Arthur Collins (ragtime baritone)

~ Person

Annotation

Vocals: baritone

His grandfather was Reverend Joseph Perry, and his father was Captain Arthur Collins. He was the oldest of 10 children. He had one son, Sergeant Arthur Perry Collins. He grew up and lived in New Jersey, breeding horses and cattle. When he retired in 1926, he and his wife moved to Tice, Florida, where he grew oranges. He died of old age.

Known as "The King of Ragtime Songs".

Though he was one of the most prolific singers of the cylinder and early record market, and thus had many hits, he was most famous for "The Preacher and the Bear", which he recorded many times for various labels. That song is often credited for composition to Joe Arizona, but correctly credited to George Fairman. Fairman, a pianist, sold the rights to the song to Arizona, the owner of the cafe in which he played, for $250 in either 1902 or 1903. (Fairman's recollection, in 1955, was hazy as to the exact date of the sale of the song.)

Unlike most other artists of his time, who used various pseudonyms depending on the label and/or type of song being sung, Collins never used a pseudonym for any of his solo releases, regardless of the label.

On October 20, 1921, while touring as part of the duo of Arthur F. Collins & Byron G. Harlan for Edison Records' Test Tone recording demonstrations, he was walking off-stage when he fell through a trapdoor accidentally left open. This left him bedridden and unable to travel, perform, or record until mid-1923, when he had recovered sufficiently that he again was able to tour and record with Harlan for Edison.

Annotation last modified on 2010-09-17 18:30 UTC.

Legal name: Arthur Francis Collins

Discography

Album + Compilation

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
2007Radio & Recording Rarities, Volume 25Arthur Collins & Byron Harlan1

Single

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1898A Bowery Bantam BallArthur Francis Collins1
1898A Red Hot CoonArthur Francis Collins1
1898Every Night I See That Nigger Standing RoundArthur Francis Collins1
1898Fly, Fly, FlyArthur Francis Collins1
1898Happy Days in DixieArthur Francis Collins1
1898Hesitate, Mr. NiggerArthur Francis Collins1
1898Honey, Does Yer Love Yer Man?Arthur Francis Collins1
1898I Wish They'd Do It NowArthur Francis Collins1
1898I Want My LuluArthur Francis Collins1
1898I Wish My Rent Was PaidArthur Francis Collins1
1898Just as the Sun Went DownArthur Francis Collins1
1898Long Live AmericaArthur Francis Collins1
1898Mammy's Little Punkin Colored CoonArthur Francis Collins1
1898Move Up, JohnsonArthur Francis Collins1
1898O Liza, How I Despise HerArthur Francis Collins1
1898Remus Take the CakeArthur Francis Collins1
1898Syncopated SandyArthur Francis Collins1
1898The Colored AristocracyArthur Francis Collins1
1898The Darktown Colored BandArthur Francis Collins1
1898The Handicap March SongArthur Francis Collins1
1898The New BullyArthur Francis Collins1
1898What Do You Think of Hoolihan?Arthur Francis Collins1
1898You're All Right, but You Don't Get InArthur Francis Collins1
1898You've Met All Comers, but You Haven't Met MeArthur Francis Collins1
1898Zizzy Ze Zum ZumArthur Collins1
1899How I Love My LouArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899Just One GirlArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899Laughing SongArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899My Ann ElizerArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899Minstrel SceneArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899Three Minutes With the MinstrelsArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899I’d Leave My Happy Home for YouArthur Collins1
1899All Coons Look Alike to MeArthur Francis Collins1
1899Campin' on De Ole SwaneeArthur Francis Collins1
1899De Possum ChaseArthur Francis Collins1
1899Echoes of MinstrelsyArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899Hello, Ma BabyArthur Francis Collins1
1899I Ain't Seen No Messenger BoyArthur Francis Collins1
1899I Guess I’ll Have to Telegraph My BabyArthur Collins1
1899I'm Happy When I'm by My Baby's SideArthur Francis Collins1
1899I've Just Received a Telegram From BabyArthur Francis Collins1
1899I’d Leave My Happy Home for YouArthur Collins1
1899Keep Away From Emmeline!Arthur Francis Collins1
1899Minstrel PotpourriArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899My Hannah LadyArthur Francis Collins1
1899My Ann ElizerArthur Francis Collins1
1899My Hannah LadyArthur Collins1
1899Plantation MinstrelsArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1899Say Yo' Love Me, SueArthur Francis Collins1
1899Who Dat Say "Chicken" in Dis Crowd?Arthur Francis Collins1
1899When You Ain't Got No Money, Well, You Needn't Come AroundArthur Francis Collins1
1899Yo' Mustn't Try to Fool Yo' Little AngieArthur Francis Collins1
1900Gabriella Brown Is Back in TownArthur Francis Collins1
1900Old Black JoeArthur F. Collins & George S. Williams1
1900Old Bill JonesArthur Francis Collins1
1900The ColonelArthur Francis Collins1
1900Ma Tiger LilyArthur Francis Collins1
1900Ma Tiger LilyArthur Collins1
1900Susianna From LouisianaArthur Francis Collins1
1900The Mick Who Threw the BrickArthur Francis Collins1
1900Vaudeville Specialty, No. 4Arthur Francis Collins1
1900Every Race Has a Flag but the CoonArthur Francis Collins1
1900Lam' Lam' Lam'Arthur Francis Collins1
1900The Blue and the GrayArthur Francis Collins1
1900You Can't Keep McKinley From the ChairArthur Francis Collins1
1900My Money Never Gives OutArthur Francis Collins1
1900Pliny, Come Kiss Your BabyArthur Francis Collins1
1900Mandy LeeArthur Francis Collins1
1900No Cake Can Come Too High for MeArthur Francis Collins1
1900The Blue and the GrayArthur Collins1
1900You Told Me You Had Money in the BankArthur Collins1
1900You’re Talking Rag‐TimeArthur Collins1
1901If You Love Your Baby, Make Goo-Goo EyesArthur Francis Collins1
1901Just Because She Made Dem Goo-Goo EyesArthur Francis Collins1
1901Negro RecollectionsArthur F. Collins & George S. Williams1
1901The Coleville Coon CadetsArthur Francis Collins1
1901Cindy, I Dreams About YouArthur Francis Collins1
1901Alabama TroubadoursArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1901California MinstrelsArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1901Reminiscences of BlackfaceArthur F. Collins & Samuel H. Dudley & Ancient City Quartette and Orchestra1
1901Everybody Has a Whistle Like MeArthur Francis Collins1
1901I've Got a White Man Workin' for MeArthur Francis Collins1
1901Tobie, I Kind O' Likes YouArthur Francis Collins1
1901BalmoralArthur Francis Collins1
1901Melancholy MoseArthur Francis Collins1
1901I Ain't a Gwine to Weep No MoreArthur Francis Collins1
1901Ain't Dat Lovin'?Arthur Francis Collins1
1901Ev'ry Darkey Had a Raglan OnArthur Francis Collins1
1901If I Only Had a Dollah of My OwnArthur Francis Collins1
1901My Lady HottentotArthur Francis Collins1
1901The Honey Suckle and the BeeArthur Collins1
1902Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?Arthur Collins1
1902I Never Trouble Trouble Until Trouble Troubles MeArthur F. Collins & Joseph H. Natus1
1902Back, Back to the WoodsArthur F. Collins & Joseph H. Natus & Frank P. Banta1
1902Blooming LizeArthur F. Collins & Frank P. Banta1
1902My Castle on the NileArthur F. Collins & Frank P. Banta1
1902Oh, Didn't He RambleArthur Francis Collins1
1902On Emancipation DayArthur F. Collins & Frank P. Banta1
1902Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?Arthur F. Collins & Frank P. Banta1

Showing all release groups by this artist (Show official release groups / Show official various artist release groups)