Benjamin B. Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980), son of Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n-immigrant Jewish parents, was a musician, bandleader, record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 and innovator in recorded music. He was known as The Dean of Recorded Music.

Selvin started his professional life at age 15 as a fiddle player 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...

 night clubs. A "husky" lad, he looked older than he was and as such was permitted into such establishments.

A mere six years later, as leader of his own dance band, the "Novelty Orchestra," Selvin released the biggest-selling popular song in the first quarter-century of recorded music. That single, "Dardanella

Dardanella

"Dardanella" is a popular song published in 1919 by Fred Fisher, who wrote the lyrics for the music written by Felix Bernard and Johnny S. Black. Band conductor Ben Selvin led into the 1920s with his hit instrumental version of Dardanella. The song held the No. 1 spot on the U.S...

", eventually went on to sell more than 5 million copies and an additional 2 million pieces of sheet music

Sheet music

Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...

.

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, Selvin recorded more musical sides (on 78-rpm discs) than any other person. One reason for this prolific output is that he recorded for dozens of different labels

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 during this high-growth time in the industry, using a different name (or slightly different name) for each label. Selvin's output has been estimated at 13,000 to 20,000 song titles.

Selected discography of bands led by Ben Selvin

• "The Original Charleston" (the Columbia 78rpm version)

The Knickerbockers (Ben Selvin & His Orch.)

NYC - Apr. 10th, 1925

Voc. vocal breaks by Ben Selvin

Columbia 355-D, mx.140514-1

• "Margie"

Selvin's Novelty Orchestra

NYC - Nov., 1920

Voc. Arthur Hall

Grey Gull L-1036-(a), mx.J-3-10

• "So This Is Venice"

Ben Selvin & His Moulin Rouge Orchestra

NYC - Dec., 1923

Voc. Irving Kaufman

Vocalion A-14757, mx.12641

• "Steppin' In Society" (the Columbia 78rpm version)

The Knickerbockers (Ben Selvin & His Orch.)

NYC - May 26th, 1925

Columbia 391-D, mx.W-140623-2

• "We'll Have A New Home (In The Morning)"

Ben Selvin & His Orchestra

NYC - Dec. 28th, 1927

Vocs. unidentified trio

Columbia 1274-D, mx.W-145445

• "Happy Days Are Here Again" (Annette Hanshaw vocal version)

Annette Hanshaw

NYC - Feb. 11th, 1930

Diva 3106-G; Harmony 1106-H; Velvet Tone 2106-V

• "Dardanella"

Selvin's Novelty Orchestra

NYC - Nov. 20th, 1919

Victor 18633-A, mx.23344-3

• "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles"

Selvin's Novelty Orchestra

NYC - Jul. 31st, 1919

Victor 18603-A, mx.B-22966-6

• "Manhattan"

The Knickerbockers (Ben Selvin & His Orch.)

NYC - Jul. 15th, 1925

Columbia 422-D, mx.W-140765

• "Sentimental Me"

The Knickerbockers (Ben Selvin & His Orch.)

NYC - Jul. 15th, 1925

Columbia 422-D, mx.W-140766

• "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"

The Knickerbockers (Ben Selvin & His Orch.) -

Voc. Vaughn DeLeath

NYC - Jun. 1st, 1928

Columbia 1424-D, mx.W-146380

• "You're The Cream In My Coffee"

Eddie Thomas' Collegians (and/or) The Broadway Nitelites (Ben Selvin & His Orch.) -

Voc. Jack Parker

NYC - Oct. 19th, 1928

Columbia 1604-D, mx.W-147140-3

Selvin at Columbia

From 1927 to 1934 he was A&R Director for Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

, where his many productions included scores of exceptionally well performed pop songs of the day with hot jazz solos by musicians like Manny Klein

Manny Klein

Manny Klein was a jazz trumpeter most associated with swing.He began with Paul Whiteman in 1928 and was active throughout the 1930s playing with several major bands of the era including the Dorseys and Benny Goodman. In 1937, he moved to California and worked with Frank Trumbauer's orchestra...

, Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...

, Tommy Dorsey

Tommy Dorsey

Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...

, Jimmy Dorsey

Jimmy Dorsey

James "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...

, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang

Eddie Lang

Eddie Lang was an American jazz guitarist, regarded as the Father of Jazz Guitar. He played a Gibson L-4 and L-5 guitar, providing great influence for many guitarists, including Django Reinhardt.-Biography:...

, and Bunny Berigan

Bunny Berigan

Rowland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan was an American jazz trumpeter who rose to fame during the swing era, but whose virtuosity and influence were shortened by a losing battle with alcoholism that ended in his early death at age 33. He composed the jazz instrumentals "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues"...

, among others. Many of these specific recordings made during this period continue to be highly collected and prized.

During the Columbia era, he recorded under many different names (for Columbia, OKeh, Odeon, Parlophone, Harmony, Diva, Velvet Tone & Clarion) including

• The Broadway Nightlites
• The Knickerbockers
• The Columbians
• The Cavaliers
• Barney Trimble and his Oklahomans
• Jerry Mason and his Californians
• The Harmonians
• Rudy Marlow and his Orchestra
• Columbia Photo Players
• Frank Auburn and his Orchestra
• Kolster Dance Orchestra
• Lloyd Keating and his Music
• Earl Marlow and his Orchestra
• Ed Loyd and his Orchestra
• Ray Seeley and his Orchestra
• Sam Nash and his Orchestra
• Mickie Alpert and his Orchestra
• Johnny Walker and his Orchestra
• Chester Leighton and his Sophomores
• Wally Edwards and his Orchestra
• Roy Carroll and his Sands Point Orchestra
• Buddy Campbell and his Orchestra
• Golden Terrace Orchestra
• Bar Harbor Society Orchestra
• Ted Raph and his Orchestra
• Georgia Moonlight Serenaders
• Cloverdale Country Club Orchestra
• Ed Parker and his Orchestra

Many of the these records during the Columbia era are highly collected and treasured examples of either jazz related pop, or sophisticated, smoothly arranged dance music.

Also, there had been incorrect reports that Ben Selvin's Band played under the name "Perley Stevens and his Orchestra", when in fact, Perley Stevens on occasion played with Ben Selvin's Band and many others, including Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras and Paul Whiteman's Band.

Post Columbia

Selvin had an instrumental part in the development of Muzak

Muzak

Muzak Holdings LLC is a company based in metro Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1934, Muzak Holdings is best known for distribution of background music to retail stores and other companies....

 in the mid-1930s. He was musical director of Majestic Records

Majestic Records

Majestic Records was a mid-20th century New York City based record label. The label enjoyed its greatest commercial success in the 1940s, until over-ambitious expansion and an inability to keep distributors supplied with pressings of discs resulted in financial problems, and the label folded in...

 beginning in 1947. He was a Vice-President and A&R Director (artists and repertoire) at Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

 in charge of the recordings of Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

, Doris Day

Doris Day

Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...

, Dinah Shore

Dinah Shore

Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...

 and Buddy Clark

Buddy Clark

Buddy Clark was a popular American singer in the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:Clark was born Samuel Goldberg to Jewish parents in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He made his Big Band singing debut in 1934 with Benny Goodman on the Let's Dance radio program. In 1936 he started to perform on the...

 in the late 1940s and early '50s.

He was an A&R Director at RCA Victor in charge of the company's popular Camden Label and served as the Musical Director for a recording in 1954 by John Serry, Sr.

John Serry, Sr.

John Serry, Sr. was an accomplished concert accordionist virtuoso, arranger, composer, organist and educator who performed on the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks...

.

Post-retirement, he became a consultant to 3M

3M

3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....

 (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company), helping them during the transition from vinyl recordings to recordings on tape.