Whistling specialties were standard fare at Vaudeville shows throughout its history. One of the most popular of these at the turn of the last century was Joe Belmont, dubbed "the Human Bird", who recorded on cylinders and disks for many companies
through the early acoustic period. The first part of this record, with an uncredited vocal by recording pioneer George Gaskin, isn't very inspiring, but the last minute is a great demonstration of whistling. This is a Columbia waxing from 1901, and
is one of the very few brown wax cylinders I have. It has a quiet surface given its vintage, requiring minimal noise treatment, and though the recorded sound is unsophisticated it is understandable and entertaining. (An article about whistling,
which mentions Joe Belmont in passing, is on-line at the Washinton Post site, and a later cylinder recording by Belmont of this same song can be heard at
UCSB Special Collection.)
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