Albert Benzler

Died February 19, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey

Playing piano, xylophone and bells Benzler made many cylinder recordings for Thomas A. Edison’s National Phonograph Company in the late 1890s and early 1900s. He made his credited debut on bells, in ‘Alita’ (1903). Among other recordings on bells are ‘Light As A Feather’ and ‘Two Old Songs’, the latter his last recording on the instrument, which he made in 1909. Among his piano recordings was ‘Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms’, which he made in 1907.

Following unresolved differences with Edison, in 1909 Benzler left the company to join the U. S. Phonograph Company as musical director. There, he was responsible for numerous cylinders released on the U.S. Everlasting Record label, with some labelled as Lakeside (4) sold by Montgomery Ward. Benzler’s own recordings included a solo piano version of ‘Black And White Rag’, a very early example of ragtime on record. The company ended its production of recordings in 1914, never having moved forward into the disc era. Benzler’s activities after this date are unknown.