Peerless Quartet - In the Evening By the Moonlight (1926)

The Peerless Quartet is said to be the most commercially successful vocal group of the acoustic recording era.

Personnel changed frequently. The Quartet is an off shoot of the Columbia Male Quartet. In 1904 it consisted of tenors Henry Burr and Albert Campbell, baritone Steve Porter, and bass Tom Daniels. In 1906 Frank C. Stanley replaced Daniels and assumed lead singing and managing responsibilities.

The "Peerless Quartet" name appeared in 1906-1907. The group was called the Columbia Quartet on Columbia records for many years after other companies adopted the Peerless name.

Arthur Collins filled Porter's slot in 1909. When Stanley died in 1910, John Meyer became the bass and Burr sang the lead. Frank Croxton joined the group when Collins left in 1918.

In 1925 Burr changed to personnel to include himself, Carl Mathieu, Stanley Baughman and James Stanley. The Quartet disbanded in 1928.
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Henry Burr was the pseudonym of Harry McClaskey, a world famous pop singer and recording artist of the 1902-1929 period. Credited with making over 5000 phonograph recordings for almost every record company and performing in many concerts throughout North America, this Canadian-American remains one of the most famous, and yet, one of the most forgotten recording artists of all time. Most information about Burr has come from a series of article written by Jim Walsh and the New York Times obituary.

Peerless Quartet with Henry Burr
In the Evening By the Moonlight
(1926) Victor-20055

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Peerless
• Quartet
• Henry
• Burr
• 1926
• 20's

[EdisonSquirrel]

This is great! I was not aware of this electrically recorded rendition of this old tune that was recorded by the Edison Quartet on 2-minute wax cylinder and the Haydn Quartet (the same group) on Victor in 1905.

[edmundusrex]

I have both recordings in my collection. Great, that Im not alone knowing (and loving) these music.

Greetings

ed.

[Neoklz]

God, I wish music was this good today :(

[livingaragtimelife]

Bittersweet. It made me cry, evoking days long gone and my father.

[SMNONA100]

@livingaragtimelife Bless your heart. Don't those dear melodies evoke senses of times gone by, and recoverable only in emotion and the threads of memory! They are with us still, those sweet souls, so long as we can recall them in love. We were the once-living, and this is what matters. We will forever linger with them in spirit, and in beauty, in an infinite reality.

[JFKWT]

Oh god why is there <8000 views T_T

[type61m]

I can't get this out of my head, not a bad thing I guess.

[JeffHendrie]

I have a 1906 Columbia Record of this song, the label says, "COLUMBIA RECORD-Grand Prize-Highest Possible Award-Paris 1900*St Louis 1904-patented dec. 10, 1901, nov. 25, 1902, jan. 2, 1906.-other patents pending-baritone solo=||orchistra accompaniment-In the Evening by the Moonlight, Dear|-LOUISE-Harry Von Tilzer|-Sung by Frank C. Stanley-No. 3521-NEW YORK. COLUMBIA PHONOGRAPH COMPANY GENL. LONDON. It was pressed in 1906 too.

[Maylorslicedbread]

I am blessed to have a great grandaddy who can still remeber the good ole days like this song.

[fretkillrlives]

I just heard another version of this song in the movie 1938 "Zenobia" with Oliver Hardy and Billie Burke. "In the Evening by the Moonlight" (1880) Written by James Allen Bland. The Peerless Quartet is the best version I've heard of this nostalgic song. This must have been one of the early electric recordings which began in 1925. Today's pop music is missing the sweetness and humanity found in these older records. Thanks for posting this gem.

[kwisk101]

nice i'm trying to play this on my piano.

[SatoTM3]

justin bieber is a turd compared to this..

no wait...hes a turd compared to everything >=(

[preruminator]

I like their quality, their musicality, their unobtrusive subtlety.

Thanks for posting!

[schlesmail]

So who was who in this photo dating from 1923? From left to right: John Meyer (baritone), Henry Burr (lead), Frank Croxton (bass), & Albert Campbell (tenor). In 1926, after the electric recording process had replaced acoustic recordings (i.e., using a microphone rather than a horn), Burr replaced the other three quartet members with Carl Mathieu, Stanley Baughman, & James Stanley. They retired in 1928--pretty good for a group that was organized around 1904 & topped the charts for many years.