George Alexander (American musician)
Alexander, George | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clifford Alexander Wiley |
| Born | July 9, 1867 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Died | March 2, 1913 New York |
| Genres | popular |
| Occupation | singer |
| Years active | 1903 – 1913 |
| Labels | Columbia, Zonophone, Victor |
George Alexander (July 9, 1867 – March 2, 1913) was a baritone and pioneer recording artist who made several best-selling records for Columbia Records in the first decade of the 20th century.
Biography
[edit]George Alexander was born in Baltimore on July 9, 1867,[1] his birth name was Clifford Alexander Wiley.[2] His initial recording activity was for Zonophone Records in 1902, and he subsequently recorded for Columbia Talking Machine Co. in 1903, where he produced the majority of his output.[1] He also recorded a few sides for Victor Records in 1903.[1] The same year, he made cylinder records for Edison under the pseudonym Arthur Clifford.[3] He died on March 2, 1913, in New York[1] at the age of 45.[2]
He died of heart disease and Bright's disease in New York City on 2 March 1913 and is buried in New Jersey Cemetery in North Bergen New Jersey.[4]
Style and popularity as recording artist
[edit]He has been noted for his "robust sonority and precise diction."[5] Joel Whitburn, in his chart reconstructions, estimates that Alexander had three records that would have made the Billboard charts had they existed: Mighty Lak' a Rose (Columbia disc 1585, cylinder 32295) at #3 in December 1903; America (Columbia disc 3099, cylinder 32637) at #7 in May 1905, and Dearie (Columbia disc 3378, cylinder 32928) at #10 in July 1906.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hoffman, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. ISBN 9781135949495.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 21. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Hoffman, Frank; Cooper, B. Lee; Gracyk, Tim (2012). Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895-1925. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 9781136592294.
- ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson
- ^ "George Alexander". National Jukebox. Library of Congress. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
External links
[edit]- George Alexander recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
- George Alexander singing "Afterwards"
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- 1913 deaths
- Columbia Records artists
- Pioneer recording artists
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- Edison Records artists
- 1867 births
- American baritones
- Musicians from Baltimore
- 19th-century American male singers
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- American pop singer stubs