The BILLY MURRAY PAGES

A Murray Iconography
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This historic material contains racially derogatory language and images, which do not reflect the publisher's or contributors' views.
Graphic restorations ©2009 by Mainspring Press LLC. Please e-mail us if you wish to reproduce images.

Billy Murray (#105, lower right) in the 1921 Edison Diamond Disc catalog, with his former recording partner
Will Oakland pictured at lower left. Murray had an exclusive Victor contract by the time this catalog was
issued, but a large number of his Edison discs were still available.
(Mainspring Press collection)

Murray with comedienne Aileen Stanley, who was recruited as his recording partner after Ada Jones'
sudden death. Although the Murray & Stanley records sold well for several years, by the later
1920s Stanley was recording mostly with younger, stylistically more modern singers. This
series of photos was posed for the G. G. Bain News Service around mid-1922, and one
shot appeared in the November 1922 Victor supplement. One negative from the series
shows the obviously incorrect date of November 1924.
(Bain Collection, Library of Congress)

Murray & Stanley in another of G. G. Bain's 1922 photos, from New Victor
Records, November 1922. (Anna-Maria Manuel)

Murray and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra were featured in an August 1925 promotional folder issued by music
publisher Sam Fox. Contrary to some hobbyist writings, Murray never worked for Whiteman, but was simply
assigned by Victor managers to sing the vocal choruses as part of his contractual duties to the company.
(Mainspring Press)

In 1935, Murray returned to the American Record Corporation studios to make a series of
children's records for Brunswick. (Jim Walsh Papers, Library of Congress)

Murray (right) at the John Bieling Day reunion, September 10, 1947. Also attending this get-together of early
recording artists were (left to right) Bieling, Irving Kaufman, Walter Van Brunt, and Will Oakland.
(Dick Carty)

Murray liked his cars: At the height of his career, circa 1919–20 (Bain Collection,
Library of Congress), and in retirement, circa 1952 (Dick Carty)
  
     
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