Wax Cylinder, "He's Me Pal", J. W. Myers

Article Profile

Classification: Media 

Era: Edwardian (1901-1910)

Produced by: O'Neill-James Company of Chicago (on behalf of Busy-Bee Records)

Artist: J. W. Myers

Accompanist: Frederick E. Hylands (Pianist - likely)

Year of production: approx. 1904

Catalog No: 262

Dimensions: Container: 10.9cm x 6.5cm (circumference) / Record: 10.1cm x 6.2cm (circumference) 

Historical Significance

This is a wax cylinder dated to around 1904, and is listed as being sung by Welsh-born baritone John W. Myers (c.1864-c.1919), who was a theatre manager and eventual star in the early recording industry. The accompaniment was likely provided by Frederick E. Hylands, who was Myers' favourite pianist and who was Columbia's house pianist between 1897 and 1904. Busy Bee Records did not actually have their own talent, and instead licensed masters to create their records. 

After 1902, companies would take one of the wax originals and electroplate it with gold and copper to create a metal mold, known as a negative. This metal mold would then be used to create new records by pouring hard black wax onto it. The O'Neill-James Co. would buy these masters from Columbia and manufacture their own cylinders from that mold, with a Busy Bee label on the box. This method is the only reason Busy Bee records could even exist as a budget label.

"He's me Pal" is a song from the 1904 musical The School Girl, and was written by Gus Edwards (music) and Vincent Bryan (lyrics). It is known as a "Bowery Ballad" and celebrates pals which, at the time, represented a deep, unbreakable bond of loyalty between friends or even romantic partners in New York. This version is interesting because the song was often recorded with comedic dialect singing for the streets (as New York was a notoriously tough urban landscape), whereas Myers often brought a formal, almost operatic dignity to songs. The lyrics and a recording of the song are included in this article.

Myers was an exceptionally popular singer between 1895 and 1910, and was even successful enough to begin his own company, the Globe Phonograph Record Company, in 1896 and, in 1908, he also co-founded the U-S Phonograph Company. He was famous for his loud, clear delivery which can still be heard over the surface noise of the machines he once worked with, which had a tendency to drown out a lot of the voice and music. Some contemporary accounts suggest that he was very demanding, as seen from reports in the Phonoscope musical journal, and this contributed to the unique sound of his songs. 

Select References & Further Reading:

• The Phonoscope Monthly Journal. Vol. II No. 9 September 1898.

• Columbia Phonograph Company Catalogues (c.1904)

• R.S. Baker's antique record blog. A recording session with J. W. Myers, 1898.

• Hoffmann, Frank. The Encyclopaedia of Popular American Recording.

• Lorenz, Kenneth. The Columbia Phonograph Company Cylinder Records.

• Jasen, David. Tin Pan Alley: The Rise of American Popular Song.

Header image: The Bank of England, London. Photographer Unknown; c. 1905. Image sourced via Public Domain.

Image used: Portrait of J. W. Myers. Photographer Unknown; c.1893. Image sourced via Public Domain.