Len Spencer
Leonard Garfield Spencer (February 12, 1867 – December 15, 1914) was an early American recording artist. He began recording for the Columbia Phonograph Company, in 1889 or 1890. Between 1892 and 1897 he recorded extensively for the New Jersey Phonograph Company and its successor the United States Phonograph Company. He specialized in vaudeville sketches and comic songs, but also sang sentimental ballads popular at the time. He returned to Columbia in 1898 for an exclusive contract then began recording for Berliner Gramophone (disc) records in 1899 and continued with Victor and Columbia as discs became the dominant format in the early 1900s. He began performing with banjoist Vess L. Ossman in 1901 and with Ada Jones in 1905. He is best remembered today for his vaudeville-style comic sketches, such as "The Arkansaw Traveler" (1902), combining clever turns of phrase, ironic elocutionary delivery, sound effects and music to create colorful dialogues featuring itinerant Southerners, auctioneers, circus barkers, and Irish, Jewish or Black Americans. Many of his roles were performed in either blackface or brownface. Spencer's output was eclectic. He imitated animal sounds in "A Barnyard Serenade" (1906) and released another record titled "The Transformation Scene from 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'," but also popularized songs still known today such as "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom De-ay" and "A Hot Time in the Old Town." Music historian Bob Stanley deems it "probable" that Spencer's comedic "Arkansaw Traveler" routine was the first record to sell one million copies, though official documentation is lacking. As the popularity of Len's style of humor waned in the latter part of the decade, he opened a booking agency called "Len Spencer's Lyceum" in New York. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage while working at the Lyceum on December 15, 1914. |
Birth and Death Data: Born February 12, 1867 (Washington, D.C.), Died December 15, 1914 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1896 - 1925
Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker, author, baritone vocal, performer, composer, adapter
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 751-775 of 812 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leeds & Catlin | 5417 | 10-in. | between late 1903 and 1904 | The dog fight | Al S. Holt ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with imitations | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 5725 | 10-in. | between late 1903 and 1904 | Con Clancy and the whistling newsboy | Parke Hunter ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with banjo | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 5726 | 10-in. | between late 1903 and 1904 | Old black Joe | Parke Hunter ; Len Spencer | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | 5728 | 10-in. | between late 1903 and 1904 | Old log cabin in the dell | Parke Hunter ; Len Spencer | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | 5992 | 10-in. | approximately 1904-1905 | He's me pal | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Female-male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6102 | 10-in. | before Aug. 1905 | Heinie | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with female-male vocal duet and orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6104 | 10-in. | before Sept. 1905 | Can't you see my heart beats all for you? | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Comic dialogue and female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6108 | 10-in. | before Sept. 1905 | Louisa Schmidt | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6395 | 10-in. | before Sept. 1905 | The future Mrs. 'Awkins | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6401 | 10-in. | before Sept. 1905 | Reuben and Cynthia | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6825 | 10-in. | early 1906 | Mandy and her man | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Comic dialogue, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6862 | 10-in. | early 1906 | Maggie Clancy's new piano | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene and female-male vocal duet, with piano | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6863 | 10-in. | early 1906 | Mandy and her man | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Comic dialogue, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6865 | 10-in. | early 1906 | Chimmie and Maggie at the Hippodrome | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Comic dialogue and female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6866 | 10-in. | early 1906 | The golden wedding | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 6982 | 10-in. | early 1906 | Flannagan's night off | Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | 7025 | 10-in. | Jan.-July 1906 | Don't argify | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Comic dialogue and female-male vocal duet, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 4059] | 10-in. | between late 1903 and 1904 | That minstrel man of mine | Parke Hunter ; Len Spencer | Male vocal solo, with banjo and talk | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 44821] | 10-in. | 1906 | Hickory Bill | Vess L. Ossman ; Len Spencer | Comic monologue, with banjo | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 44824] | 10-in. | 1906 | You've been a good old wagon, but you've done broke down | Vess L. Ossman ; Len Spencer | Male vocal solo, with banjo | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 44825] | 10-in. | 1906 | Con Clancy's prize waltz contest | Vess L. Ossman ; Len Spencer | Comic monologue, with banjo | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 44852] | 10-in. | 1906 | The happy German twins | Len Spencer ; George P. Watson | Male vocal duet, with orchestra | vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 45004] | 10-in. | 1906 | Bashful Henry and his loving Lucy | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene and vocal duet, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 45005] | 10-in. | 1906 | Hans and Gretchen | Ada Jones ; Len Spencer | Descriptive scene, with orchestra | speaker | |
Leeds & Catlin | [L & C cat 4022] | 10-in. | between late 1903 and 1904 | Auction sale of a furniture store | Len Spencer | Comic monologue | speaker |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Spencer, Len," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106197.
Spencer, Len. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106197.
"Spencer, Len." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Spencer, Len, 1867-1914 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n90608750
Wikidata: Len G. Spencer - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6521966
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/75467103
MusicBrainz: Len G. Spencer - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4e41dee2-f22a-41a1-89da-4aee63b84393
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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