Not My Victrola

Lee Morse recorded 'Yes Sir, That's My Baby' in 1925. What is really remarkable in this song is her level of performance with brand new microphone technology. Up until this time, singers had to shout into a megaphone, and as I listened to this song, I wondered how many great performances we have missed from early Twentieth Century singers who needed better recording methods to reach the audience. A good case to study is Al Jolson. When his career revived in the 1940's he remade several of his earlier hits. You can hear genuine excitement in his later recordings that you don't hear in many of his acoustically recorded originals.