[78-L] St Louis Blues?

[RAY KILCOYNE]

Looks like you may have the original, Taylor.  Here's what Wikipedia 
lists........

Researcher Guy Marco, in his book Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound in the 
United States, stated that the first audio recording of "St. Louis Blues" 
was by Al Bernard in July 1918 on the record company label Aeolian-Vocalion 
(cat. no. 12148). This is however not true, since Columbia's house band, 
directed by Charles A. Prince, had recorded a released instrumental version 
already in December 1915 (Columbia A5772). Bernard's version may have been 
the first US issue to include the lyrics though. However, by then Ciro's 
Club Coon Orchestra, a group of black American artists appearing in Britain, 
had already recorded a version including the lyrics in September 1917 (UK 
Columbia 699).
RayK

From: "Taylor Bowie"
>I just got a very enjoyable 12"  Columbia of Prince's Band playing  the St.
> Louis Blues...recorded in December of 1915.
>
> I know this is a pretty early record of the tune...can anyone tell me the
> earliest recorded versions?  I have an Ernest Hare Gennett vocal of it 
> from
> 1919...there must be earlier vocal versions as well but I don't know what
> they are.