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Bert Williams
Bert Williams (November 12, 1874 – March 4, 1922) was a Bahamian-born American entertainer, one of the pre-eminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era and one of the most popular comedians for all audiences of his time. He is credited as being the first Black man to have the leading role in a film: Darktown Jubilee in 1914. He was by far the best-selling Black recording artist before 1920. In 1918, the New York Dramatic Mirror called Williams "one of the great comedians of the world." Williams was a key figure in the development of African-American entertainment. In an age when racial inequality and stereotyping were commonplace, he became the first black person to take a lead role on the Broadway stage, and did much to push back racial barriers during his three-decade-long career. Fellow vaudevillian W. C. Fields, who appeared in productions with Williams, described him as "the funniest man I ever saw—and the saddest man I ever knew." |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 12, 1874 (Nassau), Died March 4, 1922 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1896 - 1946
Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone vocal, composer, songwriter, piano, speaker, organ, lyricist, author
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 142 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berliner | 1611 | 7-in. | 11/16/1896 | I thought I was a winner | George J. Gaskin | Male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
Berliner | 1730 | 7-in. | 5/19/1897 | Miss Maria Johnson | Dan W. Quinn | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Berliner | 1964 | 7-in. | Before Apr. 1899 | Why don’t you get a lady of your own | John Terrell | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Berliner | 011 | 7-in. | 4/8/1899 | I don’t like no cheap man | Len Spencer | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Berliner | 0143 | 7-in. | Before June 1899 | He’s up against the real thing now | Len Spencer | Male vocal solo | composer | |
Berliner | 0989 | 7-in. | 2/17/1900 | The medicine man | Arthur Collins | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Berliner | 01002 | 7-in. | 2/19/1900 | Why don't you get a lady of your own | Arthur Collins | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]647 | 7-in. | 2/2/1901 | If you love your baby, make dem goo-goo eyes | Arthur Collins | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]647 | 10-in. | 9/19/1902 | If you love your baby, make dem goo-goo eyes | Arthur Collins | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]741 | 7-in. | 4/26/1901 | She's getting more like the white folks every day | Dan W. Quinn | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]741 | 10-in. | 4/26/1901 | She's getting more like the white folks every day | Dan W. Quinn | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]742 | 7-in. | 4/26/1901 | My fortune-telling man | Dan W. Quinn | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]742 | 10-in. | 4/26/1901 | My fortune-telling man | Dan W. Quinn | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]987 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | I don't like that face you wear | Williams and Walker | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, baritone vocal, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]987 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | I don't like that face you wear | Williams and Walker | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, baritone vocal, instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]991 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | In my castle on the River Nile | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]991 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | In my castle on the River Nile | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]992 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | The phrenologist coon | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]992 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | The phrenologist coon | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]993 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | Where was Moses when the light went out? | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]993 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | Where was Moses when the lights went out? | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]994 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | All going out and nothing coming in | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer, instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]994 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | When it's all going out and nothing coming in | Bert Williams | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer, instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, baritone vocal | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix B-]995 | 10-in. | 10/11/1901 | Junie | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Victor | [Pre-matrix A-]995 | 7-in. | 10/11/1901 | Junie | George Walker | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Williams, Bert," accessed September 4, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103803.
Williams, Bert. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 4, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/103803.
"Williams, Bert." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Bert Williams
Discogs: Bert Williams
Grove: Bert Williams
IMDb: Bert Williams
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Williams, Bert, 1874-1922 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82115395
Wikidata: Bert Williams - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2397929
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/103647176
MusicBrainz: Bert Williams - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e578f5c-bdfc-43fa-bd9a-9d5b67ef353b
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