Many consider Ben Selvin to be the greatest recorded bandleader with over 13,000 recordings. He led many studio groups and society orchestras between 1910 and 1930, recording endless novelty songs for prime commercial crossover. Selvin’s many sides include “Dardanella”, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” and “Yes!” We Have No Bananas, “Manhattan,” and “Happy Days Are Here Again” are some of the most well-known songs by Selvin. Selvin was also a vocalist in backing bands for Ethel Waters and Kate Smith. Selvin started his career in Charles Strickland’s orchestra as a violinist. He was just 17 years old when he started his own society dance band and stayed seven years at the Moulin Rouge in New York. Victor recorded his first hit, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” in July 1919 during his first session. He led several studio ensembles for labels like Vocalion and Brunswick, Okeh. Paramount, Lyric. Emerson. Arto was also a member of many other recordings, including those under the aliases of the Broadway Syncopators to the Bar Harbor Society Orchestra. Selvin could lead many orchestras on the same performance date, just as he was able to do on recordings. It was a common practice at the time to have many orchestras performing weekend gigs in New York under the leadership of Selvin, Lester Lanin, Meyer Davis or any other well-known bandleader. Selvin began recording exclusively for Columbia in the late 1920s. Selvin continued to issue side by side until the middle of the 1930s. He retired from performing in 1934 and went to work at Muzak as vice president of programming and recording. His connections helped him convince notable bandleaders to record anonymously for the company. He was elected A.
