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 276-300 of 1016 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Columbia | W146611 | 10-in. | 7/2/1928 | What d'ya say? | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal trio | leader | |
Columbia | W146619 | 10-in. | 7/3/1928 | Shanty-man's life | Pierre La Dieu | Male vocal solo, with violin and piano | instrumentalist, violin | |
Columbia | W146620 | 10-in. | 7/3/1928 | Driving saw-logs on the plover | Pierre La Dieu | Male vocal solo, with violin and piano | instrumentalist, violin | |
Columbia | W146634 | 10-in. | 7/20/1928 | Sorry for me | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet | leader | |
Columbia | W146635 | 10-in. | 7/20/1928 | If you don't love me | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146734 | 10-in. | 7/17/1928 | King for a day | Irving Kaufman | Male vocal solo, with violin and piano | instrumentalist, violin | |
Columbia | 146735 | 10-in. | 7/17/1928 | Blue grass | Irving Kaufman | Male vocal solo, with violin and piano | instrumentalist, violin | |
Columbia | 146743 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Ten little miles from town | Tom Frawley ; The Harmonians [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146744 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Half-way to heaven | Tom Frawley ; The Harmonians [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146745 | 10-in. | 7/18/1928 | Someday, somewhere (We'll meet again) | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W146757 | 10-in. | 7/20/1928 | You're a real sweetheart | Broadway Nitelites | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W146758 | 10-in. | 7/20/1928 | I'm walking between the raindrops | The Knickerbockers | Jazz/dance band, with vocal trio | leader | |
Columbia | W146759 | 10-in. | 7/20/1928 | Just imagine | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W146793 | 10-in. | 7/24/1928 | Jeannine, I dream of lilac time | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra ; Frank Munn | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | W146794 | 10-in. | 7/24/1928 | Grieving | Ben Selvin and his Orchestra ; Frank Munn | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146799 | 10-in. | 7/25/1928 | Once in a lifetime | Musical Comedy Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; Robert Wood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146800 | 10-in. | 7/25/1928 | Watch my baby walk | Musical Comedy Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; Robert Wood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146801 | 10-in. | 7/25/1928 | You alone | Musical Comedy Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; Robert Wood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146802 | 10-in. | 7/25/1928 | Blue shadows | Musical Comedy Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; Robert Wood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146842 | 10-in. | 8/15/1928 | Don't wait until the lights are low | Dick Burnett ; The Harmonians [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146843 | 10-in. | 8/15/1928 | What a night for spooning | Dick Burnett ; The Harmonians [Selvin's Orchestra] | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146844 | 10-in. | 8/15/1928 | Just another night | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; Irving Kaufman | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146863 | 10-in. | 8/22/1928 | Revenge | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; John Lawrence | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146875 | 10-in. | 8/22/1928 | Out of the tempest | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; John Lawrence | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader | |
Columbia | 146876 | 10-in. | 8/22/1928 | Dolores | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra [Selvin's Orchestra] ; John Lawrence | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | leader |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Selvin, Ben," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/111064.
Selvin, Ben. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/111064.
"Selvin, Ben." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 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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