Frank C. Stanley.
April 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY II pp. 29-30 + 34.
May 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY III. pp. 30-31.
	Authorship from June 1949 to August 1949: Jim Walsh
June 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY. IV. pp. 30-31.
July 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY V. pp. 30-31; also "DEATHS OF THREE RECORDING ARTISTS," pp. 31-32 (John Meyer, Armand Vecsey, and Richard R. Czerwonky; "A Memorial Tribute to John L. Norton, Sr.," p. 32.
August 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY. VI. pp. 30-31.
September 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY VII. p. 30. Authorship: Ulysses (Jim) Walsh (the last article to credit his name "Ulysses").
October 1949	FRANK C. STANLEY VIII p. 28 + 31. Article has no authorship.
	At this point, all remaining articles credit Jim Walsh as the author or "conductor."
November 1949	WILL OAKLAND pp. 23-26; illus. Will Oakland and Eula Christian at the Veterans Administration Hospital, Roanoke, VA. Also "'John Bieling Day' Observed By Family and Friends," on page 27, initialed "J. W."
December 1949	Notes From Early Victor Catalogues I pp. 24-25 + 29.
January 1950	NOTES FROM EARLY VICTOR CATALOGUES. II. pp. 20-21 + 25.
February 1950	BILLY WHITLOCK pp. 19-21 + 31 + 35; illus. Billy Whitlock and Charles Penrose. Also "Death of Joe Belmont" on page 35, initialed "—J. W."
March 1950	RICHARD J. JOSE I [no accent on the E] pp. 20-21 + 33.
April 1950	RICHARD J. JOSÉ II pp. 19-21 + 33.
May 1950	RICHARD J. JOSÉ III pp. 20-21 + 32; also "Deaths of Franklin [sic] Baur and E. Robert Schmitz" on page 32, initialed "J. W."
June 1950	FRED DUPREZ I pp. 20-21 + 33.
July 1950	FRED DUPREZ II pp. 20-21 + 23 + 35.
August 1950	SIR HARRY LAUDER pp. 20-21 + 23 + 27 + 31; illus Harry Lauder.
September 1950	BERT WILLIAMS, A Thwarted Genius I pp. 23-25 + 36.
October 1950	BERT WILLIAMS, A Thwarted Genius. II pp. 19-20; illus. Bert Williams.
November 1950	BERT WILLIAMS, A Thwarted Genius, III pp. 19-21; incl. "Records by Bert A. Williams and George Walker" on pages 21 and 22. Also "An Inexpensive Method of Storing Cylinder Records" on page 22.
December 1950	“The Best John Bieling Days” pp. 20-21 + 23-25 + 38; illus. various artists attending the John Bieling Day party on September 9, 1950. No authorship.
January 1951	CAL STEWART I pp. 20-22 + 35. Also "Death of Frederic C. Freemantle" on page 35, initialed "—J. W."
February 1951	CAL STEWART II pp. 20-25; illus. Cal Stewart; cartoonist's sketch of "Uncle Josh on a Bicycle."
March 1951	CAL STEWART III pp. 19-23; illus. Cal Stewart Columbia ad. Also "Another Record by Bert Williams" [Columbia A303] on page 23, initialed "—J. W."
April 1951	CAL STEWART IV pp. 20-24; also "Deaths of Marguerite Farrell and Eddie Morton 'The Singing Policeman'" on page 24, initialed "—J. W."
May 1951	FRANK COOMBS AND WILLIAM H. THOMPSON pp. 20-23.
June 1951	NAT M. WILLS, “The Happy Tramp” pp. 20-23; illus. Nat M. Wills in tramp costume. Also "Records by Nat M. Wills" on pages 23 and 24, and "Information Wanted About William F. Myers" on pages 24 and 35, initialed "—J. W."
July 1951	MANUEL ROMAIN pp. 21-25. Also "Deaths of Vesta Victoria and Edward Metcalfe," on page 19, initialed "—J. W."
August 1951	ELIZABETH SPENCER pp. 28-29; illus. "A 1915 photograph of ELIZABETH SPENCER."
September 1951	ELIZABETH SPENCER pp. 20-24; illus. group of Edison artists from September 1914; also "Deaths of W. H. Berry, Lucy Gates, Dan Hornsby and Fannie B. Hard" on page 24, initialed "—J. W."
October 1951	CHARLES W. HARRISON & BEULAH GAYLORD YOUNG pp. 20-21 + 55; illus. recording the Sextet from Lucia for an Edison film; also "Death of Frederick James Wheeler[,] Famous Recording and Concert Baritone" on page 55.
November 1951	WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) I pp. 20-21 + 25 + 28-29; illus. Walter Van Brunt.
December 1951	WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) I [sic: II] pp. 18-19 + 27.
January 1952	WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) II pp. 20-23 + 25; illus. Walter Van Brunt with three daughters and mother-in-law. Also "Free Records for Men in Veteran's Hospitals" on page 19.
February 1952	WALTER VAN BRUNT (WALTER SCANLAN) III pp. 21-23. Also "Surprise!—EDISON TALKING RECORDS by John Charles Thomas and a 'North Pole' Lecture by Dr. Cook" on pages 20 and 30.
March 1952	CHARLES W. HARRISON & BEULAH GAYLORD YOUNG pp. 21-23 + 28 + 58. Second part from October 1951.
April 1952	ESTELLA LOUISE MANN (And Some “Forgotten Woman” Singers) pp. 24-27 + 33 + 35; illus. Estella Louise Mann singing into recording horns, and profile portrait. Also "DEATH OF DANIEL E. BISHOP Veteran Record Collector" on page 20, and "A NEW ALBUM OF BANJO RECORDS BY FRED VAN EPS" on page 25, both articles initialed "—J. W." Page 21 transcribes a letter to Jim Walsh, titled "HOBBIES PHOTO BRINGS LETTER FROM MARY JORDAN."
May 1952	THE FIRST TEN YEARS pp. 22-24; notes and corrections to his previous Hobbies articles. Also "MORE ABOUT COOK AND THOMAS RECORDS, and Some Acknowledgements" on page 25.
June 1952	ALBERT EDMUND BROWN, FREDERIC MARTIN AND W. FRANCIS FIRTH pp. 22-26; illus. Dr. Albert Edmund Brown, William Francis Firth, and Frederic Louis Martin.
July 1952	ALBERT EDMUND BROWN, FREDERIC MARTIN AND W. FRANCIS FIRTH pp. 25-27 + 31.
August 1952	“Professor Edison” Invents the Phonograph Whose Seventy-fifth Birthday Occurs this Month pp. 22-25 + 27 + 35 + 37 + 55 + 61; illus. Thomas A. Edison; Helen Davis and Victor Young with Thomas A. Edison.
September 1952	EDDIE MORTON pp. 22-25 + 35 + 37 + 47; illus. Victor ad; Eddie Morton in the Columbia studio.
October 1952	EDDIE MORTON pp. 24-27; illus. "Eddie Morton at the peak of his long vaudeville career"; "I GOT YOU STEVE" sheet music cover.
November 1952	EDDIE MORTON pp. 24-25. Also "RECORDS BY EDDIE MORTON" on pages 25 and 26, and "a [sic] brief discussion of The Value of Old Records" on pages 27 and 31.
December 1952	CHARLES ADAMS PRINCE pp. 29-30; illus. Columbia Band with Charles Prince.
January 1953	CHARLES ADAMS PRINCE PART II pp. 23-26 + 31.
February 1953	GEORGE N. and AUDLEY F. DUDLEY (of the OSSMAN-DUDLEY TRIO) pp. 26-29 + 37-38 + 41; illus. Dudley quartet.
March 1953	WIZARDS OF ACCORDION AND CONCERTINA (Peter and Daniel Wyper and Alexander Prince) pp. 32-33 + 35-37 + 42.
April 1953	More About the Early Days of the Phonograph pp. 33-36 + 45; illus. Eight Victor Artists.
May 1953	More About the Early Days of the Phonograph pp. 28-29.
June 1953	Arthur Fields Part One p. 24 + 37 + 43 + 45.
July 1953	Arthur Fields Part Two pp. 25-28 + 39; illus. Arthur Fields.
August 1953	Arthur Fields Part Three pp. 26-28 + 33; illus. Arthur Fields photo from Edison ad.
September 1953	Frank Crumit Part One p. 26-29; illus. Julia Sanderson and Frank Crumit. Also "HOBBIES Reader Records Ragtime Piano Melodies [Johnny Maddox]" on page 25, and "Recent Music Books That Are Helpful" [The Spice of "Variety," Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs, and The Victor Book of Operas] on pages 29 and 37, both articles initialed "—J. W."
October 1953	Frank Crumit Part Two pp. 27-29; illus. Julia Sanderson and Frank Crumit.
November 1953	Frank Crumit Part Three pp. 26-27; illus. home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Crumit, and Page Ellis interviewing Jim Walsh.
December 1953	Frank Crumit Part Four pp. 25-26 + 28-29. Also "Records by Frank Crumit" on pages 29 and 30.
January 1954	Albert Benzler pp. 24-29 + 35. Also "Correction and Addition to Frank Crumit Record List" on page 35, and "Her Dolls Depict Favorite Phonograph Stars" on pages 54 and 56; illus. three dolls depicting Billy Murray, Ada Jones, and Lillian Russell.
February 1954	Albert Spalding pp. 28-30; illus. Albert Spalding and Marie Rappold, and "Albert Spalding in his later years."
March 1954	Albert Spalding PART II pp. 25-26 + 28 + 41.
April 1954	Helen Trix PART I pp. 30-32. Also "Explaining Those 'Mother's Day Songs'" on page 32.
May 1954	Helen Trix pp. 25-27; illus. Trix Sisters.
June 1954	ADA JONES and the Shannon Four Give a Concert in Roanoke, Va. p. 26 + 28-29; illus. Ada Jones and the Shannon Four.
July 1954	ADA JONES and the Shannon Four Give a Concert in Roanoke, Va. pp. 26-28; illus. Victor Record Maker Troupe.
August 1954	Wizards of the Piano-Accordion Guido and Pietro Deiro pp. 26-28; illus. Pietro Deiro, and Guido Deiro.
September 1954	Wizards of the Piano-Accordion Guido and Pietro Deiro PART II pp. 26-28 + 30 + 33 + 35.
October 1954	Wizard of the Accordion Pietro Frosini pp. 24-25 + 28 + 37; illus. Pietro Frosini. Also "BILLY MURRAY IS DEAD" on pages 37, 41, 45, and 67 (with illus. Billy Murray); although it has no authorship, Walsh writes in first-hand, transcribing letters sent by Jimmy Martindale. Includes "A Letter to HOBBIES Readers From Jim Walsh" on page 67.
November 1954	Wizard of the Accordion Pietro Frosini pp. 26-28.
December 1954	More About the History of The Phonograph pp. 26-27. Also "WORLD FAMOUS ACCORDIONIST, PIETRO DEIRO, IS DEAD" on page 28.

Last modified: June 1, 2015

Compilation and site © 2015 by Ryan Barna
"History Through the Horn"
www.phonostalgia.com