[Ads-l] Plea for NewspaperArchive Search

Mon Jan 27 19:51:03 UTC 2025

This is the earliest I can find in a quick search. This Black newspaper includes the sheet music, or at least the first page:

"Baby Seals Blues" (advertisement with sheet music). Freeman (Indianapolis), 19 October 1912, 6. Readex: America's Historical Newspapers.

This is the earliest mention in NewspaperArchive:

"Four Special Player Piano Offerings This Week at Griggs'" (advertisement). Moline Daily Dispatch (Illinois), 20 December 1915, 16. NewspaperArchive.com.

"These Player Rolls
FREE

"With each Player Piano purchased here this week. Or $10 worth of rolls of your own selection—
Come on Along, 40c.
Along the Mississippi Shore, 40c.
Baby Seals Blues, 30c
Summer Nights, 40c ..."

-----Original Message-----
From: "Jonathan Lighter" <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2025 11:09am
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Plea for NewspaperArchive Search

According to the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, "Baby
Seals Blues Sing Em - They Sound Good To Me," words and music by Baby F.
Seals, arranged by Artie Matthews, was copyrighted on August 3, 1912 with a
second copyright filed on August 7.

JL

On Mon, Jan 27, 2025 at 10:20 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
wrote:

> I cancelled my subscription to NewspaperArchive some time ago. Is anyone
> willing to search it for me ? I am interested in the earliest mentions of
> the song "Baby Seals Blues." The mentions would presumably occur some time
> in 1912, and what I am trying to find out is any information about when the
> song was first published.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org