Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi
Willard Robison, famous jazz piano composer and vocalist, does a piano-vocal rendition of the famous W. C. Handy blues hit, Beale Street.
Flip-side of this record: youtu.be/j8ujxVpyFjY
#blues #78rpm #1920s
They didn't call him Father of the Blues for nothing. William Christopher Handy's contributions to the blues genre singlehandedly crafted it into what it is today. His 'Memphis Blues', 'Saint Louis Blues', 'Beale Street Blues', 'Ole Miss Rag', and 'Yellow Dog Rag' are jazz standards and in the case of 'St. Louis', it has come to name a National Hockey League team and became the second most popular song of the first half of the 20th century (the first being White Christmas).
Handy's music also has sentimental value for myself. When I was 12 years old, the coronavirus syndemic broke out and isolated me to the void of online schooling for 3 months. I made ragtime playlists to pass the time, and one of the composers I discovered was Handy. As my first exposure to 12 bar blues, I instantly found relatability- the dismal sympathy was common at the time.
Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!
Willard Robison also sang this song with his Deep River Orchestra. Check it out here: youtu.be/GrQMRO25GoI?si=AN2RXGpdl5X8UWbd
More W. C. Handy:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOO4o3aIp_47P3ok4f61FEW&si=-sr8JqfjELd4ueWz
REQUESTED BY @Mitchyboi
Willard Robison, famous jazz piano composer and vocalist, does a piano-vocal rendition of the famous W. C. Handy blues hit, Beale Street.
Flip-side of this record: youtu.be/j8ujxVpyFjY
#blues #78rpm #1920s
They didn't call him Father of the Blues for nothing. William Christopher Handy's contributions to the blues genre singlehandedly crafted it into what it is today. His 'Memphis Blues', 'Saint Louis Blues', 'Beale Street Blues', 'Ole Miss Rag', and 'Yellow Dog Rag' are jazz standards and in the case of 'St. Louis', it has come to name a National Hockey League team and became the second most popular song of the first half of the 20th century (the first being White Christmas).
Handy's music also has sentimental value for myself. When I was 12 years old, the coronavirus syndemic broke out and isolated me to the void of online schooling for 3 months. I made ragtime playlists to pass the time, and one of the composers I discovered was Handy. As my first exposure to 12 bar blues, I instantly found relatability- the dismal sympathy was common at the time.
Do you have an obscure song you'd like to see made into a Ragtime Chronicle video? You can make a request in a comment section under any of my videos, and as long as it is not on YouTube already, and I can find it online, I will make it!
Willard Robison also sang this song with his Deep River Orchestra. Check it out here: youtu.be/GrQMRO25GoI?si=AN2RXGpdl5X8UWbd
More W. C. Handy:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOO4o3aIp_47P3ok4f61FEW&si=-sr8JqfjELd4ueWz
![Love is the Theme of My Dreams (1911) by Kerry Mills [Sung by Elisabeth Spencer]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qpXvMw3akxg/mqdefault.jpg "Love is the Theme of My Dreams (1911) by Kerry Mills [Sung by Elisabeth Spencer]
A song from the musical, The Fascinating Widow, with music by Kerry Mills and words by E. Ray Goetz. It featured famous actor of the time, Julian Eltinge, who was well-known for his drag performances.
Kerry Mills, composer of the hit cakewalk, At a Georgia Campmeeting, and other songs like ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’, ‘Rastus on Parade’, and ‘Happy Days in Dixie’, was an accomplished composer of the 1890s and early 1900s. Though his career continued into the 1910s and 20s, those songs are mysteriously obscure.
More Kerry Mills:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbGAQvbfY3Z3EyNHtLw2oc7kl0sRbzo1n&si=FRnUoiOSf596c3IA")
![🎅Santa Claus Workshop🎅 (1914) by W. T. Phillips [Played by the Regal Orchestra]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rFB_QPihxkk/mqdefault.jpg "🎅Santa Claus Workshop🎅 (1914) by W. T. Phillips [Played by the Regal Orchestra]
A descriptive British instrumental by the Regal Orchestra which gives us a glimpse into Santas Workshop. We hear toys being assembled via the wonderful sound effects throughout, as well as get a sense of the bustling atmosphere within.
Merry Christmas everyone! The yuletide season is finally upon us once more, and so is my Christmas series here at the Ragtime Chronicle. Stay tuned for more Yuletide records.
#christmas #78rpm #1914
My Christmas Compilation: https://youtu.be/W8InlMWZPxo?si=VtU2X8DF5JzIuut2")
![The Silhouettes (1912) by William H. Tyers [Played by the Domino Band]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rh4U9UeqCfM/mqdefault.jpg "The Silhouettes (1912) by William H. Tyers [Played by the Domino Band]
A paschal piece by William Henry Tyers, recorded in 1916 or 1917. The Domino Band didnt have many recordings, but it seems they preferred salon waltzes like this one. Erroneously, his name is spelled Tyres.
Will H. Tyers (1870-1924) was a famous arranger who gained prominence for his intermezzos and pacific island dances (Maori), (Panama) , as well as his arrangements of famous tunes such as Scott Joplins The Sycamore and Tom Turpins Harlem Rag.
More William H. Tyers:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoP3OAeUKV-4nW-Pbm_fWZLJ&si=FbTUrFY4OdzxWuFi")
![Skeleton Rag (1911) by Percy Wenrich [Played by the Colonial Dance Orchestra]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t9Svwzeqq0M/mqdefault.jpg "Skeleton Rag (1911) by Percy Wenrich [Played by the Colonial Dance Orchestra]
One of the most famous Halloween ragtime songs, about some skeletons dancing to ragtime in a graveyard.
Percy Wenrich was the composer of The Smiler, Peaches and Cream, and That Skeleton Rag, and he was married to popular singer Dolly Connolly. They were quite the successful duo. I only wish I could find the rare test recordings of them singing together in 1922.
More Percy Wenrich: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLMkuz4vEFoOaucZ7Yk5xUsF6eFtuL7sw&si=fzRY6VGEb0AeWjoW
Halloween Ragtime & Jazz Compilation: https://youtu.be/71WjigvjLZM?si=7gn-YNjbf9as_CMG")
