John W. Myers

John W. Myers

Photo: Nevada Historical Society

Source: Last.fm

Baritone balladeer, John W. Myers, was better known as J. W. Myers. Not to be confused with John Meyer who sang for the Peerless Quartet, this John is believed to have been born in Wales circa 1864, immigrating to the United States at about age twelve in circa 1876. He is generally thought to have begun recording in 1892 for the New Jersey Phonograph Company. Myers at the fore of cylinder recording also made him among the first to record on flat disc. DAHR begins its sessionography of Myers on disc per 'Anchored' on Berliner 155 sometime before 1895. The Berliner label was the first to distribute disc recordings, founded by Emile Berliner who had also invented disc recording and the gramophone in Washington D.C. in 1887, the first getting pressed in 1894. In 1895 Myers joined a traveling opera company, then became a founder of the Globe Talking Machine Company in 1896, a brief-existing cylinder recording enterprise. Titles below are stacked in an approximate chronological order.

'Sweet Savannah'   J. W. Myers

Recorded sometime Nov 1895-Dec 1898   Issued on Berliner 1936

Composition: Paul Dresser

'Star Light, Star Bright'   J. W. Myers

Recorded probably April 1896   Issued on Berliner 953

DAHR shows 4 separate masters of this all issued on Berliner 953

Music: Victor Herbert   Lyrics: Harry B. Smith

Though charts were variously kept upon the advent of commercial recording in the nineties, Billboard didn't publish its first hit parade until 1936, its initial top ten singles chart in 1940. Music VF and TSORT begin their lists of Myers' top-selling titles in May of 1900 w 'Good-Bye Dollie Gray' (Columbia 7502) reaching the #2 tier on the charts. Four of Myers issues topped the charts at #1 in 1901 and '02: 'In the Shade of the Palm', 'On a Sunday Afternoon', 'Way Down in Old Indiana' and 'In the Good Old Summer Time'. As to the gathering of data for early popularity charts see HMR Project below.

'Brown October Ale'   J. W. Myers

Recorded 20 Feb 1901   Issued by Columbia

From the operetta 'Robin Hood' w music by Reginald De Koven & lyrics by Harry B. Smith

'In the Shade of the Palm'   J. W. Myers

Cylinder issued on Columbia 31620 in Oct 1901 [RYM]

Music: Leslie Stuart   Lyrics: Owen Hall

'Nearer My God To Thee'   J. W. Myers

Recorded sometime 1901-04 in NYC   Flat disc Columbia 397

Music: Lowell Mason   Lyrics: Sarah Flower Adams

'The Red White and Blue'   J. W. Myers

Recorded 29 April 1902 in Philadelphia   Victor Monarch 826

A prior recording on 21 May 1901 in Camden NJ saw issue on A-826

That limited edition of 440 copies had been pulled

Composition: David T. Shaw

'In the City of Sighs and Tears'   J. W. Myers

Recorded 16 Oct 1902 in Philadelphia   Victor 1696

Music: Kerry Mills   Lyrics: Andrew B. Sterling

'Come Take a Trip in My Airship'   J. W. Myers

Recorded sometime 1903   Cylinder issued on Columbia 1878

Music: George Evans   Lyrics: Ren Shields

'Always in the Way'   J. W. Myers

Recorded sometime 1903-04 in NYC   Flat disc Columbia 1674

Composition: Charles Harris

'Just Before the Battle Mother'   J. W. Myers

Recorded c Jan 1904   Flat disc Columbia 1746

Composition: George Root

Beginning to lose audience some years later, in 1909 Myers invested in the U.S. Everlasting Cylinder Company (no associated recordings), then disappeared from history so thoroughly that his last tracks circa 1913 or later for Columbia aren't known. He may have died in the United States circa 1919 if not having returned to Wales.