GEORGE W. JOHNSON Zon-O-Phone 78; First Black Recording Artist

$

56

THIS WEEK I WILL BE LISTING ULTRA RARE 78 RPM RECORDINGS I'VE RECENTLY ACQUIRED. THE MAJORITY OF THESE RECORDINGS ARE A SERIES OF 1930s AMERICAN COMMUNIST RECORDS RECORDED ON THE TIMELY RECORDING COMPANY LABEL AND EARLY 1900s "COON" SONGS. THESE RECORDS ARE EXTREMELY RARE AND ARE NOT SEEN ON EBAY EVERY DAY. CHECK OUT MY LISTING PAGES FOR THE SELECTION AND BID NOW! THANKS. AND NOW, CHECK OUT THIS ITEM...

George Washington Johnson (c. October 1846 – January 23, 1914) was a singer and pioneer sound recording artist, the first African American recording star of the phonograph. Johnson was born in Virginia, either in Fluvanna County or near Wheatland in Loudoun County. His father may have been a slave; if so, he was likely freed in 1853. From an early age, Johnson was raised near Wheatland as the companion and servant of a prosperous white farmer's son. During his time with this family, he developed his musical ability and even learned to read and write, which was unusual for a black child in Virginia before the American Civil War. Johnson later worked as a laborer, and in his late twenties he moved to New York City. By the late 1870s he was making his living as a street entertainer in New York, specializing in whistling popular tunes. Some time between January and May 1890, Johnson was recruited by two different regional phonograph distributors who were looking for recording artists for their coin-operated machines. Charles Marshall of the New York Phonograph Company and Victor Emerson of the New Jersey Phonograph Company both heard Johnson performing in Manhattan, probably at the ferry terminals on the Hudson River. Both of them invited Johnson to record his loud raggy whistling on wax phonograph cylinders for a fee of twenty cents per 2 minute performance. Although Johnson could whistle all the tunes of the day, one of his first recordings for both companies was a popular vaudeville novelty song called "The Whistling Coon." Johnson sang as well as whistled, and also was able to give a boisterous laugh in musical pitch. From this he developed the second performance that made him famous, "The Laughing Song". Although he recorded other material, including whistling the song "Listen to the Mockingbird" and some short minstrel show performances done with other performers, it was these two songs that Johnson would perform and record over and over for years. By 1895, Johnson's two tunes "The Whistling Coon" and "The Laughing Song" were the best-selling recordings in the United States. The total sales of his wax cylinders between 1890 and 1895 have been estimated at 25,000 to 50,000, each one recorded individually by Johnson. Remarkably, the New Jersey record company marketed Johnson as a black man, during an era when much of American life was strongly segregated by race. "The Whistling Coon" was characterized by a light-hearted tune and lyrics which would be unacceptable today, in which a Black man is compared to a baboon.

This Zon-O-Phone 78 record numbered 5141 was most likely recorded in 1907 or 1908. It features A Singer Sang A Song by Ed. Morton on the A side and the legendary Laughing Song by George W. Johnson on the B side. It is in excellent condition. Buyer will include $5 for shipping. Thanks.