Dan W. Quinn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dan W. Quinn
Background information
Birth name	Dan W. Quinn
Born	November 1860 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	(1938-11-07)November 7, 1938 New York, New York
Genres	Ragtime
Occupation(s)	Recording artist

Daniel William Quinn (born November 1860 – died November 7, 1938) was one of the very first American singers to become famous through recorded music. He was a super successful recording artist. His career lasted a long time, from 1892 to 1918. Quinn recorded many of his popular songs in New York City's famous Tin Pan Alley. This was a place known for its music publishers and songwriters.

About Dan W. Quinn

Dan W. Quinn was born in New York City in 1860. His family moved to San Francisco for a while when he was a child. But they came back to New York in the 1870s. Music was probably a big part of his family life. His older brother, John, was even listed as a "Drummer" in a census from 1870.

Dan started singing in a church choir when he was a kid. As a young man, he worked with iron. But he also sang at local events in New York during his free time.

How Dan Became Famous

In January 1892, someone "discovered" Dan singing at one of these events. He then made his very first recording in New York. He quickly became very successful! Back then, recording technology was new. Not all voices sounded good when recorded. But Dan's voice was perfect for it.

He even helped Thomas Edison in his lab. Edison was working on making his "talking machine" also a "singing machine." Edison called Dan "the man with the perfect voice."

Dan sang for all the big record companies of his time. These included Berliner, Columbia, Edison, Gramophone, Paramount, and Victor. In 1898, Columbia signed him to a special one-year contract. But as soon as it ended, he was making a record for Berliner.

Recording Many Songs

During his career, Quinn recorded many popular songs. He made an estimated 2,500 different recordings! For example, he sang "Molly and I and the Baby" over a thousand times in about two weeks. This was because of the old recording technology. Before electricity, singers had to sing into a large megaphone. This megaphone physically moved a needle that carved the sound onto a spinning cylinder.

Record companies could not easily make many copies of a song. So, if they wanted a hundred copies, the singer had to perform the song many times. For one special recording, Edison even got an orchestra to play with Quinn. He kept that copy in his laboratory.

Dan's Family Life

When Dan was 22, he married 15-year-old Mary Jane Ritchie, who his family called Jennie. They had six children together: Dan Jr, Ritchie, Arthur (who sadly died as a baby), Mary (known as Lidie), Jane, and Frank.

They lived in a nice house in New York City. Later, they moved to a different flat. This was because Jennie had rheumatism, which made it hard for her to use stairs.

Retirement and Later Years

Quinn stopped recording music in 1906. But he kept performing in live shows, clubs, and concerts. He even did some comic operas. He briefly returned to recording from 1915 to 1918. But he retired again soon after.

Even after he stopped singing, he worked a lot. He helped book concerts and shows for other performers. He was still doing this work the week he passed away.

Dan Quinn died in his New York apartment on November 7, 1938. He was 79 years old.

Selected Recordings

Here is a partial list of some of Dan W. Quinn's recordings:

• "Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-wow" – North American Phonograph Co., 1892
• "The Bowery" – North American Phonograph Co., 1892
• "Daisy Bell" – North American Phonograph Co., 1893
• "And Her Golden Hair was Hanging Down Her Back" – Berliner, 1894
• "My Pearl is a Bowery Girl" – Berliner, 1894
• "Girl Wanted" – Berliner, 1895
• "Henrietta, Have You Met Her?" — Columbia, 1895
• "The Band Played On" – Columbia, 1895
• "The Sidewalks of New York" – Berliner, 1895
• "Streets of Cairo" – Berliner, 1895
• "Down in Poverty Row" – Berliner, 1896
• "Elsie From Chelsea" – Edison, 1896
• "In the Baggage Coach Ahead" – Berliner, 1896
• "I've Been Hoodoed" – Berliner, 1896
• "McKinley is our Man" – Phonograph Records, 1896
• "My Best Girl's a New Yorker" – Berliner, 1896
• "The Little Lost Child" – Columbia, 1896
• "A Hot Time in the Old Town" – Berliner, 1897
• "My Mother was a Lady" – Columbia, 1897
• "There's a Little Star Shining for You" – Edison, 1897
• "You're Not the Only Pebble on the Beach" – Berliner, 1897
• "At a Georgia Camp Meeting" – Columbia, 1898
• "She Never Did the Same Thing Twice" – Berliner, 1898
• "She was Happy Til She Met You" – Columbia, 1898
• "Curse of the Dreamer" – Columbia, 1899
• "Glorious Beer" – Columbia, 1899
• "Little Old New York is Good Enough for Me" – Berliner, 1899
• "Smokey Mokes" – Edison, 1899
• "Whistling Rufus" – Edison, 1899
• "Just Because She Made Dem Goo-Goo Eyes" – Victor, 1900
• "Nothing's Too Good for the Irish" – Columbia, 1900
• "Strike Up the Band" – Victor, 1900
• "When Reuben Comes to Town" – Victor, 1900
• "Good Morning Carrie" – Victor, 1901
• "She's Getting More Like the White Folks Every Day" – Columbia, 1901
• "I Ain't A-goin' to Weep No More" – Victor, 1901
• "I Want to Go to Morrow" – Edison, 1902
• "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" – Victor, 1902
• "The Penny Whistler" — Columbia, 1903
• "Football" – Victor, 1905
• "Is Marriage a Failure?" (Duet with Helen Trix) – Victor, 1906
• "Hello Boys I'm Back Again" – Columbia, 1915
• "At the Fountain of Youth" – Columbia, 1916
• "Here Comes the Groom" – Operaphone Records, 1917
• "Life is a Merry Go Round" – Paramount, 1918
• "Round Her Neck She Wears a Yellow Ribbon" – Paramount, 1918