100 years ago: Henry Burr took “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” to #1

I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now Henry Burr

Writer(s): Joseph E. Howard and Harold Orlob (music), Frank R. Adams and Will M. Hough (lyrics) (see lyrics here) First Charted: September 4, 1909 Peak: 18 US, 12 GA, 14 SM (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: This “evergreen standard” JA is “one of the most popular songs in the history of Tin Pan Alley… Considered cliche today, the number’s flowing music, and heartbreaking lyric made it one of the first conversational and down-to-earth torch songs.” RCG It was, however, also controversial because it described a promiscuous relationship. SM The song was selected by ASCAP as one of only sixteen in its All-Time Hit Parade. TY2 Joe Howard claimed he heard a college student in Chicago utter the title phrase and then turned to Frank Adams to write words. RCG The song appeared in the Broadway musical The Prince of Tonight, performed by Henry Woodruff, SMbut it really took off when Howard sang it in the show Miss Nobody from Starland (1910). There was, however, also a claim that it originated from a different musical, The Goddess of Liberty, performed by Edward Abeles as Lord Jack Wyngate. SM Henry Burr’s chart-topping version was followed by two top ten versions by Billy Murray, #4) and (Manuel Romain, #6) the next year. In 1947, the song was revived in a 1947 biopic of the same name about Howard, resulting in three more charted versions – Perry Como with Ted Weems (#2), Ray Noble (#11), and Dinning Sisters (#12). The song sold three million in sheet music sales. The renewed interest in the song also brought about a court case in which musical arranger Harold Orlob sued Howard. JA The case established that Howard had commissioned Orlob to compose the song and then published it as his own. However, Howard had already received royalties for 38 years and although Orlob was given the lead songwriting credit, he didn’t receive any additional money since he’d already been compensated for his work. TY1 Resources: DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 91 SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) RCG RimChiGuy.com The Old Songs (1900-1929) TY1 Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. New York, NY: Quill. Page 132. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 42-3. Related Links: First posted 9/11/2016; last updated 12/15/2022.

Henry Burr’s Anthology released

Anthology: The Original King of Pop Henry Burr

Released: March 17, 2005 Recorded: 1903-1928 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- Genre: early 20th century pop

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Holy City (recorded 7/14/1917, --) Come Down Ma Evening Star (7/11/1903, 14 US, 4 GA) Silver Threads Among the Gold (recorded 10/31/1905, --) Loch Lomond (recorded 1/4/1905, --) In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (as Irving Gillette, 4/22/1905, 17 US, 1 GA) Love Me and the World Is Mine (11/3/1906, 17 US, 1 GA) Mighty Lak a Rose (recorded 9/30/1907, --) Women (Peerless Quartet, 5/30/1908, 7 US) Shine on, Harvest Moon (with Frank Stanley, 1909) I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (9/4/1909, 18 US, 1 GA) I’ve Got the Time, I’ve Got the Place, But It’s Hard to Find the Girl (8/16/1910, 2 GA) Last Night Was the End of the World (8/16/1913, 1 6 US, 6) Peg O’ My Heart (12/13/1913, 2 US, 1 GA) What Do You Mean, You Didn't Want to Do It? (with Ada Jones, recorded 2/8/1914, --) Everything Reminds Me of that Old Sweetheart of Mine (with Al Campbell & Will Oakland, recorded 6/24/1914, --) Stay Down Here Where You Belong (recorded 1/13/1915, --) M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me) (2/12/1916, 16 US, 1 GA) America, Here’s My Boy! (Peerless Quartet, recorded 2/21/1917, --) Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight (4/20/1918, 11 US, 1 GA) Missouri Waltz (Hush-A-Bye Ma Baby) (Sterling Trio, 11/24/1917, 3 US) When You and I Were Young, Maggie (4/3/1909, 5 US) I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles (with Albert Campbell, 5/17/1919, 12 US, 1 GA) My Buddy (11/4/1922, 11 US, 1 GA) I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight? (with Billy Murray, 3/6/1926, 7 US) Always (5/22/1926, 3 US, 1 GA) Are You Lonesome Tonight? (11/12/1927, 10 US) Cross Roads (recorded 11/27/1928, --) Total Running Time: 78:44

Rating: 4.481 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “It’s safe to say that had it not been for the official introduction of electrical recording in 1925, the Bing Crosby revolution would not have come about in pop singing; the limitations of the acoustical, pre-1925 recording process did not all allow for the highly nuanced vocal style that Crosby and his numerous admirers – from Frank Sinatra to the Ink Spots to Nat King Cole – thrived on in the studio. But the acoustical, pre-Crosby, pre-crooner era of pop singing definitely had its charms, and in the 20th century’s first quarter, Henry Burr reigned supreme as one of the leading pop vocalists.” AMG This “a career-spanning retrospective…by Henry Burr – the most popular ballad singer of the first 30 years of the recording industry.” AR He was “a major influence on on Al Jolson, Rudy Vallée, and other pre-Crosby favorites.” AMG What the collection “lacks in subtlety and nuance it usually makes up for in terms of warmth and charisma – most of the time, anyway…[He] was not above recording cutesy novelty items; for example, What Do You Mean, You Didn’t Want to Do It? (a male/female duet with Ada Jones) definitely falls into the novelty category.” AMG “This collection of 27 songs takes the listener on an expansive trip, following Burr’s career from one of his earliest recordings, made in 1903” AZ “when disc technology was still in its primitive stages, and ends in 1928, during the early electrical recording era, showing Burr in full vocal power.” AR “Probably no one, not even Billy Murray, participated in as many recordings in the acoustic era as Henry Burr.” AZ “It demonstrates the variety of material Henry recorded, shows his ease with sacred, Scottish, and sentimental material, and it even highlights his fun side, joking around with Ada Jones in 1914 and with Billy Murray in 1925. Also included are two standout performances with the legendary Peerless Quartet, one from 1908 and another from 1917, along with a beautiful rendering on Burr’s own label of The Missouri Waltz by the Sterling Trio, and representative duets with Henry’s best known partners, Frank Stanley and Albert Campbell.” AZ “They’re all here on this outstanding collection.” AR “For 25 years, Henry Burr proved himself ‘The Original King of Pop.’” AZ “He was born in Canada as Harry McClaskey, and he originally wanted to be a concert singer and to perform sacred hymns, such as he did in one of his first recording sessions, waxing The Holy City. His voice had a very serious sound to it, which you can hear on songs like…Silver Threads Among the Gold and the pathetic Mighty Lak’ a Rose. But Harry warmed to the horn and soothed the hearts of audiences for over 25 years with his impeccable delivery of the most beautiful ballads the world has heard. You can hear his newly mature voice on I’ve Got the Time, I’ve Got the Place, But It’s Hard to Find the Girl and the big hit, I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now.” AZ “Equally definitive is 1905’s In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree, the ballad that made Burr a pop star (even though the term ‘pop star’ had yet to be invented in 1905.” AMG “Burr is in fine form when he turns his attention to” AMG “the traditional Scottish song, Loch Lomond.” AZ “For those raised on smooth, nuanced crooners like Crosby, Sinatra, Cole, Mel Tormé, and Dean Martin, the quasi-operatic, over-enunciated approach of Burr, Billy Murray, Jolson, etc., can be an acquired taste.” AMG “But there is no denying Burr’s historic importance, and Archeophone deserves serious applause for assembling this collection in so thoughtful a fashion (from comprehensive, informative liner notes to excellent digital remastering…This CD is highly recommended to anyone with even a casual interest in North American pop's pre-Crosby era.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: AMG All Music Guide review by Alex Henderson AZ Amazon AR Archeophone Records Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 1/29/2022.

Henry Burr: His Top 100 Songs

Henry Burr Top 100 Songs

Traditional pop tenor singer born Harry H. McClaskey on 1/15/1882 in St. Stephen, Brunswick, Canada. He died 4/6/1941. The #1 ballad singer of recorded music’s 1890-1930 pioneer era. He was performing publicly by the age of 5. He was discovered in 1901 by the Metropolitan Opera baritone Giuseppe Campanari and moved to New York in 1902. The tenor singer used multiple pseudonyms, including Henry Burr and Irving Gillette, to record for various labels. In addition to his work as a soloist (1903-28), he recorded with the Columbia Male Quartet (1904-07), Peerless Quartet (07-28), Columbia Stellar Quartet (15-?), and the Sterling Trio (16-22). He also recorded duets with Albert Campbell. He sang on an estimated 12,000 recordings, far more than any other vocalist in history. “Till We Meet Again” and “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs with the following artists are noted: AC = Albert Campbell, FS = Frank Stanley. According to Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890-1954, Henry Burr hit the top of the U.S. pop charts 24 times (#1 songs noted in list). DMDB Top 1%: 1. Till We Meet Again (w/ AC, 1919) #1 2. I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now (1909) #1 3. In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (as Irving Gillette, 1905) #1 4. Beautiful Ohio (1919) #1 5. Just a Baby’s Prayer at Twilight (1918) #1 6. When I Lost You (1913) #1 7. My Buddy (1922) #1 8. M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means the World to Me) (1916) #1 9. Love Me and the World Is Mine (1906) #1 10. Oh, What a Pal Was Mary (1919) #1 11. Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland (1910) #1 12. Goodbye, Good Luck, God Bless You (Is All That I Can Say) (1916) #1 DMDB Top 5%: 13. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (w/ AC, 1913) #1 14. Last Night Was the End of the World (1913) #1 15. I’m on My Way to Mandalay (w/ AC, 1914) #1 16. When I Was Twenty-One and You Were Sweet Sixteen (w/ AC, 1912) #1 17. The Song That Stole My Heart Away (1914) #1 18. I’m Sorry I Made You Cry (1918) #1 19. Red Wing (An Indian Fable) (w/ FS, 1907) 20. To the End of the World with You (1909) #1 21. There’s a Quaker Down in Quaker Town (w/ AC, 1916) #1 22. Close to My Heart (w/ AC, 1915) #1 23. I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles (w/ AC, 1919) #1 24. The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) (1910) 25. In the Garden of My Heart (w/ FS, 1909) 26. When You’re a Long, Long Way from Home (1914) 27. Goodbye My Lady Love (1904) 28. Peg O’ My Heart (1913) 29. My Little Girl (w/ AC, 1915) 30. My Hawaiian Sunshine (w/ AC, 1917) 31. Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay (w/ AC, 1913) 32. Always (1926) 33. Joan of Arc, They Are Calling You (1917) 34. After You’ve Gone (w/ AC, 1918) 35. There’s a Little Lane without a Turning on the Way to Home Sweet Home (1915) 36. Shine on, Harvest Moon (w/ FS, 1909) 37. Hindustan (w/ AC, 1919) 38. Feather Your Nest (w/ AC, 1921) 39. Somewhere in France Is the Lily (1918) 40. Oh, How I Wish I Could Sleep Until My Daddy Comes Home (1919) 41. For Me and My Gal (w/ AC, 1917) 42. You Planted a Rose in the Garden of Love (1914) 43. Come Down Ma Evening Star (1903) #1 44. Lookout Mountain (w/ AC, 1917) #1 45. Good Night Little Girl, Good Night (1906) 46. What’ll I Do? (with Marcia Freer, 1924) 47. To Have, to Hold, to Love (1913) 48. That Wonderful Mother of Mine (1919) 49. Are You from Heaven? (1918) 50. She’s the Fairest Little Flower Old Dixie Ever Grew (w/ FS, 1908) 51. In the Valley of the Moon (w/ Helen Clark, 1914) 52. When I Leave the World Behind (1915) 53. That’s How I Needed You (1912) 54. Faded Love Letters of Mine (1923) 55. Missouri Waltz (Hush-A-Bye Ma Baby) (w/ AC, 1917) 56. Smiles (w/ AC, 1918) DMDB Top 10%: 57. Baby’s Prayer Will Soon Be Answered (1919) 58. Your Lips Are No Man’s Land But Mine (w/ AC, 1918) 59. She Is the Sunshine of Virginia (w/ AC, 1916) 60. Is There Still Room for Me ‘Neath the Old Apple Tree? (w/ AC, 1916) 61. You Were Just Made to Order Me (w/ AC, 1916) 62. When My Ship Comes In (w/ AC, 1915) 63. On Mobile Bay (w/ AC, 1911) 64. In the Heart of the City That Has No Heart (1914) 65. Dardanella (w/ AC, 1920) 66. Rainbow (w/ FS, 1908) 67. Just a Girl That Men Forget (1923) 68. There’s a Girl in the Heart of Maryland with a Heart That Belongs to Me (w/ Edgar Stoddard, 1913) 69. Honey on Our Honeymoon (1909) 70. All That I Ask of You Is Love (1910) 71. Flow Gently, Sweet Afton (1913) 72. You Have Always Been the Same Old Pal (1908) 73. The Rosary (1903) 74. Baby Shoes (1916) 75. I’ll Be with You in Apple Blossom Time (w/ AC, 1920) 76. There’s a Little Spark of Love Still Burning (1915) 77. I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight? (w/ Billy Murray, 1926) 78. Rose of Washington (1920) 79. I Love, and the World Is Mine (1908) 80. Daddy, You’ve Been a Mother to Me (1920) 81. Belgian Rose (w/ AC, 1918) 82. Maybe a Day, Maybe a Year (1915) 83. Old Pal, Why Don’t You Answer Me? (1921) 84. It’s Tulip Time in Holland (1915) 85. Shenandoah (w/ AC, 1917) DMDB Top 20%: 86. Sleepy Time Gal (w/ Art Landry, 1926) 87. All the World Will Be Jealous of Me (1917) 88. Memories (as Harry McClaskey, 1916) 89. My Little Canoe (1904) 90. Wonderful One (1924) 91. As Long As the World Rolls On (1908) 92. Where the River Shannon Flows (1910) 93. Blue Bell (1904) 94. When My Baby Smiles at Me (1920) 95. Three Wonderful Letters from Home (1918) 96. Oh, Promise Me (as Irving Gillette, 1905) 97. Won’t You Come Over to My House? (1907) 98. I’m Going to Follow the Boys (w/ Elizabeth Spencer, 1918) 99. All Through the Night (1906) 100. Every Little Movement (w/ Elise Stevenson as Margaret Mayhew, 1910) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Henry Burr Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 4/6/2012; updated 6/5/2022.