It's time again for Three Tune Tuesday, that day of the week where members of the Hive community shares three songs of their liking with the rest of the community.
I know, I post Three Tune Tuesday on Wednesday. It's done by design! I run a Three Tune Tuesday livestream on Tuesday, then post the songs the next day. Want to be the first to hear them? Tune in live!
12:00pm (noon) EDT
17:00 UTC
https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
I take a slow, relaxing approach to Three Tune Tuesday: I like to share pre-1924 78rpm songs from my collection, and record them while playing on an appropriate time-period windup phonograph. I encourage you to take a few moments and slow down with me. Settle down, close your eyes, and take yourself back.. way back.. in time, to a distant uncle's parlour in the early 1920's. There are comfortable seats, pleasant conversation, and old music.
We're going old-school this week. Really old school. As old as I have. These three songs are new records in my collection. There is a story behind how I obtained them which I shared on my TTT livestream yesterday (you are listening in live, right?) and will share in a post later in the week.
There's a Dark Man Coming with a Bundle
"There's a Dark Man Coming with a Bundle" is a song written by Bert Leighton and Lew Dockstader in 1904. It was originally performed by Dockstader's Minstrels, a popular vaudeville act of the time. The song is about a woman who is afraid of a dark man who is coming to her house with a bundle. She believes that the man is going to harm her, but in the end, he turns out to be a harmless peddler.
Zon-O-Phone was a record label founded in 1899 in the United States. It was one of the earliest record labels and was initially established as a subsidiary of the National Gramophone Company. 1899! This record is likely around 1908.
Zon-O-Phone produced both single-sided and double-sided recordings, and they were notable for their high quality. The label also pioneered the use of paper labels on their discs, which was a significant improvement over the wax labels used by their competitors.
The Zon-O-Phone label was active until around 1912, when it was sold to Columbia Records.
Old Black Joe
"Old Black Joe" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864). The song is a sentimental ballad about an old black man who is reminiscing about his lost youth. He sings about the good times he had with his friends and family, and he expresses his sadness at leaving them behind. The song is a lament for the passing of time and the loss of innocence.
The Leeds label was a record label founded in 1903 by the Ohio Talking Machine Company. The label was initially used to release recordings of opera and classical music, but it later expanded to include popular music and jazz. The Leeds label was known for its high-quality recordings and its distinctive gold foil embossed label.
The Leeds label was discontinued in 1906, but it has since become a collector's item. Records with the gold foil embossed label are particularly sought-after by collectors.
- The Leeds label was founded in 1903 by the Ohio Talking Machine Company.
- The label was initially used to release recordings of opera and classical music, but it later expanded to include popular music and jazz.
- The Leeds label was known for its high-quality recordings and its distinctive gold foil embossed label.
- The Leeds label was discontinued in 1906, but it has since become a collector's item.
- Records with the gold foil embossed label are particularly sought-after by collectors.
The Leed's company itself had an issue adhering to patent restrictions and court orders. Ultimately, in 1909 after the Supreme Court upheld patents held by Victor, Leed's found the damages to be exhausting and went into bankruptcy. Ironically, one of the items in the bankruptcy sale to recover funds for debt with a Victor phonograph.
I do not have a precise date for the manufacture of this record but, knowing that the gold embossed labels were discontinued in 1906, we can identify this record as being produced somewhere between 1904-1906.
Forsaken
I do not know much about this song itself. I know more about the Berliner label than the song.
Berliner's Gramophone was a record label founded in the late 19th century by Emile Berliner, a German inventor and entrepreneur who is credited with inventing the gramophone, a device used for playing sound recordings. The Berliner's Gramophone label was one of the first record labels in the world and it played a significant role in the development of the recording industry.
Berliner's Gramophone produced some of the earliest commercial recordings of music, speeches, and other sounds. The label was known for its innovative recording techniques, such as using multiple recording horns to capture different sections of an orchestra. The label also pioneered the use of flat disc records, which replaced the earlier cylindrical records that had been used by other record companies. Yes, these Berliner records were the first flat disc shaped records produced. Ever.
This particular record, Forsaken, was likely created between 1895 and 1899. This is a short song of not quite two minutes in length. It's worth a listen if, for no other reason, to appreciate the history behind all recorded music history.
Three Tune Tuesday (TTT) is initiated by 
I run a live stream of my TTT songs every Tuesday at 12:00pm EDT, then take that stream and share the songs from it here, on Hive, on Wednesday (or occasionally Thursday). These songs are all old pre-1923 78rpm records from my collection, played on my antique phonographs and recorded with a well placed microphone. Like what you hear? Come listen live!
Online Radio: https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Three Tune Tuesday Live Stream: 12:00pm (noon) EST
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https://blindskeleton.one/blind-skeleton-podcasts/
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe
About Me
Sometimes photographer. Wannabe author. Game designer. Nerd. 78rpm disc jockey.
General all around problem-solver and creative type.
Blind Skeleton
Online Radio: https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Three Tune Tuesday Live Stream: 12:00pm (noon) EST