George Broderick: "On This Day in Phonographic History..."

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"On This Day in Phonographic History..."

 

May 6, 1855: Born: George H. Broderick, pioneer Berliner, Consolidated, Victor, Zonophone, and Edison bass vocal recording artist.

 

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George H. Broderick is an almost-forgotten pioneer recording artist (bass vocalist/elocutionist) who was active for only about one year (1900-1901).  Despite his brief appearance on recordings, he managed to be represented on some of the very last U.S. Berliner Records, some of the very first Eldridge Johnson discs (later labeled as Victor), and even one title for Zonophone in 1901.  Fourteen Broderick titles also appeared on Edison cylinder records, released from June 1900 to February 1901.

 

Here is one of the 14 Berliner Records recorded by George Broderick in March and April 1900.  This one was recorded on March 10, 1900:

 

 

Of the 19 Broderick performances released by Eldridge Johnson, 6 recitations were recorded on June 28, 1900.  This is one of them:

 

 

Broderick’s performance of Departure is sometimes described as “Victor’s first record,“ but it too was recorded during this June 28, 1900 session for Johnson.  It bore catalog No. A-1, but two of Broderick’s later releases (A-139 and A-141) were recorded on May 1, 1900; predating Departure by almost two months.

 

George Broderick died on May 10, 1905.

 

Those interested in learning more about George H. Broderick should check the following:

 

Popular American Recording Pioneers 1895-1925, by Tim Gracyk, Haworth Press, 2000, pp. 48-52.

Edison Cylinder Records, 1889-1912, by Allen Koenigsberg, Stellar Productions, 1969, pp. xxix, 5.

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Broderick, George," accessed May 5, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/201110/Broderick_George