Morton Harvey
Encyclopedia
Morton Harvey was an American vaudeville
performer and singer who had a moderately successful recording career during the 1910s.
Harvey was born in Omaha, Nebraska
. His family wanted him to become a minister, but he had theatrical ambitions, and was able to secure a position in a traveling show while on a trip to Chicago, Illinois. He eventually gained a recording contract, just a few years after records began to become popular. Though most of his recordings were not best sellers, he is notable for being the first singer to record a blues
song, the "Memphis Blues" by W.C. Handy which he recorded on October 2, 1914. Harvey later stated: "[A]lthough the orchestra that accompanied me...was composed of symphonic players, it wasn't their fault that they didn't get a 'blues' quality into the record. The 'Blues' style of singing and playing, which became so familiar later, was just about to be born. Even the dance records of 'The Memphis Blues' made during that period were played as straight one-steps. However, there were a few good old-fashioned 'trombone smears' in the orchestral effects of my 'Memphis Blues' record."
He is also notable for recording the antiwar protest song
I Did Not Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier in 1915, which became popular with people who wished for America to stay out of World War I
. Soon after America did intervene in the war in 1917, Harvey stopped recording, as the sentiments of that song were no longer popular and were considered unpatriotic. Many documentaries about World War I contain the song, however, and it is still on this song that Harvey's voice is heard by the most people. There is some dispute as to whether he was a baritone
or tenor
.
Harvey remained a vaudeville performer through the mid-1920s, often as half of a duet. He performed with his new wife, Betty, also, from time-to-time. After his retirement from show business, he moved to Oklahoma
where he managed a radio station. In 1941 after the outbreak of World War II
, he moved to San Francisco, California
, where he served as director of job relations at the War Manpower Commission, and then as personnel director of an army hospital. In 1946 he opened a photography studio in Los Gatos, California
where he died. Even after he moved onto other careers, he still continued to sing and write songs in his spare time.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performer and singer who had a moderately successful recording career during the 1910s.
Harvey was born in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. His family wanted him to become a minister, but he had theatrical ambitions, and was able to secure a position in a traveling show while on a trip to Chicago, Illinois. He eventually gained a recording contract, just a few years after records began to become popular. Though most of his recordings were not best sellers, he is notable for being the first singer to record a blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
song, the "Memphis Blues" by W.C. Handy which he recorded on October 2, 1914. Harvey later stated: "[A]lthough the orchestra that accompanied me...was composed of symphonic players, it wasn't their fault that they didn't get a 'blues' quality into the record. The 'Blues' style of singing and playing, which became so familiar later, was just about to be born. Even the dance records of 'The Memphis Blues' made during that period were played as straight one-steps. However, there were a few good old-fashioned 'trombone smears' in the orchestral effects of my 'Memphis Blues' record."
He is also notable for recording the antiwar protest song
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
I Did Not Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier in 1915, which became popular with people who wished for America to stay out of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Soon after America did intervene in the war in 1917, Harvey stopped recording, as the sentiments of that song were no longer popular and were considered unpatriotic. Many documentaries about World War I contain the song, however, and it is still on this song that Harvey's voice is heard by the most people. There is some dispute as to whether he was a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
or tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
.
Harvey remained a vaudeville performer through the mid-1920s, often as half of a duet. He performed with his new wife, Betty, also, from time-to-time. After his retirement from show business, he moved to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
where he managed a radio station. In 1941 after the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he moved to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he served as director of job relations at the War Manpower Commission, and then as personnel director of an army hospital. In 1946 he opened a photography studio in Los Gatos, California
Los Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
where he died. Even after he moved onto other careers, he still continued to sing and write songs in his spare time.
External links
- Morton Harvey from the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Biographical article