George J. Gaskin - On The Banks Of The Wabash 1898 Indiana

1898 Columbia Phonograph Co. Recordings
"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" was among the best-selling songs of the 19th century in terms of sheet music sold. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland & Co. in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad reminisce about life near Dresser's childhood home by the Wabash River in Indiana. It remained popular for decades and the Indiana General Assembly adopted it as the official state song on March 14, 1913. The song was the basis for a 1923 film by the same title. Its longtime popularity led to the emergence of several different lyrical versions, including an 1898 anti-war song and a Swedish version that was a number one hit.
The song was composed during a transitory time in musical history when songs first began to be recorded for the phonograph. It was among the earliest pieces of popular music to be recorded. Dresser's inability to control the distribution of phonograph cylinders led him and his company to join other composers to petition the United States Congress to expand federal copyright protections over the new technology.
Dresser's ballad was the subject of some controversy after his death in 1906. His younger brother, novelist Theodore Dreiser, publicly claimed to have authored part of the song; the validity of his claim was never proven. The ambiguity of United States copyright laws at the time and the poor management of Dresser's estate left the song vulnerable to plagiarism. The 1917 song "Back Home Again in Indiana" borrowed heavily from Dresser's song, both lyrically and musically, and led to a dispute with Dresser's estate that was never resolved.
George J. Gaskin (1863--1920) was an American singer.
Born in Belfast, Northern 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.
Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. (April 22, 1857 -- January 31, 1906) was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels. He grew in fame and began performing in several regional theaters before joining John Hamlin's traveling show in 1878. He continued traveling nationally with a number of different acts, eventually joining The Tin Soldier in 1890. There he began writing many prominently featured songs, but after disputes with the show's manager, Charles Hoyt, he began publishing his music independently.
Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. was born the fourth son of Johann Paul and Sarah Mary Schanab Dreiser in Terre Haute, Indiana on April 22, 1857. His father was a German immigrant from Mayen, and was the manager of a factory that produced wool cloth. His mother was a Mennonite prior to her marriage, but had been disowned by her family after eloping with her husband

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[vaibanez17]

This song was "#1" the day my great grandfather was born, although who knows how they determined that back then. He was born on November 24th, 1897.

[MikeBlitzMag]

One of 29 hit singles that George J. Gaskin enjoyed before the close of the 19th century. We are truly blessed that this recording has survived.