Comedy Recordings

Comedy Recordings The sound recording industry emerged at a time when vaudeville (in the U.S.) and the music hall (in the U.K.) were at their height of popularity. So it was natural that the vaudeville genres—sentimental songs and “comic turns”—should become staples of the recorded repertoire. As early as 1892, Edison’s North American Phonograph Co. made cylinder records of Ben R. Cook, baritone, in comic songs like “When Hogan Pays His Rent” and “Get Your Whiskers Cut.” Cal Stewart was a…