Dan W. Quinn was one of the first American singers to become popular in the new medium of recorded music. Quinn was a very successful recording artist whose recording career spanned 1892 to 1918. Quinn recorded many of his hits in the legendary "Tin Pan Alley

Tin Pan Alley

Tin 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...

" of New York City.

Biography

Dan W. Quinn was born in 1859 in New York City. There he began singing in the choir of the Church of the Heavenly Rest (Episcopal) as a child. As an adult, he was a performer on the Vaudeville

Vaudeville

Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...

 stage. In January 1892, Quinn made his first recording in New York City and quickly achieved success. During Quinn's recording career, he scored 34 top ten hits. As was custom at the time, Quinn was not tied exclusively to any one record company. He recorded for all the major record labels of his day, including Berliner, Columbia, Edison, Gramophone, Paramount and Victor. Quinn himself estimated cutting some 2,500 titles during his recording career. Quinn retired from recording in 1906. He briefly returned to recording in 1915 to 1918, but went back into retirement soon after.

Dan Quinn died of intestinal cancer in New York on November 7, 1938 at age 79.

In those early days of recording, the songs were pressed onto tin discs (also called "plates" or "tin pans") and brown wax cylinders. The discs generally had one song recorded on each side while the cylinders had a single song recorded on them. The U.S. Library of Congress has made an effort to preserve Quinn's recordings (as well as other artists of the era) for future generations to enjoy.

Recordings

The following is a partial list of Dan W. Quinn's recordings:

1. Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-wow - North American Phonograph Co. 1892
2. The Bowery - North American Phonograph Co. 1892
3. Daisy Bell
   Daisy Bell
   "Daisy Bell" is a popular song with the well-known chorus "Daisy, Daisy/Give me your answer do/I'm half crazy/all for the love of you" as well as the line "...a bicycle built for two".-History:"Daisy Bell" was composed by Harry Dacre in 1892...
   
   - North American Phonograph Co. 1893
4. And Her Golden Hair was Hanging Down Her Back - Berliner Records, 1894
5. My Pearl is a Bowery Girl - Berliner Records, 1894
6. Girl Wanted - Berliner Records, 1895
7. The Band Played On - Columbia Records, 1895
8. The Sidewalks of New York - Berliner Records, 1895
9. Down in Poverty Row - Berliner Records, 1896
10. Elsie From Chelsea- Edison Records, 1896
11. In the Baggage Coach Ahead - 1896
12. I've Been Hoodoed - Berliner Records, 1896
13. McKinley is our Man - Phonograph Records, 1896
14. My Best Girl's a New Yorker - Berliner Records, 1896
15. A Hot Time in the Old Town - Berliner Records, 1897
16. My Mother was a Lady - 1897
17. There's a Little Star Shining for You - Edison Records, 1897
18. At a Georgia Camp Meeting - Columbia Records, 1898
19. She Never Did the Same Thing Twice - Berliner Records, 1898
20. She was Happy Til She Met You - Columbia Records, 1898
21. Curse of the Dreamer - Columbia Records, 1899
22. Glorious Beer - Columbia Records, 1899
23. Little Old New York is Good Enough for Me - Berliner Records, 1899
24. Smokey Mokes - Edison Records, 1899
25. Whistling Rufus - Edison Records, 1899
26. Just Because She Made Dem Goo-Goo Eyes - 1900
27. Strike Up the Band - Victor Records, 1900
28. When Reuben Comes To Town - Victor Records, 1900
29. Good Evening Carrie - 1901
30. She's Getting More Like The White Folks Every Day - Columbia Records, 1901
31. I Want To Go To Morrow - Edison Records, 1902
32. Football - Victor Records, 1905
33. Is Marriage A Failure? (Duet with Helen Trix) - 1906
34. Hello Boys I'm Back Again - Columbia Records, 1915
35. At the Fountain of Youth - Columbia Records, 1916
36. Here Comes The Groom - Operaphone Records 1917
37. Life Is A Merry Go Round - Paramount Records, 1918
38. Round Her Neck She Wears A Yellow Ribbon - Paramount Records, 1918