Billy Murray
William Thomas Murray (May 25, 1877 – August 17, 1954) was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early 20th century. While he received star billing in Vaudeville, he was best known for his prolific work in the recording studio, making records for almost every record label of the era. Murray was the best-selling recording artist of the first quarter of the 20th century, selling over 300 million records during the phonograph era. |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 25, 1877 (Philadelphia), Died August 17, 1954 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1901 - 1941
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor vocal, speaker, performer, sound effects, whistling, vocalist, songwriter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 251-275 of 1789 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-4903 | 10-in. | 11/4/1907 | I'm happy when the band plays Dixie | Haydn Quartet ; Billy Murray | Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | E-4903 | 8-in. | 11/4/1907 | I'm happy when the band plays Dixie | Haydn Quartet ; Billy Murray | Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4937 | 10-in. | 11/18/1907 | Much obliged to you | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | E-4937 | 8-in. | 11/18/1907 | Much obliged to you | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4938 | 10-in. | 11/18/1907 | Keep on smiling | Haydn Quartet ; Billy Murray | Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | E-4938 | 8-in. | 11/18/1907 | Keep on smiling | Haydn Quartet ; Billy Murray | Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4967 | 10-in. | 12/12/1907 | Under any old flag at all | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | E-4967 | 8-in. | 12/12/1907 | Under any old flag at all | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4968 | 10-in. | 12/12/1907 | Rain-in-the-Face | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | E-4968 | 8-in. | 12/12/1907 | Rain-in-the-Face | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4969 | 10-in. | 12/12/1907 | I'm afraid to come home in the dark | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4981 | 10-in. | 12/27/1907 | Victor Minstrels, no. 9 | Victor Minstrels | Minstrels, with orchestra | performer | |
| Victor | E-4981 | 8-in. | 12/27/1907 | Victor Minstrels, no. 9 | Victor Minstrels | Minstrels, with orchestra | performer | |
| Victor | E-4982 | 8-in. | 12/27/1907 | Victor Minstrels, no. 10 | Victor Minstrels | Minstrels, with orchestra | performer | |
| Victor | B-4982 | 10-in. | 12/27/1907 | Victor Minstrels, no. 10 | Victor Minstrels | Minstrels, with orchestra | performer | |
| Victor | B-4985 | 10-in. | 12/31/1907 | Wouldn't you like to have me for a sweetheart? | Ada Jones ; Billy Murray | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4986 | 10-in. | 12/31/1907 | The honeybees' honeymoon | Ada Jones ; Billy Murray | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4987 | 10-in. | 12/31/1907 | I'd rather be a lobster than a wise guy | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | E-4988 | 8-in. | 12/31/1907 | He's a cousin of mine | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-4997 | 10-in. | 1/7/1908 | I'm looking for the man that wrote the Merry Widow waltz | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-5093 | 10-in. | 2/25/1908 | At the village post office | Victor Vaudeville Company | Descriptive scene | speaker | |
| Victor | B-5094 | 10-in. | 2/25/1908 | An evening at Mrs. Clancey's boarding house | Victor Vaudeville Company | Descriptive scene, with orchestra | speaker | |
| Victor | E-5094 | 8-in. | 2/25/1908 | An evening at Mrs. Clancey's boarding house | Victor Vaudeville Company | Descriptive scene, with orchestra | speaker | |
| Victor | B-6066 | 10-in. | 3/31/1908 | Bon-bon buddy | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | B-6067 | 10-in. | 3/31/1908 | I was a hero too | Billy Murray | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Murray, Billy," accessed May 8, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106525.
Murray, Billy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 8, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106525.
"Murray, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Billy Murray
Discogs: Billy Murray
Allmusic: Billy Murray
Grove: Billy Murray
IMDb: Billy Murray
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Murray, Billy - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92047706
Wikidata: Billy Murray - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q440215
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/56815561
MusicBrainz: Billy Murray - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6116bd4a-1e7a-4e76-9b59-0b23a2887b01
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