Ben Selvin
Benjamin Bernard Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980) was an American musician, bandleader, and record producer. He was known as the Dean of Recorded Music. Selvin was born in New York City, United States, the son of Jewish Russian immigrants. He started his professional life at age 15 as a fiddle player in New York City night clubs. Six years later, as leader of his own dance band, the Novelty Orchestra, he released what was later alleged to be the biggest-selling popular song in the first quarter-century of recorded music. "Dardanella" allegedly sold more than six million copies and an additional million pieces of sheet music—although in a joint interview with Gustave Haenschen, founding director of popular-music releases at Brunswick Records, Selvin described the alleged record-sales total as “nonsensical” and said the actual sales of “Dardanella” and other purported “million-sellers” in the 1920s was 150,000 discs. He was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) that was presented to Selvin on his retirement on March 14, 1963. According to The Guinness Book of World Records, Selvin recorded more musical sides (on 78-rpm discs) than any other person. One reason for this prolific output is that he recorded for dozens of different record labels during this productive time in the industry, using a different name for each label. His output has been estimated at 13,000 to 20,000 song titles. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 5, 1898 (New York City), Died July 15, 1980 (Manhasset)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1919 - 1942
Roles Represented in DAHR: leader, violin, vocalist, songwriter, composer, lyricist, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 701-725 of 1016 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W151871 | 10-in. | 10/30/1931 | Tell me with a love song | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151872 | 10-in. | 11/2/1931 | She didn't say "yes" | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151873 | 10-in. | 11/2/1931 | When the rest of the crowd goes home (I always go home alone) | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | leader | |
Columbia | W151881 | 10-in. | 11/17/1931 | Where the blue of the night meets the gold of the day | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151882 | 10-in. | 11/17/1931 | You were my salvation | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151891 | 10-in. | 11/27/1931 | Bend down, sister | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151892 | 10-in. | 11/27/1931 | (Potatoes are cheaper—tomatoes are cheaper) Now's the time to fall in love | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151893 | 10-in. | 11/27/1931 | Save the last dance for me | The Cavaliers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151894 | 10-in. | 11/27/1931 | I wonder who's under the moon with you tonight | The Cavaliers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W151895 | 10-in. | 12/1/1931 | The pardon of Tom Mooney | Bob Ferguson and his Scalawaggers | Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin), piano, and guitar | composer | |
Columbia | W152048 | 10-in. | 12/18/1931 | All of me | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152049 | 10-in. | 12/18/1931 | I found you | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152051 | 10-in. | 12/29/1931 | Who's your little who-zis! | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152052 | 10-in. | 12/29/1931 | Oh! What a thrill (To hear it from you) | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152053 | 10-in. | 12/29/1931 | With love in my heart | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152054 | 10-in. | 12/29/1931 | Good-night moon | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152067 | 10-in. | 1/15/1932 | New twenty-one years | Ernest Hare | Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin) and guitar | instrumentalist, violin | |
Columbia | W152068 | 10-in. | 1/15/1932 | Fifty years repentin' | Ernest Hare | Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin) and guitar | instrumentalist, violin | |
Columbia | W152069 | 10-in. | 1/15/1932 | When we're alone | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152070 | 10-in. | 1/15/1932 | Was that the human thing to do? | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152071 | 10-in. | 1/15/1932 | You're my everything | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152078 | 10-in. | 1/18/1932 | Who cares? (So long as you care for me) | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | leader | |
Columbia | W152079 | 10-in. | 1/18/1932 | Of thee I sing | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | leader | |
Columbia | W152097 | 10-in. | 1/29/1932 | Delishious | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W152098 | 10-in. | 1/29/1932 | Dancing on the ceiling | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra ; Chester Gaylord | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Selvin, Ben," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/111064.
Selvin, Ben. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/111064.
"Selvin, Ben." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Selvin, Ben, 1898-1980 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98080176
Wikidata: Ben Selvin - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q304517
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/54338200
MusicBrainz: Ben Selvin - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/84733717-7fa8-43da-a6aa-259fa1f36eb0
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