John Scantlebury Macdonald (May 30, 1871 – September 26, 1931) was a Canadian-born singer of Irish and Scottish descent, and recording executive. Under the pseudonym Harry Macdonough, he was one of the most prolific and popular tenors during the formative years of the recording industry. Based upon the ledgers of the four major record companies of the early twentieth century (Edison, Victor, Columbia and Brunswick), which are accessible online through the Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR), some of his most popular recordings included “ Shine On, Harvest Moon” (with Elise Stevenson), “ Down By The Old Mill Stream”, “ They Didn’t Believe Me” (with Olive Kline), “Tell Me, Pretty Maiden” (with Grace Spencer), and “Where The River Shannon Flows”.

Music career

Macdonald was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His earliest recorded performances were for the Michigan Electric Company in Detroit, which made phonograph cylinders for

penny arcades A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

. He caught the attention of Edison Records with a demo recording he made in October 1898, and began recording for Edison in the Haydn Quartet. From 1899 until his retirement in 1920, he recorded hundreds of songs both as a soloist and in ensembles. One of Macdonald's lesser-known performances is for performing " Tessie", then billed as "Tessie (You Are the Only Only Only)" from the Broadway musical ''The Silver Slipper'' in 1903, becoming a rallying cry for the Boston Red Sox until 1918 and starting again in 2004 during the World Series. During the 1900s, Macdonald took a job with the Victor Talking Machine Company, becoming assistant manager and later manager of its New York City studio. As studio manager he oversaw the studio schedule, as well as negotiating contracts with artists and music publishers. In October 1913, he recorded a duet with the American singer Marguerite Dunlap of "When It's Apple Blossom Time in Normandy". Macdonald rose rapidly at Victor, becoming its national sales manager in 1920 and manager of artists and repertoire in 1923. He moved to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1925 and oversaw the technical development of its studios until his death.

References

External links

*
Harry Macdonough recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonough, Harry 1871 births 1931 deaths Canadian music industry executives Canadian pop singers Musicians from Hamilton, Ontario Canadian tenors Pioneer recording artists