"Golden Gate (Open For Me)" Charles Hart & Elliott Shaw (1919) = James Brockman & James Kendis song

"Golden Gate (Open For Me)"

Charles Hart & Elliott Shaw

Victor 18612

1919

Song by James Brockman & James Kendis

Charles Hart was born on May 16, 1884, on South Halsted Street in Chicago to parents who had emigrated from Germany.  

The parents were named Henry and Elsabe (Timm) Hart.  The father worked as a civil engineer, became alcoholic, and deserted his family when Charles was four.

The tenor took his father's name when he began singing professionally, calling himself Charles Henry Hart, which is why some labels give his name as Charles H. Hart.

Working as a solo artist, Hart had his first session with a major company on April 23, 1917. For Victor, Hart cut two songs issued in July: "Thou Shalt Not Steal (a Heart Away)" (18294; the reverse side featured the American Quartet) and "It's Time for Every Boy to be a Soldier" (Victor 18300; the reverse side featured the Peerless Quartet). A month later, Hart performances were issued on Victor 18319: "A Tear, A Kiss, A Smile" and "That's Why My Heart Is Calling You."

Victor's August supplement features a photograph of Hart. A Victor disc with a lower record number than the above was issued in November 1917: "'Forever' Is A Long, Long Time" (18283), recorded on June 29. For "Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl," issued in February 1918 on Victor 18410, Hart was given a pseudonym ("Henry Jordan"), which is curious since the material and delivery are typical for Hart.

He was an original member of Victor's popular Shannon Four, which began recording in mid-1917 and consisted of Hart, Harvey Hindermyer, Elliott Shaw, and Wilfred Glenn. The first Shannon Four disc was issued in September 1917, "I May Be Gone For A Long, Long Time" (18333), followed in October by "Wake Up, Virginia" (18355).

He was also a member of the Crescent Trio, which usually consisted of Hart, Shaw, and James.

Lewis James was a duet partner at many sessions, and until late 1923 Elliott Shaw was another.

He began recording for Edison in 1917 as a member of the Shannon Four, later called the Lyric Male Quartet by the company.

He married soprano Esther Nelson. They recorded a handful of duets between 1922 and 1924.

In late 1923 he left the Shannon Quartet (creating an opening for Franklyn Baur) because he had begun training his voice for opera. Since the vocal technique required for singing opera is different from that needed for singing first tenor in a male quartet, his voice no longer blended well in the quartet. Around this time he cut for Edison two opera arias translated to English, "Celestial Aida" and "Oh Paradise," issued in early 1924 on Diamond Disc 80774. He made other records in 1924, sometimes under the pseudonym Charles Dalton, such as on Banner 1368, issued in July. He soon passed up recording opportunities to pursue a career in opera.

Little of his session work in the late 1920s made use of his operatic training though he sang oratorio compositions ("King Ever Glorious" and "My Hope is in the Everlasting") in August 1928 for Diamond Disc 52324. Instead, he mostly contributed vocal refrains to dance band records, perhaps most often for performances issued on Harmony, which was a Columbia budget label, and on Edison.

His final Edison record was Diamond Disc 52324. Issued in August 1928, it featured hymns by organist-composer Sir John Stainer: "King Ever Glorious," which is the chief tenor solo from Stainer's oratorio The Crucifixion, and "My Hope is in the Everlasting," from Stainer's 1878 cantata The Daughter of Jairus.

In 1929 he returned to Germany to sing in small opera houses (he made more Electrola records), which ended his American recording career.

He returned to the U.S. in October 1934 and sang often on stage in opera and musical comedy. Later, his singing career essentially over, Hart worked as a dramatic actor. In his last years he lived in a New Jersey actors' home near a daughter's home.

The singer died on December 18, 1965.

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Elliott Shaw was born on April 10, 1887, in Davenport, Iowa.  

Shortly after  his marriage in 1910, he went with his bride to New York to get further voice training and to pursue a singing career.  

He studied with Percy Hemus and John Dennis Meehan (teacher of Henry Burr).

Although eventually known as a baritone, Shaw first sang professionally as a bass.  

During his early career he was a church soloist, a concert and oratorio singer, and the bass in a male quartet.

Shaw's engagement as baritone of the Shannon Four in 1917 launched him on a long and successful recording career.  

Throughout the 1920s he made solo, duet, trio, and quartet records for numerous companies, sometimes under such pseudonyms as Frank Sterling (Pathé and Perfect), Billy Travers (Harmony), and Robert Craig (Regal and Banner).


"Golden Gate (Open For Me)" Charles Hart & Elliott Shaw (1919) = James Brockman & James Kendis song