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Billy Murray

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Billy Murray (25 May 1877 - 17 August 1954) was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century. While he received star billings on Vaudeville, he was best known for his prolific work in the recording studio, making records for almost every record label of the era. He was probably the best selling recording artist of the first quarter of the 20th century.

He was born as William Thomas Murray in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of immigrants from Ireland. He became fascinated with the theater and joined a traveling vaudeville troupe in 1893. He also performed in minstrel shows early in his career. He made his first recordings for a local phonograph cylinder company in San Francisco, California in 1897. He started recording regularly in the New York City and New Jersey area in 1903, when the nation’s major record companies as well as the Tin Pan Alley music industry were concentrated there.

In 1906 he waxed the first of his popular duets with Ada Jones. He also performed with Aileen Stanley, The Haydn Quartet, The Premier Quartet, and The American Quartet (the latter two actually being the same group), in addition to his solo work.

He had a strong tenor voice with excellent enunciation and a more conversational delivery than common with bel canto singers of the era. On comic songs he often deliberately sang slightly flat, which he felt helped the comic effect.

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gramophone, real oldies, evil, nsbm, seminal
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Top Tracks

1	Come Take a Trip in My Airship full track	7
2	The Little Old Ford	5
2	In My Merry Oldsmobile	5
4	Grand Old Rag	4
5	K-K-K-Katy	3
5	Over There	3
7	Me No Speak-a-Good English (1924)	2
7	I'd Rather Be a Lamp-Post on Old Broadway (Edison Cyl., 1916) full track	2
9	Which switch is the switch, Miss, for Ipswich? - from "Rosy Rapture"	1
9	Somebody's Been Around Here Since I've Been Gone 1908	1
9	Johnny get a girl	1
9	One Two Three All Over 1908	1
9	Pretty Baby	1
9	Pride Of The Prairie 1908	1
9	Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now (1924)	1

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Ridikul wrote:
May 2009

fuck bill murray

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Retro_Saiyan wrote:
January 2009

BTW, lihei, this is another Billy Murray. There is also a baseball player, and a box who also have the same name. Wow, 4 notable people with the same name!

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Retro_Saiyan wrote:
January 2009

Wtf how on earth is "Alexander's Ragtime Band " satanic?

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lihei wrote:
January 2009

The actor/comedian?

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JakobVirgil wrote:
December 2008

don't listen to retro_saiyan. He is a well-known liar. Billy completely satanic. -Jake

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Retro_Saiyan wrote:
November 2008

wtf is going on with the tags? Really, he isn't "black metal’, heck, that genre hadn't even been invented 20 years after he died. He's basically the "Weird Al" of his time, although a bit more serious.

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wonder_al wrote:
November 2007

\o/

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