Ada Jones
Encyclopedia
Ada Jones was a popular mezzo-soprano
who recorded from 1905 to the early 1920s. She was born in Lancashire
, England
but moved with her family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
at the age of six in 1879. She started performing on stage, including juvenile roles in the 1880s.
In 1893 or 1894, she recorded some musical performances for the North American Phonograph Co., most popularly known, "Sweet Marie". But the demise of this company ended this recording career and it was not until 1905 that she returned to recording, after a few years doing performances at such locations as Huber's 14th Street Museum in New York City
. She recorded several duets with Billy Murray
and Len Spencer
. She sang in a range of accents and dialects.
Duets with Billy Murray:
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
who recorded from 1905 to the early 1920s. She was born in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but moved with her family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
at the age of six in 1879. She started performing on stage, including juvenile roles in the 1880s.
In 1893 or 1894, she recorded some musical performances for the North American Phonograph Co., most popularly known, "Sweet Marie". But the demise of this company ended this recording career and it was not until 1905 that she returned to recording, after a few years doing performances at such locations as Huber's 14th Street Museum in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She recorded several duets with Billy Murray
Billy Murray (singer)
William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century...
and Len Spencer
Len Spencer
Leonard Garfield Spencer was an early American recording artist. He recorded numerous popular songs in the pre-1920s, the most popular of which was "Arkansaw Traveler" . The song is an early novelty record and consists of a back-and-forth banter with an Arkansas local who is playing a fiddle...
. She sang in a range of accents and dialects.
Death
While on tour, Ada Jones died of kidney failure at the age of 48 in North Carolina on May 2, 1922. She was survived by her husband Hugh Flaherty and one daughter.Songs
- "Experience (from 'The Little Cherub')" (1906)
- "Don't Get Married Any More, Ma" (1906, 1907; multiple recordings)
- "All She Gets from the Iceman Is IceAll She Gets from the Iceman is Ice"All She Gets from the Iceman Is Ice" is a popular song, originally published in 1907 and written by Arthur J. Lamb and Alfred Solman. As with many popular songs of the era, it is largely forgotten today, although a 1908 version by Ada Jones can be found at several websites because it is now public...
" (1907) - "I Just Can't Make My Eyes Behave" (1907)
- "If The Man In The Moon Were A Coon" (1907)
- "The Yama Yama Man" (1909)
- "My Pony Boy" (1909)
- "I've Got Rings On My FingersI've Got Rings On My FingersI've Got Rings On My Fingers is a popular song written in 1909, words by Weston and Barnes, and music by Maurice Scott. It concerns an Irishman named Jim O'Shea, a castaway who finds himself on an island somewhere in the East Indies, whereupon he is made Chief Panjandrum by the natives because they...
" (1909) - "Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon" (1910)
- "Row! Row! Row!" (1913)
- "Now I Have to Call Him 'Father'" (1908)
- "Beatrice Fairfax, Tell Me What To Do!" (1915)
- "Please Come Play In My Yard" (1905)
- "The Girl With The Brogue" (1910)
- "Whistle It (with Peerless Quartet)" (1912)
Duets with Billy Murray:
- "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" (1907)
- "School DaysSchool Days (1907 song)"School Days", also known as "School Days ", is an American popular song written in 1907 by Will Cobb and Gus Edwards. Its subject is a mature man and woman looking back sentimentally on their lifelong friendship and their days in primary school.The best known part of the song is its chorus:* ,...
" (1907) - "Wouldn't You Like to Have Me for a Sweetheart?" (1908)
- "The Boy Who Stuttered and the Girl Who Lisped" (1908)
- "Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey MineCuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine"Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Lovey Mine" is a popular song. The music was written by Karl Hoschna, the lyrics by Otto Harbach. The song was published in 1908. From the Broadway musical The Three Twins. The song has now become a standard, performed by many artists, including Julie London and Vic...
" (1908) - "Shine On, Harvest MoonShine On, Harvest Moon"Shine On, Harvest Moon" is the name of a popular early-1900s song credited to the married vaudeville team Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth. It was one of a series of moon related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era. The song was debuted by Bayes and Norworth in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 to great acclaim...
" (1909) - "I Can't Say You're the Only One" (1909) (Edison Standard Record: 10069)
- "Can't You See I Love You" (1909) (Edison Standard Record: 10190)
- "Googy-oo" (1909) (Edison Amberol: 211)
- "Blue FeatherBlue Feather"Blue Feather" is a popular song written in 1909 with music by Theodore F. Morse and lyrics by Jack Mahoney. In the song the singer is expressing his love for sweet Blue Feather. The chorus is:-External links:...
" (1909) - "Come Josephine in My Flying MachineCome Josephine in My Flying Machine"Come Josephine In My Flying Machine" is a popular song.The music was written by Fred Fisher, the lyrics by Alfred Bryan. The song was published in 1910. It was originally recorded by Blanche Ring in 1910 and was, for a while, her signature song...
" (1911) - "Be My Little Baby Bumble BeeBe My Little Baby Bumble Bee"Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee" is a popular song.The music was written by Henry I. Marshall, the lyrics by Stanley Murphy. The song was published in 1912.The song has since become a standard, recorded by many artists...
" (1912) - "Bedtime at the Zoo" (1914)
- "Some Sunday MorningSome Sunday Morning"Some Sunday Morning" is the title of two well-known American songs. The first has music written by Richard A. Whiting with lyrics by Gus Kahn and Raymond B. Egan, and was recorded by Ada Jones and Billy Murray in 1917. The second has music by M.K...
" (1918)
External links
- Ada Jones recordings at the Internet Archive
- Ada Jones cylinder recordings, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization ProjectCylinder Preservation and Digitization ProjectThe Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project is a free digital collection maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries with streaming and downloadable versions of over 10,000 phonograph cylinders manufactured between 1893 and the mid 1920s.- History :The project began...
at the University of California, Santa BarbaraUniversity of California, Santa BarbaraThe University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
Library. - Ada Jones at Find-A-Grave
- Discography of Ada Jones on Victor RecordsVictor Talking Machine CompanyThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
from the Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings (EDVR)