Image Source: Wikipedia

George Hamilton Green

George Hamilton Green Jr. (May 23, 1893 – September 11, 1970) was a xylophonist, composer, and cartoonist born in Omaha, Nebraska. He was born into a musical family, both his grandfather and his father being composers, arrangers, and conductors for bands in Omaha. His father was the conductor of an army band and growing up in his house, he had access to many musical instruments. From age four G.H. Green showed a prodigious talent as a pianist; he then took up the xylophone and by the age of eleven was being promoted as the “world’s greatest xylophonist” and was playing for crowds of 7,000-10,000. In 1915, when Green was 22 years old, a review in the United States Musician stated: "He has begun where every other xylophone player left off. His touch, his attack, his technique, and his powers of interpretation in the rendition of his solos being far different than other performers. To say his work is marvelous and wonderful would not fully express it." George Hamilton Green wrote several pieces for solo ragtime xylophone with accompaniment, as well as a xylophone method book which continues to be used by percussion pedagogues across the country. Some of his compositions for xylophone include: "Ragtime Robin", "Cross Corners", "Charleston Capers", "Rainbow Ripples", "Log Cabin Blues", "The Whistler", "Chromatic Fox Trot", and "Jovial Jasper" for piano and xylophone because of his experience on both instruments.

He was a popular recording artist starting in 1916 with the Edison Company and was employed, along with his two brothers, Joe and Lew Green, as the original sound music crew for Walt Disney's first three cartoons.

According to Nathaniel Shilkret, Green was not only a "wonderful xylophone artist," but an inventor. Shilkret said that Green designed the vibraharp at Shilkret's request.

Green was an important ragtime composer and authored many pieces that remain standards for the instrument even today. He retired from performing in the late 1940s to pursue a successful career in cartooning. Green would die in 1970, just a few years before a revival in the popularity of his ragtime xylophone music, and before his induction into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1983 The rebirth of his music was led by members of the NEXUS Percussion Ensemble in the late 1970s. Through their efforts, G.H. Green's xylophone music has been preserved and remains a relevant part of contemporary percussion pedagogy and performance.

Birth and Death Data: Born May 23, 1893 (Omaha), Died 1970

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1916 - 1934

Roles Represented in DAHR: xylophone, composer, vibraphone, marimba, arranger, celeste, leader, percussion, bells, lyricist, songwriter, drums

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 355 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-23800 10-in. 2/24/1920 Rose of Washington Square All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-23862 10-in. 3/19/1920 Alabama moon Hawaiian Trio Instrumental trio (Hawaiian) composer, instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-23866 10-in. 3/25/1920 La veeda Green Brothers' Novelty Band Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-23867 10-in. 3/25/1920 Desert dreams Green Brothers' Novelty Band Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor C-23881 12-in. 4/6/1920 Oh! By jingo! All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor C-23882 12-in. 4/6/1920 I gave her that All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24056 10-in. 5/14/1920 But she's just a little bit crazy about her husband, that's all All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24057 10-in. 5/14/1920 Hawaiian twilight Hawaiian Trio Instrumental trio (Hawaiian) instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24059 10-in. 5/14/1920 Old Man Jazz All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24084 10-in. 6/15/1920 Scandal walk Van Eps Quartet Instrumental quartet instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24085 10-in. 6/15/1920 So long Oo-long (How long you gonna be gone?) Van Eps Quartet Instrumental quartet instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24295 10-in. 9/28/1920 Camp meetin' blues All Star Trio Instrumental trio composer, instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24516 10-in. 10/5/1920 12th Street rag All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24517 10-in. 10/5/1920 Dotty Dimples All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone, composer  
Victor B-24613 10-in. 10/6/1920 Alabama moon Elsie Baker ; Olive Kline Female vocal duet, with violin, piano, harp, and orchestra lyricist, composer  
Victor C-24819 12-in. 3/2/1921 Why don't you? All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24819 10-in. 1/25/1921 Why don't you? All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24820 10-in. 1/25/1921 Rose All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24880 10-in. 2/23/1921 Answer All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24883 10-in. 2/23/1921 Mazie All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24884 10-in. 2/23/1921 Sonny All Star Trio Instrumental trio composer, instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-24885 10-in. 2/23/1921 Round the town All Star Trio Instrumental trio instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor C-24894 12-in. 3/2/1921 Siren of a southern sea All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
Victor B-25009 10-in. 3/17/1921 Teach me All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone, composer  
Victor C-25010 12-in. 3/17/1921 Moonbeams All Star Trio ; All Star Trio Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, xylophone  
(Results 26-50 of 355 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Green, George Hamilton," accessed October 31, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104861.

Green, George Hamilton. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104861.

"Green, George Hamilton." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 31 October 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104861

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.