[78-L] Leonore Vonderlieth alias on Cameo 963

[J. E. Knox]

Greetings from FixitLand!

Dennis Forkel wrote:

>> Two months ago my brother&   I hauled some 2,000-plus 78s back  
>> down to Indianapolis, having got them from a collector near Kokomo  
>> who was "downsizing" his stash. Slowly I've been going through  
>> them, and came across Cameo 963. This is "Bye Bye Blackbird" by  
>> one Gloria Geer(with '1995' under the artist's name on the label),  
>> and the reverse has "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain If I Knew I'd  
>> Find You" by William Robyn(with '2004' under the name). The dead  
>> wax has 1995B2 for Ms. Geer's side and 2004B5 for the Robyn side.  
>> The record is electrical, but has no mention of that on the label- 
>> which has a 1922 year on the label. Also, I know that Geer is  
>> really Vaughn DeLeath(apparently married to Leon Geer from  
>> 1924-1935) but I've never heard William Robyn's voice before. Is  
>> Robyn a pseudonym as well? Can anyone supply a recording date for  
>> this record, and disclose where these masters came from? I know of  
>> the Columbia/Harmony/Diva connections, Banner/Plaza, but don't  
>> know much about Cameo history.

David Lennick answered:

> Easy one for the Vonda Leath side, since 1995-B is the matrix  
> number and the
> recording date in Rust is "c. June 8, 1926". William Robyn is a  
> real name..he
> sang everything including cantorials and popular songs and was  
> brought to some
> record collector meetings in the 70s (I know he was in Toronto one  
> time).
>

> P.S. It's an original Cameo master. Only issue, apparently,  
> although other
> Cameos she made also appeared on Lincoln.

According to the Abrams Files: 1995-B Bye Bye Blackbird is on Romeo  
240 (as by Gloria Geer, like the Cameo); 2004-B I'd Climb The Highest  
Mountain is on Romeo 222 (as by Tony Gravelle). The listing for the  
latter in the Abrams Romeo file is screwed up, crossing to Cameo 944  
and showing the wrong title. The Abrams file for Lincoln doesn't list  
either side, but it seems possible there's a Lincoln issue as well.

"Leonore Vonderlieth"?

Take care,


J. E. Knox "The Victor Freak"
and a Cameo-Lincoln-Romeo Freak too.