Al Bernard

American vaudeville singer. Born November 23, 1888 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Died March 6, 1949 (aged 60) in Manhatten, New York. He was known as "The Boy From Dixie", who was most popular during the 1910s through early 1930s. He became a blackface singer in minstrel shows before starting his recording career around 1916. He was one of the first white singers to record blues songs. His July 1918 version of "Saint Louis Blues" was the first vocal audio recording of the W. C. Handy standard recorded in America. Sometimes billed as "The Singing Comedian", other songs of note Bernard recorded include "Shake, Rattle and Roll", about a dice game, entirely unaffiliated with the later Rock & Roll hit; and he was one of the first American singers to release the song "Frankie and Johnny" ("Johnnie" on label) in America. He charted three times as a singer, twice in duets. In 1919, he sang solo on "The St. Louis Blues" (#9). He charted with Ernest Hare with song "I Want to Hold You in My Arms" (#4) in 1919. He charted with Vernon Dalhart with song "I Want My Mammy" (#10) in 1922. He charted twice as a songwriter, first with "Spread Yo' Stuff" by Ethel Waters in 1922, which landed at #7 (co-written by Jules Levy & Paul Crane); and "Blue Eyed Sally" by Ted Weems and His Orchestra, which rose to #3 in 1925 (co-written by J. Russell Robinson). He continued to record into the 1940s.