Vernon Dalhart | |
|---|---|
 Dalhart in 1917 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Marion Try Slaughter (1883-04-06)April 6, 1883 Jefferson, Texas, United States |
| Died | September 14, 1948(1948-09-14) (aged 65) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1913–1940 |
| Labels | Edison,RCA Victor,Columbia,Old Homestead,Bell |
Marion Try Slaughter (April 6, 1883 – September 14, 1948), better known by his stage nameVernon Dalhart, was an Americancountry music singer and songwriter who recorded music prolifically from 1917 into the 1930s. He aspired to be an opera singer, and began his career this way, but soon began recording country music inspired by his roots in farming and ranching.[1] His recording of the classic ballad "Wreck of the Old 97" was the first country song reputed to have sold one million copies, although sales figures for pre-World War Two recordings are difficult to verify. Dalhart has since faded into relative obscurity.
Dalhart was born inJefferson, Texas, on April 6, 1883. He took his stage name from two towns,Vernon andDalhart in Texas, between which hepunched cattle as a teenager in the 1890s.[2] When Dalhart was 12 or 13, the family moved from Jefferson to Dallas, Texas.
He sang and played harmonica andJew's harp at local community events and attended the Dallas Conservatory of Music.[3] He married Sadie Lee Moore-Livingston in 1901 and had two children, a son and a daughter. In 1910, on the recommendation of a Dallas Conservatory teacher, he moved the family to New York City, where he worked in a piano warehouse and took occasional singing jobs
Dalhart's education was inclassical music. He had aspirations of being an opera singer, and in 1913 was cast inMadame Butterfly andH.M.S. Pinafore.[3] When, he saw an advertisement in the local newspaper for singers and applied, he was auditioned byThomas Alva Edison and went on to record forEdison Records. From 1916 until 1926, he made over 400 recordings ofclassical music and early dance band vocals for various record labels. In 1917 he requested to record the song "Can’t You Heah Me Callin’, Caroline?" for Edison Records. This song is what first introduced his talents into the country music tradition[4] which, at the time, was popularly referred to as "Hillbilly Music;" the likes of which he often heard during his time spent ranching as a teenager.[1] The trajectory of his music career was altered and, at this point, he began to record prolifically with labels such as Columbia and other popular labels of the day in addition to Edison Records.[4]
Between 1927 and 1929 he also recorded with the Vernon Dalhart Trio, composed of Vernon Dalhart,Adelyne Hood, andCarson Robison.[5]
In the 1920s and 1930s, he sang on more than 5000 singles (78s) for many labels, employing more than 100 pseudonyms, such as Al Craver, Vernon Dale, Frank Evans, Hugh Lattimer, Sid Turner, George White (with original Memphis Five) and Bob White.[3] OnGrey Gull Records, he often used the name "Vel Veteran", which was also used by other singers, includingArthur Fields. He was already an established singer when he made his firstcountry music recordings.
Dalhart stated in a 1918 interview amidst criticism of his accent seeming artificial, "When you are born and brought up in the South your only trouble is to talk any other way ...the 'sure 'nough Southerner' talks almost like a Negro, even when he's white. I've broken myself of the habit, more or less, in ordinary conversation, but it still comes pretty easy."[6]
Dalhart had a hit single with his 1924 recording of "The Wreck of the Old 97", a classic Americanballad about the derailment ofFast Mail train No. 97 nearDanville, Virginia, in 1903. Recorded for theVictor Talking Machine Company, the song alerted the national record companies to the existence of a sizable market for country-music vocals. It became the first Southern song to become a national success. With "The Prisoner's Song" as the b-side, the single eventually sold as many as seven million copies, a huge number for recording in the 1920s. It was awarded agold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)[7] and was the biggest-selling, non-holiday record in the first 70 years of recorded music.Joel Whitburn, a statistician forBillboard magazine, determined that "The Prisoner's Song" was No. 1 hit for twelve weeks in 1925–26.[8]
One of the recordings most associated with Vernon Dalhart, especially in the United Kingdom, is his 1925 track "The Runaway Train" (Talking Machine Co., Camden, New Jersey, Victor 19685-A, Shellac). This was played onBBC Radio'sChildren's Favourites between 1954 and 1982, and even now almost every compilation of children's records in the UK includes this track.[citation needed]
Wanting to repeat the success of the single, the Victor Company sentRalph Peer to the southern mountains in 1927 to facilitate theBristol Sessions. These sessions led to the discovery of singerJimmie Rodgers and theCarter Family, after which Peer's royalty model would become the standard of the music industry.
By the late 1930s, Dalhart's popularity declined and he had lost much of his income in theGreat Depression. He produced one final recording for Bluebird Records in 1939[4] then eventually retired and relocated toBridgeport, Connecticut in 1940 where he worked as a night clerk for theHotel Barnum.[1]
He died on September 14, 1948 of acoronary occlusion at the age of 65. He is buried inMountain Grove Cemetery inBridgeport.[2]
In November 1955, as conversations surround Dalhart and Jimmie Rodgers began to stir. Ralph Peer, felt compelled to make a few comments about Dalhart's career. He made the fine distinction that Dalhart was not a "Hillbilly Artist" but merely a "popular artist who sang hillbilly songs." He catagorized Dalhart as someone who "had the peculiar ability to adapt hillbilly music to suit the taste of the non-hillbilly population and labeled him as "a profitable substitute for a real hillbilly."[9]
Albums
| Title | Year | Recording Date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Time Songs: Original 1925-1930 Recordings | 1976 | 1930 | Davis Unlimited |
| 1921-1927 | 1977 | 1927 | Golden Olden Classics |
| The First Singing Cowboy On Records | 1978 | Mark56 Records | |
| First Recorded Railroad Songs | |||
| Ballads and Railroad Songs | 1980 | Old Homestead Records | |
| On The Lighter Side | 1985 | ||
| "The Wreck Of The Old 97" And Other Early Country Hits - Vol. III | |||
| Inducted Into The Hall Of Fame 1981 | 1999 | King Records | |
| Puttin' On The Style | 2007 | Document Records |
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