Arthur Fields - How Ya Gonna Keep'em Down On The Farm, 1919

Arthur Fields - How Ya Gonna Keep'em Down On The Farm (After They've Seen Paree?) (W.Donaldson), Victor 1919

NOTE: Arthur FIELDS (1888-1953) was born Abe Finkelstein in Philadelphia to Mortimer and Elizabeth Finkelstein. He spent most of his early years in Utica, New York, singing solos as a boy in church.
He was a professional singer by age 11 or so, singing illustrated songs with Ray Walker at Wackie's moving picture house, Coney Island. Around age 17 he toured with the Guy Brothers Minstrel Show. From 1914 onwards he recorded with many bands and for many labels and had a varied career in the recording industry. His first hit was "On The Mississippi" (1912) which he wrote the music for with Harry Carroll. In 1914 he wrote the lyrics to "Aba Daba Honeymoon", which was revived for the 1950 M.G.M. film "Two Weeks With Love" and thus got a renewed popularity which brought Fields large royalty incomes during his last two years.

His 1919 recordings with bandleader Ford Dabney may be the very first recordings of a white singer backed by a black band. For a period Fields also formed a vocal trio with brothers Jack and Irving Kaufman, billing themselves as "The Three Kaufields". Fields also often appeared on records under pseudonyms, for example as "Mr X." on Grey Gull Records and related labels. His last records were made in the early 1940s. He suffered a stroke early in 1953 and was killed in a fire at Littlefield Convalescent Home a little later the same year.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• First
• World
• War
• song
• American
• soldier
• Paris
• France
• comedy
• singer
• vadeuville
• accoustic
• recording
• shellack
• 78rpm

[barbcard]

How appropriate, since I just returned from Paree. A still great city despite many changes.

[240252]

Hi B., I just returned home and found your message on my answering machine. Welcome! Good to have you back!

[brendafohio]

I dedicate this to all the young people in the Middle Eastern countries (hell, all over the world) who have discovered the free flow of information. Discovered they've been lied to and have been living under someone's thumb. Now they have the internet, cell phones, and social networking......they can't be kept down!

[nyarvideo]

On the other side of the 78 Victor record is "How Are You Goin' To Wet Your Whistle When The Whole Durn World Goes Dry" which is a wonderful counterpoint to the victory in the trenches of Europe and returning to a dry America.

[HarborGuy]

WWl Great - love it -

[3investigators]

Great song - but as the lyrics imply - it's not really about Paris, it's about NYC (Paris being a euphemism for the Big Bad City which for rural Americans was, and still is, New York).

[bearcub410]

wonderful thank you so much

[dzheger]

Delightful. I love the song and I love this sprightly version with the farm animals joining in. And it's so true about enchanting Paree. Great vintage illustrations.

[satotakuhi]

What a old, wonderful and precious song ~ i loved it.

Thank you very much for posting.

[Mr1920s]

I remember this in For Me & My Gal, Judy Garland sang it. :)