Billy Golden
Billy Golden | |
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| Born | William B. Shires June 9, 1858 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Died | January 29, 1926 (aged 67) New York City, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Comedian, Singer |
| Years active | 1874-1921 |
William B. Shires (June 9, 1858 – January 29, 1926), who performed and recorded as Billy Golden, was an American blackface comic, vaudevillian performer, and singer who was a popular recording artist between the 1890s and the 1910s.
Biography[]
He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in St Louis, Missouri. He began performing as a blackface act in vaudeville in 1874 before working as a duo with, first, John Merritt, and then Billy Draiton. He originated a dance move known as the "cane pat" which became popular with blackface minstrels, and, as part of Bailess and Kennedy's "Brightlights" vaudeville act, became particularly associated with the song "Turkey in the Straw". In 1885, he started performing in a duo with his wife, May Golden.[1]
In 1891, he recorded "Turkey in the Straw" for Columbia Records; it became one of the best-selling recordings of the year.[2] He re-recorded the piece many times for Berliner (as well as their successor company Victor), Zonophone, Edison and many others . Other successful recordings by Golden included "Uncle Jefferson" (1891), "Rabbit Hash" (1895), "Bye Bye, My Honey" (1898), and "Roll On The Ground" (1901).[2] Most of his early recordings were as a solo performer. In 1907 he formed a new duo act with Joe Hughes, and they recorded together for several labels. Golden and Hughes were among the first two-man teams to record blackface minstrel humor in black dialect. The two would also have success and popularity in vaudeville as well.[1]
After Hughes retired from performing, Golden began working with James Marlowe and then, after Marlowe's death in 1917, with Billy Heins. In 1919, Golden reunited with Hughes for several more recordings. Afterwards, Golden continued to record and perform as a solo act before retiring in 1921. He died in New York City on January 29, 1926 at the age of 67.[1]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Hoffmann, Frank; Cooper, B Lee; Gracyk, Tim (2012). Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895–1925. Routledge. pp. 143–147. ISBN 978-1-136-59229-4.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. pp. 176. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
External links[]
- Billy Golden recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- Billy Golden cylinder recordings, from the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library.
- Billy Golden at Discogs.com
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| General | |
| National libraries | |
- 1858 births
- 1926 deaths
- Musicians from Cincinnati
- Columbia Records artists
- Blackface minstrel performers
- Pioneer recording artists
- 19th-century American singers