Edward Meeker (January 22, 1874 – April 19, 1937) was an American singer and performer, best known for his appearances on the recordings of
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...
both as an announcer and singer, performing songs such as "
Chicken Reel", "Go Easy Mabel", "
Harrigan" and most notably, "
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song ...
". Original music by Meeker includes, "That Railroad Rag" released in 1911. As well as reading
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
skits and providing sound effects throughout the remainder of his career.
Personal life
Edward Meeker married Margaret Wood Meeker in 1895.
Meeker was born in
East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...
, on January 22 of 1874, and died in
Orange, New Jersey
The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000.
Orange was original ...
, on April 19, 1937, at the age of 63.
In Popular Culture
Meeker's Rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" can be heard on the radio in ''
Slender: The Arrival''.
Meeker's appearance on Thomas Edison's cylinder recordings can be found on Apple Music.
References
External links
Rate Your Music profileEdward Meeker recordingsfrom
UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive The Cylinder Audio Archive is a free digital collection maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara Library with streaming and downloadable versions of over 10,000 phonograph cylinders manufactured between 1893 and the mid-1920s. The ...
1874 births
1937 deaths
American male singers
Musicians from East Orange, New Jersey
Pioneer recording artists
Singers from New Jersey
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