John Baltzell

John Baltzell (born September 23, 1860 in Knox County , Ohio , † 1940 ) was an American old-time musician . Baltzell was one of the first rural musicians to make recordings.

Life

Childhood and youth

Baltzell was born in rural Ohio in a small wooden hut where he also grew up. He built his first fiddle for himself and his friends, as he had no money to buy a real instrument. He later received a defective fiddle from a farmer, which he repaired. One of his greatest musical influences was Daniel Emmett, the composer of the song Dixie , who also lived in Knox County. From him Baltzell learned to play and compose by ear, since he could not read notes.

Career

Drunken Sailor Medley , ca.1923

Baltzell's repertoire soon consisted of his own pieces rather than traditional songs. In 1923, just a few months after Fiddlin 'John Carson's recordings, he was invited by Edison Records to New York City to make records in their studio. At that time, Baltzell was already 63 years old. His first sessions, in which six songs were recorded, took place from September 7th to 10th. The recorded pieces also included traditional melodies such as Durang Hornpipe Medley or Money Musk Medley , which were accompanied by pianist John F. Burckhardt. In the period after the recordings, Baltzell received numerous engagements on the radio; he performed in Cleveland , Columbus and Cincinnati , among others . He also won a fiddle contest where radio listeners could vote over the phone.

Despite his success in the music business, Baltzell was not a professional musician. He lived in Mount Vernon and worked as a boiler maker . His musical activities were limited to his leisure time. After making recordings for Victor Records and OKeh Records in the summer of 1924, Baltzell only returned to a recording studio in March 1927. During that month he made more records for Edison and the Plaza Music Company , whose recordings have appeared on a variety of labels. His Plaza recordings were the best-selling records by an old-time musician in 1927. Until 1928, Baltzell played numerous pieces for Edison Records, solo or accompanied by a pianist or another fiddler. The recordings include original compositions, but also versions of traditional pieces such as Arkansas Traveler or Soldier's Joy Hornpipe . Also worth mentioning is the song Emmett Quadrille , dedicated to his mentor Dan Emmett. Baltzell held his last session for Edison on April 11, 1928.

Not much is known about Baltzell's life from 1928 onwards. He died in 1940 at the age of 80.

Discography

Some Edison recordings have been published on 78 rpm plates and on wax cylinders. All Plaza recordings have been released on Banner Records as well as Domino Records, Homestead Records , Oriole Records , Regal Records , Paramount Records and Broadway Records .

year	title	#	Remarks
Published titles
Edison Records
	Durang Hornpipe Medley / Old Red Barn Medley Quadrille	51236
	Money Musk Medley / Buckeye Medley Quadrille	51354
	Drunken Sailor Medley / Farmer's Medley Quadrille	51548
OKeh Records
	John Baltzell's Reel / Mandylyn Quadrille Medley	40206
Edison Records
	Electric Light Scottish / London Polka	51995
	Gilderoy's Reel / Clinton Quadrille	52022
	Mocking Bird	5362	Wax cylinder publication
	Tramp Waltz	5411	Wax cylinder publication
Banner Records
	Turkey in the Straw / The Girl I Left Behind	2159
	The Arkansas Traveler / Sailor's Hornpipe	2159
Edison Records
	Emmett Quadrille / Kenion Rag	52281
	Arkansas Traveler / Pandora Waltz	52294
	Flowers at Edinburgh / Paddy Ryan's Favorite Irish Jig	52313
	Soldier's Joy Hornpipe / Hills Quadrille	52370
	Scotch Reel / Highland Fling	52395
	Wooten Quadrille / Starlight Waltz	42525
	Ginger Ridge Quadrille / SJ Rafferty Reel	52450
Other recordings
1924	Sand Class Reel Pearl Quadrille Ada's quadrille Levison Reel	Victor	demo
1927	Sand reel New Century Hornpipe	Edison	unpublished
1928	Ginger Ridge Quadrille (old version) Soldier's Joy Hornpipe (old version) SJ Rafferty Reel (old version) Hills Quadrille (old version) Flowers at Edinburgh (old version) Wooten Quadrille (old version) Emmett Quadrille (old version) Arkansas Traveler (old version) Scotch Reel (old version) Paddy Ryan's Favorite Irish Jig (old version) Kenion Clog (old version) Highland Fling (old version) Starlight Waltz (old version) Pandora Waltz (old version)	Edison	unpublished

literature

• Simon J. Bronner: Old-Time Music Makers of New York State. Syracuse University Press, 1987, ISBN 0-8156-0216-2 , pp. 31-34.
• Tony Russell: Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942. Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-19-513989-5 , pp. 90-92.

Web links

• John Baltzell at Allmusic (English)