Collins & Harlan
Encyclopedia
Collins & Harlan, the team of Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan
formed a popular comic duet between 1903 and 1926. They sang ragtime standards as well as what were known as "Coon songs" - music sung by white performers in a black dialect. Their material also employed many other stereotypes of the time including Irishmen and farmers. Fellow recording artist Billy Murray
nicknamed them "The Half-Ton Duo" as both men were rather overweight. Collins and Harlan produced many number one hits with recordings of minstrel songs such as "My Gal Irene," "I Know Dat I'll be Happy Til I Die," "Who Do You Love," and "Down Among the Sugarcane." Their song "That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland," recorded November 8 of 1916, is among first recorded uses of the word "Jas," which eventually evolved from "jas," to "jass," to the current spelling "jazz
."
"First Rehearsal for the Husking Bee," "Jerry Murphy is a Friend of Mine," "Two Rubes in a Tavern,"
"The Troubles of the Reuben and the Maid," "Under the Bamboo Tree," "Down Where the Wurtzburger Flows"
1903
"It Was The Dutch," "Parody on Hiawatha," "Moriarity," "Hurrah For Baffin's Bay," "They Were All Doing the Same," "Oh, Didn't He Ramble?", "He was a Sailor," "Strike Out McCracken," "Closing Time as the Country Grocery," "Trouble,"
1904
"What Would the Neighbors Say?", "Barney," "Under the Anheuser Bush," "Goodbye, Fedora, "Possum Pie," "Down on the Brandywine," "Gone, Gone, Gone," "Village Maid," "Heinie"
1905
"Tammany," "Leader of the German Band," "Mule Song," "Down Where the Sweet Potatoes Grow," "Coax Me," "Oh, Oh, Sallie," "Jaspar, Don't You Hear Me Calling You?", "Murphy," "Farewell Mister Abner Hemingway," "Peter Piper," "Take a Car," "Come on, Little Girl, Come Along," "Hey! Mister Joshua,"
1906
"Camp Meeting Time," "N****r Loves His Possum," "I'm A-Dreaming of You," "Out in an Automobile," "My Lovin' Henry," "Central, Give Me Back My Dime," "Gretchen," "Traveling," "When Mose With His Nose Leads the Band," "It's Up to You to Move," "Honey, Won't You Love Me Like You Used to?", "Come Take a Skate With Me," "Susan, Kiss Me Good and Hard," "Won't You Leave Your Happy Home For Me?," "Afloat On a Five Dollar Note," "Anxious"
1907
"Arrah Wanna," "Good-a-Bye John," "I'm Thinki' Bout You Honey All the Time," "Won't You Throw a Kiss To Me," "I'm Keeping My Love-Lamp Burning For You," "Lovin' Time," "And a Little Bit More," "Every Little Bit, Added to What You've Got," "Just Help Yourself," "I'm Runnin' After Nancy," "Who Do You Love?", "Bake Dat Chicken Pie," "I Know Dat I'll be Happy Til I Die,"
1908
"Down in Jungle Town," "My Gal Irene," "Come on and Kiss Your Baby," "Nothing Hardly Ever Troubles Me," "Cohan's Rage Babe," "A High Old Time In Dixie," "Alaxander And His Clarinet"
1909
"Down Among The Sugar Cane," "My Wife's Gone To The Country," "The Right Church, But the Wrong Pew," "Alabam'"
1910
"Ain't You Coming Out Tonight"
1911
"I'm Going Back To Dixie," "Under the Yum Yum Tree," "Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey," "Alexander's Ragtime Band
," "Baby Rose"
1912
"Hitchy-Koo"
1913
"When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam'," "The International Rag," "Melinda's Wedding Day," "At the Levee on Revival Day"
1914
"Aba Daba Honeymoon
," "I Love the Ladies," "It's a Very Easy Thing to Put a Ring Upon a Finger, But Try to Take it Off"
1915
"Alabama Jubilee," "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner"
1916
"That Funny Jas Band From Dixieland," "Oh, How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wachi Woo (That's Love in Honolulu)," All Aboard For Chinatown," "At the Old Plantation Ball"
1917
"Three Pickaninnies," "The Old Grey Mare"
1918
"Darktown Strutters' Ball"
Byron G. Harlan
Byron G. Harlan was an American singer from Kansas, a comic minstrel singer and balladeer who often recorded with Arthur Collins. The two together were often billed as "Collins & Harlan".-Solo recordings:1899...
formed a popular comic duet between 1903 and 1926. They sang ragtime standards as well as what were known as "Coon songs" - music sung by white performers in a black dialect. Their material also employed many other stereotypes of the time including Irishmen and farmers. Fellow recording artist Billy Murray
Billy Murray
Billy Murray may refer to:* Billy Murray , British actor* Billy Murray , American baseball manager* Billy Murray , Irish American singer* Billy Murray , American boxer-See also:...
nicknamed them "The Half-Ton Duo" as both men were rather overweight. Collins and Harlan produced many number one hits with recordings of minstrel songs such as "My Gal Irene," "I Know Dat I'll be Happy Til I Die," "Who Do You Love," and "Down Among the Sugarcane." Their song "That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland," recorded November 8 of 1916, is among first recorded uses of the word "Jas," which eventually evolved from "jas," to "jass," to the current spelling "jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
."
Songs by Year
1902"First Rehearsal for the Husking Bee," "Jerry Murphy is a Friend of Mine," "Two Rubes in a Tavern,"
"The Troubles of the Reuben and the Maid," "Under the Bamboo Tree," "Down Where the Wurtzburger Flows"
1903
"It Was The Dutch," "Parody on Hiawatha," "Moriarity," "Hurrah For Baffin's Bay," "They Were All Doing the Same," "Oh, Didn't He Ramble?", "He was a Sailor," "Strike Out McCracken," "Closing Time as the Country Grocery," "Trouble,"
1904
"What Would the Neighbors Say?", "Barney," "Under the Anheuser Bush," "Goodbye, Fedora, "Possum Pie," "Down on the Brandywine," "Gone, Gone, Gone," "Village Maid," "Heinie"
1905
"Tammany," "Leader of the German Band," "Mule Song," "Down Where the Sweet Potatoes Grow," "Coax Me," "Oh, Oh, Sallie," "Jaspar, Don't You Hear Me Calling You?", "Murphy," "Farewell Mister Abner Hemingway," "Peter Piper," "Take a Car," "Come on, Little Girl, Come Along," "Hey! Mister Joshua,"
1906
"Camp Meeting Time," "N****r Loves His Possum," "I'm A-Dreaming of You," "Out in an Automobile," "My Lovin' Henry," "Central, Give Me Back My Dime," "Gretchen," "Traveling," "When Mose With His Nose Leads the Band," "It's Up to You to Move," "Honey, Won't You Love Me Like You Used to?", "Come Take a Skate With Me," "Susan, Kiss Me Good and Hard," "Won't You Leave Your Happy Home For Me?," "Afloat On a Five Dollar Note," "Anxious"
1907
"Arrah Wanna," "Good-a-Bye John," "I'm Thinki' Bout You Honey All the Time," "Won't You Throw a Kiss To Me," "I'm Keeping My Love-Lamp Burning For You," "Lovin' Time," "And a Little Bit More," "Every Little Bit, Added to What You've Got," "Just Help Yourself," "I'm Runnin' After Nancy," "Who Do You Love?", "Bake Dat Chicken Pie," "I Know Dat I'll be Happy Til I Die,"
1908
"Down in Jungle Town," "My Gal Irene," "Come on and Kiss Your Baby," "Nothing Hardly Ever Troubles Me," "Cohan's Rage Babe," "A High Old Time In Dixie," "Alaxander And His Clarinet"
1909
"Down Among The Sugar Cane," "My Wife's Gone To The Country," "The Right Church, But the Wrong Pew," "Alabam'"
1910
"Ain't You Coming Out Tonight"
1911
"I'm Going Back To Dixie," "Under the Yum Yum Tree," "Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey," "Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft of "A Real Slow Drag" submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a...
," "Baby Rose"
1912
"Hitchy-Koo"
1913
"When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam'," "The International Rag," "Melinda's Wedding Day," "At the Levee on Revival Day"
1914
"Aba Daba Honeymoon
Aba Daba Honeymoon
Aba Daba Honeymoon is a popular song that was written and published by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan in 1914. Known through its chorus, "Aba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the chimpie to the monk; Baba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the monkey to the chimp," the first recording of Aba...
," "I Love the Ladies," "It's a Very Easy Thing to Put a Ring Upon a Finger, But Try to Take it Off"
1915
"Alabama Jubilee," "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner"
1916
"That Funny Jas Band From Dixieland," "Oh, How She Could Yacki Hacki Wicki Wachi Woo (That's Love in Honolulu)," All Aboard For Chinatown," "At the Old Plantation Ball"
1917
"Three Pickaninnies," "The Old Grey Mare"
1918
"Darktown Strutters' Ball"
See also
- Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
- Arthur Collins
- Byron G. HarlanByron G. HarlanByron G. Harlan was an American singer from Kansas, a comic minstrel singer and balladeer who often recorded with Arthur Collins. The two together were often billed as "Collins & Harlan".-Solo recordings:1899...
- Minstrel ShowMinstrel showThe minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
External links
- That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland (1916) on Archive.org
- Collected Works of Collins & Harlan Part 1
- Collected Works of Collins & Harlan Part 2
- Collected Works of Collins & Harlan Part 3
- Collected Works of Collins & Harlan Part 4
- Collins & Harlan 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. - Discography of Collins & Harlan 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)