From L to R: 1-The prolific bass-baritone Frank C. Stanley recorded on cylinders and single-sided discs, many numbers and favorite tunes from Broadway shows. He never appeared in shows, but remained indispensible to the recording industry because he could read sheet music and his voice was just right for studios. 2-May C. Yers: This image is reproduced from a mid 1898 catalog issued by the Kansas City Talking Machine Company. May C. Hyers was the first African-American female to make recordings. Her records were issued as brown wax cylinders, but none are known to have survived. 3-The baritone Arthur Collins recorded more "coon" songs than any other singer. He cut "All Coons Look Alike to Me" in 1898 for Edison brown wax cylinders, with banjo accompaniment. A few years later he became closely associated with the most popular "coon" song ever recorded: "The Preacher and the Bear.

"Photos from L to R: 1-Len Spencer was the singer who recorded songs with "rag" and "ragtime" in titles on a regular basis in the late 1890s. In the early 1900s, Arthur Collins succeeded Spencer as the recording artist who recorded the newest "ragtime" songs. 2-George Johnson was the most prominent African-American recording artist of the 1890s. His "Laughing Song" was extremely popular on cylinders and on early discs.3-Thomas Mills.

Photos from L to R: 1-Vess L Ossman recorded more ragtime during the music's heyday than any other musician, using innovative music for his own instrument (banjo) that had been written originally for piano. 2- Will F. Denny reigned supreme as a recording artist from 1895 to 1902. Billy Murray replaced him as the industry’s most versatile and popular tenor. 3-Henry Burr was an outstanding singer and a pop phenomenon in the ‘20s.Continues NEXT