"CAKEWALK IN THE SKY - ETHIOPIAN 2-STEP" Dance Orchestra Victor 4408 VV+ 1905
$
40
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Description
Lurking under the bland and anonymous name of "DANCE ORCHESTRA" is this hot piece of band ragtime from 1905, "THE CAKEWALK IN THE SKY (An Ethiopian Two-Step)." It's a lively performance, sure to be on heavy rotation on your turntable!
Especially intriguing is the composer: BEN HARNEY (1872 - 1938). He evidently was THE pioneer of "Rag Time," having composed "You're a Good Old Wagon (but You Done Broke Down)," "Mister Johnson, Turn Me Loose," and "The Cake-Walk in the Sky" as early as 1895. The earliest printed instance of the word "Ragtime" was in connection with Harney's vaudeville act, and his 1938 obituary referred to him as the "Originator" of ragtime. Scott Joplin may have been the "King" of ragtime composers, but Harney was the FIRST.
This original 1905 "Grand Prize" Victor 4408 is in sturdy VV+ condition. It's got a few scars - only to be expected on a one-hundred-fifteen year old record!
PHOTO: Young Ben Harney, 1896.
*****
These records come from my private collection, which I have been accumulating since 1967, and now am downsizing! My highest priority in these eBay auctions is to give you the best possible idea of a record’s true condition and aesthetic value. I always post at least four clear images, showing the record fore and aft, a close-up of the label, and the whole disc, warts and all. If my purple prose won’t cut it, the pictures will! Shipping is done with expert care. Your record will brave Media Mail in a stout corregated box, between four sheets of cardboard and a couple of “packers.” I hope you are amused by these descriptions, and by the quality of service being offered.
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