George J. Gaskin

George J. Gaskin (1863–1920) was an Irish Tenor based in the United States.

Photo of George J. Gaskin from 'The Phonoscope' magazine, Nov. 1896.

Career

Born in Belfast, Ireland, he became one of the most popular singers the United States in the 1890s and was nicknamed the "Silver Voiced Irish Tenor". His earliest known recordings were done for the Edison North American Phonograph Company on June 2, 1891. Some sources report that Gaskin may have been only the second vocalist to make commercial records for Edison (the first may have been African American whistler and singer George W. Johnson, recorded just one day earlier, on June 1).^[1] Some of his songs included "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill" (1891), "Oh Promise Me" (1893), "After the Ball" (1893), "The Sidewalks of New York", (1895), "A Hot Time in the Old Town" (1896), "On the Banks of the Wabash" (1897), and "When You Were Sweet Sixteen" (1900).

Some of his recordings that are known to still exist are:

• "Drill ye Tarriers Drill" (1891)
• "After The Ball" (1893)
• "I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard" (1895)
• "She May Have Seen Better Days" (1896)
• "Yankee Doodle" (1897)
• "It Don't Seem Like the Same Old Smile" (1897)
• "Sweet Rosie O'Grady" (1897)
• "The Best in the House is None Too Good For Reilly" (1897)
• "My Old New Hampshire Home" (1898)
• "She Was Bred In Old Kentucky" (1898)
• "Uncle Sam, Why Are You Waiting?" (1898)
• "What is Home Without Love" (1899)
• "America" (1898)
• "Old Folks At Home" (1899)
• "While the Band is Playing Dixie" (1901)
• "When the Harvest Days Are Over" (1902)
• "I'm Wearing My Heart Away for You" (1903)
• "If A Girl Like You Loved A Boy Like Me" (1905)
• "Drill Ye Tarriers Drill" (1899)
• "Whisper your mothers name" (1896–1900)
• "Scanlan's Swing Song" (1896)
• "Mavourneen" (1890s)
• "Just say goodbye again" (1890s)
• "The Bassoon" (1903)
• "All coons look alike to me" (1896)
• "Killarney" (1900)
• "Sally in Our Alley" (1905)
• "After the ball" (1893)
• "Sidewalks of New York" (1895)

References

1. www.tinfoil.com - 01/00 Cylinder of the Month

External links

• Tinfoil.com
• Archeophone Records