Henry Burr
Prolific Canadian tenor and early recording star.
via Wikipedia: Henry Burr · see source
Henry Burr was a Canadian-born tenor who recorded over 12,000 songs under many pseudonyms, including Irving Gillette and Alfred Alexander.[1]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Harry Haley McClaskey
- Born
- 15 January 1882
- Birthplace
- St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada
- Died
- 6 April 1941
- Place of death
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
- Genre
- vocal
- Occupation
- Singer
- Years active
- 1887–1941
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
By age five he was performing publicly in St. Stephen, and at age ten he sang as mascot for the Saint John Bicycle and Athletic Club.[2][3] He adopted the stage name Henry Burr in honor of his teacher Kate Stella Burr.[4] In 1906 he joined the Columbia Male Quartet as second tenor, later renamed the Peerless Quartet.[5] Ida Connors was his mother, and he was the fourth and last child.[2]
His initial radio broadcast occurred in 1920 in Denver, where a wooden bowl and telephone transmitter were used to create a makeshift microphone.[6]
What the cited sources add
The Tim Gracyk account notes that Burr's first important concert was on April 14, 1901, with Scottish soprano Jessie Maclachlan.[7] Gracyk also states that Burr studied with John Dennis Meehan and later Miss Ellen Burr.[7] The same exhibit lists his pseudonyms including Alfred Alexander, Shamus McClaskey, and Harry Haley.[8] The International Record Company discography shows Burr recording male duets with Geo Gordon, including "Robin Adair" and "When we were boys."[9]
Gracyk reports that Burr's first Victor session on January 4, 1905, produced "Loch Lomond" and "Daddy."[7] According to the Stanford University exhibit, Burr adopted the pseudonym Irving Gillette for duets, including those with Ada Jones, Helen Clark, and Frances Fisher.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Henry Burr" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Henry Burr, Noted As Ballad Singer. Voice That Thrilled Millions Over Air and on Stage Still Heard on Phonograph. He Dies in Chicago at 59. 'In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree' One of Favorites-Made Tests With Edison", ; Edward B. Moogk, "Burr, Henry", Encyclopedia of Music in Canada; "Exhibit of the Month: & Those Who Used Them", Stanford University, December 6, 2002; "Henry Burr, tenor (1885–1941)", Collections Canada, 2007-07-18; Whitburn, "Pop Memories, 1890-1954", Record Research Inc., 1986, p. 66, 67, 68, 70 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Henry Burr" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Doug Dougherty, St. Stephen – Yesteryear, n. d. (ca 2000), St Stephen: Parsons Publishing company. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Henry Burr" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Doug Dougherty, St. Stephen – Yesteryear, n. d. (ca 2000), St Stephen: Parsons Publishing company.; "Henry Burr, tenor (1885–1941)", Collections Canada, 2007-07-18; Doug Dougherty, St. Stephen – Yesteryear, n. d. (ca 2000), St Stephen: Parsons Publishing company. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Henry Burr" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tim Gracyk, "Henry Burr", 2006; "Henry Burr, tenor (1885–1941)", Collections Canada, 2007-07-18 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Henry Burr" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edward B. Moogk, "Burr, Henry", Encyclopedia of Music in Canada (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Henry Burr" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tim Gracyk, "Henry Burr", 2006 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Tim Gracyk, "Henry Burr", 2006. facts only, no text reused. gracyk.com
- "Exhibit of the Month: & Those Who Used Them", Stanford University, December 6, 2002. facts only, no text reused. ccrma.stanford.edu
- LaBoissonniere, "International Record Company", The Online Discographical Project, February 24, 2016. facts only, no text reused. 78discography.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Henry Burr (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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