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 One
of the things we find in assembling our various compilations
is that there are often more takes released of a given
track than have been previously attested to. This is
especially true of Columbia issues. Here, for instance,
is take 3 of "Don't Take Me Home" from Eddie
Morton's second set of sessions for Columbia in the
fall of 1909. Take 1 will be included on our upcoming
volume 1 of Eddie's recordings, called The
Sound of Vaudeville, but this take is just
a little bit different than the one more commonly found.
Edward Farren Morton was born May 15, 1870 in Philadelphia.
He worked as a policeman there for several years before
"The Singing Cop" abandoned his beat for the
vaudeville stage. He was featured prominently in the
summer 1907 hit show, The Maid and the Millionaire,
which played atop the Madison Square Garden Roof. A
successful tour the next season in burlesque houses
with M. M. Thiese's Rollickers led to more
prominent bookings in the 1908-1909 and 1909-1910 seasons
on United time in Keith's and Poli's vaudeville houses.
Morton ceased making records in 1917 but played vaudeville
until 1926, and for the last 20 years of his life operated
a restaurant on the Wildwood, New Jersey boardwalk called
Ed Morton's Little Bit of Broadway. He died on April
11, 1938 of a heart attack.
"Don't Take Me Home" was a big hit on the
variety stage in 1908-1909, and Eddie recorded it more
times than any other number: for Victor, Edison, Zonophone,
and Columbia. It is probably his biggest hit, with the
possible exception of "The Oceana Roll" (which
will be featured on our second volume of Eddie Morton's
recordings). The ad above, from Variety in
1908, says of "Don't Take Me Home": "The
sensational comic song craze of the season....This is
the biggest cinch hit that we have ever published. If
you are singing it, write for extra verses."
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