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AMERICAN RECORDING PIONEERS Found: Billy Murray's Draft Registration One of Billy Murray’s World War I hits was “I’d Feel at Home If They’d Let Me Join the Army.” Murray never had the dubious pleasure of joining the army, but he did register for the draft, as seen in the documents below, which were recently passed along by researcher Anna-Maria Manuel.* By 1918, when Murray registered, men in their 40s were subject to the draft as the war dragged on.
The registration card confirms Murray’s birth
date and his wife’s name, and notes he was employed as a “vocalist”
by the Victor Talking Machine Company and the National Phonograph Company
[Edison]. His height is given as 5' 10", his weight as 180 pounds,
his eyes as blue, his hair as graying. All well-known facts, of course,
but there is one bit of information here that may come as a surprise to Murray
fans: He wore tortoise-shell glasses, which certainly never appeared in
any of his publicity photos! * Anna-Maria Manuel is an independent researcher and a contributor to many Mainspring print and online projects. She chairs the Outreach Committee of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections.
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