The Painful Birth of Blues and Jazz | Folklife Today
One hundred years ago this month, February 26, 1917, what is generally acknowledged as the first recording of jazz was released.
Goodbye Alexander, Goodbye Honeyboy
There were a few singers who were sought out by African American songwriters because they were able to sing the blues convincingly. Marion Harris, a singer we know little about, was attractive, popular, and could sing the blues and jazz.  She was probably from Chicago, and may have learned the blues there. This is a World War I era recording of her, not only singing a jazzy song, but also reciting a toast. Toasts are an African American poem usually recited by men, and a precursor to rap. Composer Turner Layton and lyricist Henry Creamer had a cause expressed in this song. They wanted Americans to know that African Americans were going to war for their country and doing a good job.  It would not do for the song only to be heard by African Americans. They used music and humor to get their message across. So here is this amazing recording, “ <anchor>Goodbye Alexander, Goodbye Honeyboy</anchor>” (1918).
Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy | Library of Congress
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# Audio RecordingGoodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy

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## Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy

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## About this Item

### Title

- Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy

### Summary

- Female vocal solo, with orchestra

### Names

- 

Creamer, Henry -- Lyricist

- 

Harris, Marion -- Vocalist -- Soprano Vocal

- 

Pasternack, Josef -- Conductor

- 

Layton, Turner -- Composer

### Genre

- 

Ethnic characterizations

- 

Humorous songs

### Media Size

- 10-inch

### Recording Label

- Victor

### Recording Catalog Number

- 18492

### Recording Matrix Number

- B-22159 (Matrix ID)

### Recording Take Number

- 4

### Recording Date

- 1918-07-22

### Recording Location

- Camden, New Jersey

### Recording Repository

- Source of original recording: Recorded Sound Section, Library of Congress.

### Rights Advisory

- Inclusion of the recording in the National Jukebox, courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment

### Online Format

- 

audio

- 

image

### IIIF Presentation Manifest

### Part of

### Label

### Dates

### Genre

### Category

### Location

### Contributor

### Vocalist

### Composer

### Lyricist

### Subject

### Language

### Featured in

## Rights & Access

The Library makes the sound recordings in the National Jukebox available pursuant to permission from the rightsholders. Under the Music Modernization Act, many of these recordings will begin entering into the public domain on January 1, 2022, when all recordings published prior to 1923 will enter the public domain and will be free to use and reuse. Recordings published between 1923 and 1946 are then protected for 100 years, and recordings published between 1947 and 1956 are protected for 110 years.  In addition, some of the items in the Jukebox, such as the Victrola Book of the Opera, are currently in the public domain and free to use and reuse. Disc labels that are more than 95 years old are now in the public domain and are free to use and reuse. The Library presents more recent disc labels with permission or under fair use.

You are responsible for deciding whether your use of the items in this collection is legal. You will need written permission from the rightsholders to copy, distribute, or otherwise use copyrighted materials except as allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Some materials may be protected under international law.  You may also need permission from holders of other rights, such as publicity and/or privacy rights.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, National Jukebox.

## Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as
a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

### Chicago citation style:

Creamer, Henry, Marion Harris, Josef Pasternack, and Turner Layton. Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy. 1918. Audio. https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-29917/.

### APA citation style:

Creamer, H., Harris, M., Pasternack, J. & Layton, T. (1918) Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-29917/.

### MLA citation style:

Creamer, Henry, et al. Goodbye Alexander, goodbye honey boy. 1918. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-29917/>.

## More items like this

- 

Audio Recording

Victor 18443. Matrix/Take: B-21243/2.

- Contributor:
  Pasternack, Josef - Creamer, Henry - Harris, Marion - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1917-12-06

- 

Audio Recording

Victor 18525. Matrix/Take: B-22490/6.

- Contributor:
  Pasternack, Josef - Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner - Dalhart, Vernon

- Date: 1919-01-03

- 

Audio Recording

Victor 18509. Matrix/Take: B-22160/7.

- Contributor:
  Bourdon, Rosario - Harris, Marion - Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1918-10-18

- 

Audio Recording

Victor 18799. Matrix/Take: B-25528/1.

- Contributor:
  Porter, Steve - Bourdon, Rosario - Young, John - American Quartet - Murray, Billy - Creamer, Henry - Chalmers, Donald - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1921-08-22

- 

Audio Recording

Victor 18550. Matrix/Take: B-22659/11.

- Contributor:
  Pasternack, Josef - Holt, Vivian - Goodman, Lillian Rosedale - Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1919-04-03

## You might also like

- 

Notated Music

For voice and piano. Manuscript in ink. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Staff notation.

- Contributor:
  Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1919

- 

Notated Music

For voice and piano. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Staff notation.

- Contributor:
  Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1918

- 

Notated Music

For voice and piano. Manuscript in ink. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Staff notation.

- Contributor:
  Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1918

- 

Notated Music

For voice and piano. Manuscript in ink. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Staff notation.

- Contributor:
  Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1918

- 

Notated Music

From: Spice of 1922. Staff notation.

- Contributor:
  Creamer, Henry - Layton, Turner

- Date: 1922