George Alexander (musician)

Alexander, George
Birth name Clifford Alexander Wiley
Born July 9, 1867
Baltimore, Maryland
Died March 2, 1913
New York
Genres popular
Occupation(s) singer
Years active 1903 – 1913
Labels Columbia, Zonophone, Victor

George Alexander (July 9, 1867 – March 2, 1913) was a baritone singer pioneer recording artist who made several best-selling records for Columbia Records in the first decade of the 20th century.

Biography

George Alexander was born in Baltimore on July 9, 1867,[1] his birth name was Clifford Alexander Wiley.[2] He initial recording activity was for Zonophone Records in 1902, and he subsequently recorded for Columbia in 1903, where he produced the majority of his output.[1] He also recorded a few sides for Victor Records in 1903.[1] The same year, he made cylinder records for Edison under the pseudonym Arthur Clifford.[3] He died on March 2, 1913 in New York[1] at the age of 45.[2]

Style and popularity as recording artist

He has been noted for his "robust sonority and precise diction."[4] Joel Whitburn, in his chart reconstructions, estimates that Alexander had three records that would have made the Billboard charts had they existed: Mighty Lak' a Rose (Columbia disc 1585, cylinder 32295) at #3 in December 1903; America (Columbia disc 3099) at #7 in May 1905, and Dearie (Columbia disc 3378, cylinder 32928) at #10 in July 1906.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hoffman, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. ISBN 9781135949495.
  2. 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 21. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  3. ↑ Hoffman, Frank; Cooper, B. Lee; Gracyk, Tim (2012). Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895-1925. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 9781136592294.
  4. ↑ "George Alexander". National Jukebox. Library of Congress. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
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