Alexander's Ragtime Band Columbia A1032

Alexander's Ragtime Band
Words and music by Irving Berlin (1911) Sung by Collins and Harlan Columbia Record A1032. Played for you on a portable 1927 Victor Orthophonic Victrola.

Oh! ma honey, Oh! ma honey,
Better hurry, and let's meander;
Ain't you goin', ain't you goin'
To the leader man, ragged music man?
Oh! ma honey, Oh! ma honey,
Let me take to to Alexander's grandstand, brass band,
Ain't you comin' along?

[Chorus]

Come on and hear, come on and hear
Alexander's Ragtime Band;
Come on and hear, come on and hear,
It's the best band in the land.
Can they play a bugle call
Like you never heard before,
So natural that you want to go to war;
That's just the bestest band what am, honey lamb!
Come on along, come on along,
Let me take you by the hand
Up to the man, up to the man
Who's the leader of the band;
And I would like to hear the Swanee River played in ragtime,
Come on and hear, come on and hear
Alexander's Ragtime Band.


Oh! ma honey, Oh! ma honey,
There's a fiddle with notes that screeches
Like a chicken, like a chicken,
And the clarinet is a colored pet.
Come and listen, come and listen
To a classical band what's peaches, come now, somehow,
Better hurry along!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• 1911
• irving
• berlin
• victrola
• orthophonic
• ragtime
• band
• collins
• harlan

[edisonphonographs]

Very good song! That victor sounds great!Where did you get this phonograph?

Thanks

[retrod1]

Thanks! I bought this Victrola at the 'Seven Mile Fair' in 1962!

[fuzzbear6240]

Retrod1, Perfect! What a great recording, C & H are as good if not better than Jolson & Crosby. Is that that a 2-55? It sounds great. Thanks for sharing this.

Regards, J.

[retrod1]

Yes, a 2-55. I bought it at a flea market when I was 10 years old, that was 47 years ago! The old gent selling Victrolas had about half a dozen portables. He had been in the repair business when they were new! I carefully selected the 2-55 from the line-up. He said "sonny you picked out the best of them" He then told me to take care of it and I have, all these years.

[trolleybus1962]

One of the singers sounds like a woman yet Collins and Harlan were both men.

[retrod1]

The women's role is usually performed by Byron Harlan. Collins & Harlan were the most popular recording team of the Ragtime Era.

[HYAAALP]

Wow, a vinyl that's survived for 99 years... I guess now that it's digital, it'll survive forever!

[pjklondon]

@ agnuswild Grow up!

[BC1Dan]

This would've been alot better autotuned.

[illidnarg]

There is MUCH historical evidence that Irving Berlin lifted the music for Alexanders Ragtime Band from Scott Joplin's unpublished Opera Treemonisha which Joplin--according to his Widow--had to rewrite the Treemonisha score before Joplin and his wife Lottie published it in 1911--the Next Year --in 1912--Joplin released the rag SCOTT JOPLIN's NEW RAG--in an angry reference to the Berlin theft--Alexanders Ragtime Band is a Berlin/Joplin composition--Joplin SHOULD get credit for the MUSIC !!!!!

[sanclementekid]

True Americana

[ParagramTree]

This proves that the old songs are the best. How many of todays songs do you think will still be being played in one hundred years time?

[Parsfan1885]

@HYAAALP Its not a vinyl, the old 78's were made of graphite. Vinyl came with the new 33i/2 speed records.

[missjenzz]

fantastic!!!!!!!!!

[AngelaRed]

must say, the voice reminds me of Al Jolson