Billy Murray - Historic Photos & Memoribilia 1909-1932

A Billy Murray Scrapbook
Memorabilia from the collections of
Anna-Maria Manuel and Mainspring Press

Billy Murray's signature, 1920

Edison cylinder record catalog supplements from May 1911 and November 1910. Surrounding Ada Jones is the Premier Quartet, also known as the American Quartet on Victor.
Clockwise from bottom left: Billy Murray, John Bieling,
Steve Porter, and William F. Hooley. (AMM)

Write-up for Victor 16291, from New Victor Records (May 1909). This was the only credited Victor issue by Edward Meeker (he also performed anonymously with the Victor Minstrels on Victor 16553)—an otherwise loyal Edison employee for three decades. (AMM)

Billy Murray blurb, 1916 Victor Records catalog

Billy Murray's 1916 Victor records catalog blurb used a much earlier photo, probably taken at the same time as the shot used for the 1911 Edison supplement. (MSP)

Billy Murray and Arthur Fields, 1919 Victor Records supplement

Victor's marketing department liked to pose their artists in "real-life"
situations, as these shots of Arthur Fields and Billy Murray from
New Victor Records for October 1919 show. (AMM)

Another "real-life" shot, from New Victor Records
for October 1920. (AMM)

Billy Murray in his garden, from a Victor Records supplement

Billy Murray as gardener, from New Victor Records for April 1921. (AMM)

Murray was a devoted baseball fan, and legend has it that he skipped
the occasional recording session to indulge his passion. From the
Edison publication Along Broadway, April 1920. (AMM)

Billy Murray amd Irving Berlin ad, Emerson records

One of the last ads for Murray as a freelance artist before
he signed his exclusive Victor contract in July 1920,
from The Talking Machine World. (MSP)

The Talking Machine World announced Murray's exclusive Victor
contract in July 1920. Contrary to some published accounts,
the contract ran for five years, not eight. He was renewed
year-to-year from July 1925 until July 1928. (MSP)

Billy Murray, Henry Burr, and the Eight Famous Victor Artists

An early 1920 ad for the Peerless Record Makers, soon to be renamed the
Eight Famous [and later, Eight Popular] Victor Artists. Victor financed the
traveling promotional troupe. It survived into 1928 with some
personnel changes, and even made radio broadcasts. (MSP)

Billy Murray performs in Frederick, Maryland

Billy Murray traveled with the Eight Famous Victor Artists from coast to coast,
promoting their records to paying audiences. November 7, 1921
found them in rural Frederick, Maryland. From The Post (Frederick),
November 1, 1921. (AMM)

Comedienne Aileen Stanley teamed with Murray on records after Ada Jones'
sudden death in 1922. From New Victor Records, November 1922. (AMM)

Billy Murray sings Ogo-Pogo

Billy Murray with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra

Murray was featured in an August 1925 promotional folder
issued by music publisher Sam Fox. (MSP)

After leaving Victor in 1928, Murray freelanced with his old protégé, Walter Van Brunt.
In 1917 Van Brunt appropriated the name of a deceased Irish tenor, Walter Scanlan
(often misspelled "Scanlon"). For a time he led a double life, being married to
a Mrs. Van Brunt while having a child with a Mrs. Scanlan—each unbeknownst to the other—
until a sensational trial broke the scandal in 1925. (AMM)

Billy Murray, Walter Van Brunt (Scanlon) and Marcella Shields

Murray and Van Brunt (Scanlan) teamed with comedienne Marcella Shields
in a series of early 1930s radio broadcasts. Shields made at least one 1929 Edison disc with Murray and Van Brunt, for which she received no label credit. From The Kingston
Daily Freeman (Kingston, NY), April 22, 1932. (AMM)

Document History: Initial posting 11/7/2006. Version 2 (current) posted 1/26/2007.

Anna-Maria Manuel chairs the Outreach Committee of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections. She is the co-author of Billy Murray on the Radio and a major contributor to Cakewalks, Rags and Novelties and other Mainspring Press projects.

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