Tell Taylor

William "Tell" Taylor (aka Tellie né Tell Roberts;(October 28, 1876 – November 23, 1937). Tell was born October 28, 1876 to Clarinda Jane Roberts (1854-1930) and John Asbury Taylor (1853-1928), on a farm near the Village of Vanlue, Amanda Township, Hancock County, Ohio. He was an American traveling vaudeville performer, tenor vocalist, playwright, music publisher, composer, and lyricist who had written over 200 popular songs. His biggest hit was "Down by the Old Mill Stream" from 1910, one of the most commercially successful Tin Pan Alley publications of the era. The song was published by Tell Taylor, Inc., which he had co-founded in 1907. Taylor performed vaudeville theaters and founded a Chicago music publishing house bearing his name. His other notable songs include "He Sleeps Beneath the Soil of France," "I Love You Best of All," "If Dreams Come True," "Little Old Home in the Valley," "Rock Me to Sleep in the Old Rocking Chair," "Some Day," and "When the Maple Leaves Were Falling." Taylor also wrote the Broadway comedies Tiger Lillee and In New York Town.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 14, 1876 (Vanlue), Died November 24, 1937 (Chicago)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1905 - 1948

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist

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

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 30 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	B-11030	10-in.	9/28/1911	Down by the old mill stream	Orpheus Quartet	Male vocal quartet	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-11074	10-in.	10/10/1911	Down by the old mill stream	Harry Macdonough	Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-14401	10-in.	1/29/1914	When the maple leaves were falling	Edna Brown ; James F. Harrison	Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-17345	10-in.	3/21/1916	I love you best of all	Harry Macdonough	Male vocal solo, with flute and orchestra	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-18562	10-in.	10/18/1916	When that little yellow fellow play piano (Hannah plays banjo)	Collins and Harlan	Male vocal duet, with banjo, piano, and orchestra	lyricist
Victor	BVE-38168	10-in.	3/14/1927	Rock me to sleep in an old rocking chair	Elliott Shaw	Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet	lyricist, composer
Victor	BVE-43386	10-in.	3/21/1928	Down by the old mill stream	National Cavaliers	Male vocal quartet, with piano	lyricist, composer
Victor	LBRC-71762	10-in. (33-1/3 rpm)	7/1/1932	Missouri waltz	Buddy Clark ; Gus Arnheim Orchestra	Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo	composer, lyricist
Victor	BS-75482	10-in.	4/27/1933	Rock me to sleep in an old rocking chair	Judy Rogers	Female vocal solo, with piano	lyricist, composer
Victor	BS-014615	10-in.	10/4/1937	Down by the old mill stream	The Old Timer's Orchestra ; Jimmy Ray	Instrumental ensemble, with male vocal solo	composer
Victor	BS-019860	10-in.	2/23/1938	Down by the old mill stream	Guy Lombardo ; Royal Canadians	Jazz/dance band	composer
Victor	PBS-042553	10-in.	3/7/1940	Down by the old mill stream	Kenny Baker ; David Broekman	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Victor	BS-046869	10-in.	2/9/1940	Down by the old mill stream	Golden Memory Boys	Male vocal quartet, with instrumental ensemble	composer
Victor	BS-053102	10-in.	5/20/1940	Down by the old mill stream	Capitol City Four	Male vocal quartet, with organ	composer, lyricist
Victor	BS-067788	10-in.	9/11/1941	I love you best of all	Ruth Gaylor ; Teddy Powell Orchestra	Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo	composer
Victor	D7FB-1738	10-in.	10/15/1947	Down by the old mill stream	Henri René Musette Orchestra	Instrumental ensemble	composer
Columbia	3096	10-in.	between January and April 1905	Tommy (tell me true)	Arthur Collins	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	lyricist
Columbia	3710	10-in.	between January and October 1907	Peerless MInstrels	Peerless Quartet ; Frank C. Stanley	Minstrels and male vocal solo, with orchestra	lyricist
Columbia	19410	10-in.	6/15/1911	Down by the old mill stream	Brunswick Quartette	Male vocal quartet, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Columbia	W140681	10-in.	6/16/1925	Down by the old mill stream	Riley Puckett	Male vocal solo, with guitar	lyricist, composer
Columbia	W141065	10-in.	9/30/1925	Down by the old mill stream	Riley Puckett	Male vocal solo, with guitar	lyricist, composer
Columbia	W144978	10-in.	11/14/1927	Rock me to sleep in an old rocking chair	Mona Motor Oil Twins	Male vocal duet, with guitar	composer, lyricist
Columbia	C1121	10-in.	10/28/1935	Down by the old mill stream	Sweet Violet Boys	String band, with male group vocal	composer, lyricist
OKeh	S-70614	10-in.	ca. 4/10/1922	Down by the old mill stream	Excelsior Quartette	Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied	composer, lyricist
OKeh	W80455	10-in.	2/21/1927	Rock me to sleep in an old rocking chair	Ray-O-Vacs	Male vocal duet, with piano	composer, lyricist

(Results 1-25 of 30 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Taylor, Tell," accessed November 24, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/107037.

Taylor, Tell. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 24, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/107037.

"Taylor, Tell." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 24 November 2024.