Arthur Collins (singer) - Recorded Repertoire & Legacy

Recorded Repertoire & Legacy

Arthur Collins recorded hundreds of songs, and in many cases he recorded the same song multiple times for various recording outfits. His signature song, though, was “The Preacher and the Bear,” which he first recorded in 1905; his rendition, widely dispersed among a variety of releases, constitutes the most popular non-operatic record made during the first decade of the twentieth-century. Collins was still recording the number in 1922, and a 1908 remake of the piece for Victor remained in their catalog until 1941; at his personal appearances “The Preacher and the Bear” was invariably requested. Collins lived up to his reputation as “The King of Ragtime Singers” and recorded more ragtime songs than any other singer during the era when ragtime was at its peak of popularity; Collins recorded some of Bert Williams’ songs before Bert Williams did, and even recorded some numbers associated with Williams that the latter never waxed. Collins & Harlan also made best-selling records of tunes old and new that remain well cherished and iconic even in the twenty-first century, such as “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee,” “Alexander's Ragtime Band,” “Lily of the Valley” and “The Old Grey Mare.” Collins survived into the early years of the Jazz Age, and he and Harlan recorded the earliest record known to mention jazz, “That Funny Jas Band from Dixieland” (Victor 18235, recorded January 12, 1917.).

Both Arthur Collins solo recordings’ and the Collins & Harlan recordings are viewed as desirable by collectors, particularly the very early ones, and such enthusiasm about their output dates back to at least the 1940s. Given the great antiquity of these recordings and their highly specialized frame of interest, few of them were reissued in the LP era; Collins has fared better in the digital age, but still lacks a single disc anthology of his characteristic recorded work.