Thirty years before some fiddlers from Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia started recording a new genre of music called “hillbilly,” a Creole of color from the Seventh Ward of New Orleans named Louis Vasnier (1858–1902) beat them to the punch. Recorded in 1891, “Thompson’s Old Gray Mule” is the most raucous version of a song that, better known as “Johnson’s Old Gray Mule,” would enter the country music canon. But Vasnier did more than give us what is arguably the oldest country record in existence. For the short-lived Louisiana Phonograph Company he also waxed sermons by a fictional preacher named Brudder Rasmus, and “Adam and Eve and de Winter Apple” joins “Thompson” on this 45-rpm vinyl single. Vasnier’s two surviving cylinders are the earliest extant sounds from New Orleans. In them, he summons up the atmosphere and the culture of the Crescent City during the time Buddy Bolden was still a teenager. This collection includes a 16-page booklet with notes and new research by Richard Martin that provides a deeper understanding of these recordings, the history of the Louisiana Phonograph Company, and significant new findings on the life and times of Louis “Bebe” Vasnier. List price: $17.99
OVERVIEW
- Catalogue number: ARCH SPV-0702-241
- UPC: 98715107821
- Original release date: November 15, 2024
- Running length: 2 track single
- Format: 7-inch 45 rpm vinyl
- Notes & packaging: Packaged in a gatefold sleeve with a 16-page color booklet
- Tracks recorded: 1891-1892
| Tracklist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thompson’s Old Gray Mule | Louis Vasnier | 1891 | |
| 2. | Adam and Eve and de Winter Apple | Louis Vasnier | ca. 1891–92 | |
Thirty years before some fiddlers from Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia started recording a new genre of music called “hillbilly,” a Creole of color from the Seventh Ward of New Orleans named Louis Vasnier (1858–1902) beat them to the punch. Recorded in 1891, “Thompson’s Old Gray Mule” is the most raucous version of a song that, better known as “Johnson’s Old Gray Mule,” would enter the country music canon.
But Vasnier did more than give us what is arguably the oldest country record in existence. For the short-lived Louisiana Phonograph Company he also waxed sermons by a fictional preacher named Brudder Rasmus, and “Adam and Eve and de Winter Apple” joins “Thompson” on this 45-rpm vinyl single. Vasnier’s two surviving cylinders are the earliest extant sounds from New Orleans. In them, he summons up the atmosphere and the culture of the Crescent City during the time Buddy Bolden was still a teenager.
The discovery of “Thompson’s Old Gray Mule” ranks as one of the most significant findings in the history of recorded sound. Vasnier’s delivery is loud and clear, and his realistic imitation of the snorting donkey is both hilarious and unequaled. Meanwhile, “Adam and Eve,” which has been known for some years, is now presented for the first time in its entirety from a fresh transfer, meticulously restored, alongside a 19th-century text that informed Vasnier’s sketch.
This collection includes a 16-page booklet that provides a deeper understanding of these recordings, the history of the Louisiana Phonograph Company, and significant new findings on the life and times of Louis “Bebe” Vasnier.
Produced by Meagan Hennessey and Richard Martin, winners of the 2007 Best Historical Album GRAMMY for Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1891–1922. Restorations, remastering, and album notes by Richard Martin.
The earliest known ‘country’ recording has been found. The singer? A Black man.
Geoff Edgers, The Washington Post [read review ]
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Who is Louis Vasnier?