American Quartet
The American Quartet was a four-member vocal group that recorded for various companies in the United States between 1899 and 1925. The membership varied over the years, but the most famous line-up — comprising John Bieling (first tenor), Billy Murray (second tenor), Steve Porter (baritone), and William F. Hooley (bass) — recorded for the Victor Talking Machine Company from 1909 to 1913. The same group of singers also recorded for Edison Records as the Premier Quartet (or Quartette), and for that and other labels as the Premier American Quartet. From 1912 to 1914 the quartet also recorded with countertenor Will Oakland as the Heidelberg Quintet. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1909, Died Ceased 1922
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1900 - 1926
Roles Represented in DAHR: Vocal group
Notes: Listed on some disc labels as American Quartette.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 151-175 of 364 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | B-12889 | 10-in. | 2/10/1913 | War song medley | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-12898 | 10-in. | 2/10/1913 | Row, row, row | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-12997 | 10-in. | 3/14/1913 | Ship of my dreams | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-12998 | 10-in. | 3/14/1913 | In good old Georgia land | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13110 | 10-in. | 4/11/1913 | And the green grass grew all around | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13243 | 10-in. | 5/6/1913 | You can't stop me from loving you | American Quartet | Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13369 | 10-in. | 5/29/1913 | That tinkling tango tune | American Quartet | Male vocal quintet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13370 | 10-in. | 5/29/1913 | The soul of the raging sea | American Quartet | Male vocal quintet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13371 | 10-in. | 5/29/1913 | Boom, tum, ta-ra-zing boom! | American Quartet | Male vocal quintet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13502 | 10-in. | 6/30/1913 | Cross the Mason-Dixon line | American Quartet | Vocal quartet | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13503 | 10-in. | 6/30/1913 | Sailing down the Chesapeake Bay | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13686 | 10-in. | 8/12/1913 | When I first met you | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13714 | 10-in. | 9/3/1913 | Floating down the river ('Cause it's moonlight now in Dixieland) | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13715 | 10-in. | 9/3/1913 | In the land of plankity plank | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13959 | 10-in. | 10/15/1913 | Love me like I love you | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet and female vocal solo, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13960 | 10-in. | 10/15/1913 | Dixie days | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-13961 | 10-in. | 10/15/1913 | When they christened brother Johnson's child | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14116 | 10-in. | 11/25/1913 | You need a rag | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14117 | 10-in. | 11/25/1913 | Benny Havens, oh! | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14118 | 10-in. | 11/25/1913 | Army blue | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14230 | 10-in. | 12/22/1913 | The ragtime dream | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14231 | 10-in. | 12/22/1913 | Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14310 | 10-in. | 1/13/1914 | All aboard for Dixieland | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14311 | 10-in. | 1/13/1914 | 'Cross the Great Divide (I'll wait for you) | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group | |
| Victor | B-14312 | 10-in. | 1/13/1914 | The woman Thou gavest me | American Quartet | Male vocal quartet, with orchestra | Vocal group |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "American Quartet," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106552.
American Quartet. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/106552.
"American Quartet." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: American Quartet - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92054722
Wikidata: Premier Quartet - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4744774
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/153748628
MusicBrainz: Premier Quartet - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b122bc15-258b-4a7e-bb47-ac6db4d10072
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