1926 in music

List of years in music (table)
In radio
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
In television
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
+...

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1926.

Specific locations[edit]

Specific genres[edit]

Events[edit]

Blind Lemon Jefferson record

Published popular music[edit]

Top Popular Recordings 1926[edit]

The following songs achieved the highest positions in Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 and record sales reported on the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website during 1926:[6] Numerical rankings are approximate, they are only used as a frame of reference.

Rank Artist Title Label Recorded Released Chart Positions
1 Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra "Valencia"[7] Victor 20007 March 30, 1926 (1926-03-30) June 1926 (1926-06) US Billboard 1926 #1, US Pop #1 for 11 weeks, 17 total weeks, 1,012,687 sales[8]
2 Vernon Dalhart "The Prisoner's Song"[9] Victor 19427 August 13, 1924 (1924-08-13) December 5, 1925 (1925-12-05) US Billboard 1926 #2, US Pop #1 for 7 weeks, 12 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1926 #1, 1,320,356 sales thru 1930,[8]
3 Jan Garber and His Orchestra "Baby Face"[10] Victor 20105 September 29, 1926 (1926-09-29) September 1926 (1926-09) US Billboard 1926 #3, US Pop #1 for 6 weeks, 12 total weeks
4 George Olsen and His Music "Who?"[11] Victor 19840 November 6, 1925 (1925-11-06) January 1926 (1926-01) US Billboard 1926 #4, US Pop #1 for 6 weeks, 12 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[6]
5 Ben Bernie and His Orchestra "Sleepy Time Gal"[12] Brunswick 2992 January 1926 (1926-01) February 1926 (1926-02) US Billboard 1926 #5, US Pop #1 for 4 weeks, 13 total weeks
6 Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra "The Birth of the Blues"[13] Victor 20138 March 30, 1926 (1926-03-30) October 1926 (1926-10) US Billboard 1926 #6, US Pop #1 for 4 weeks, 12 total weeks
7 Gene Austin "Bye Bye Blackbird"[14] Victor 20044 April 29, 1926 (1926-04-29) July 31, 1926 (1926-07-31) US Billboard 1926 #7, US Pop #1 for 3 weeks, 12 total weeks, 414,494 sales[8]
8 George Olsen and His Music "Always"[15] Victor 19955 February 5, 1926 (1926-02-05) April 1926 (1926-04) US Billboard 1926 #8, US Pop #1 for 3 weeks, 10 total weeks
9 Al Jolson "I'm Sitting on Top of the World"[16] Brunswick 3014 December 21, 1925 (1925-12-21) January 1925 (1925-01) US Billboard 1926 #9, US Pop #1 for 2 weeks, 11 total weeks
10 Johnny Marvin "Breezin' Along with the Breeze"[17] Columbia 699 August 1926 (1926-08) September 1926 (1926-09) US Billboard 1926 #10, US Pop #1 for 2 weeks, 10 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1926 #12
11 Vincent Lopez and His Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra "Always"[15] Okeh 40567 February 1926 (1926-02) April 1926 (1926-04) US Billboard 1926 #11, US Pop #1 for 2 weeks, 9 total weeks
12 Al Jolson "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)"[18] Brunswick 3222 June 1, 1926 (1926-06-01) July 1926 (1926-07) US Billboard 1926 #12, US Pop #1 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks
13 Whispering Jack Smith "Gimme a Lil' Kiss, Will Ya Huh?"[19] Victor 19978 March 5, 1926 (1926-03-05) May 1926 (1926-05) US Billboard 1926 #11, US Pop #1 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks
14 Gene Austin "Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue"[20] Victor 19899 December 11, 1925 (1925-12-11) February 1926 (1926-02) US Billboard 1926 #14, US Pop #1 for 1 weeks, 11 total weeks
15 Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra "Moonlight on the Ganges"[21] Victor 20139 August 13, 1926 (1926-08-13) October 1926 (1926-10) US Billboard 1926 #15, US Pop #2 for 4 weeks, 10 total weeks
16 George Olsen and His Music "Sunny"[22] Victor 19840 November 6, 1925 (1925-11-06) January 1926 (1926-01) US Billboard 1926 #16, US Pop #2 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks
17 Ethel Waters "Dinah"[23] Columbia 487 December 1925 (1925-12) January 1926 (1926-01) US Billboard 1926 #17, US Pop #2 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks
18 Ben Bernie and His Orchestra "Reaching for the Moon"[24] Brunswick 3170 April 11, 1926 (1926-04-11) June 1926 (1926-06) US Billboard 1926 #18, US Pop #2 for 2 weeks, 6 total weeks
19 Ted Lewis and His Band "I've Found a New Baby"[25] Columbia 600-D February 11, 1926 (1926-02-11) May 1926 (1926-05) US Billboard 1926 #19, US Pop #2 for 1 week, 6 total weeks
20 George Olsen and His Music "Horses"[26] Victor 19977 March 4, 1926 (1926-03-04) May 1926 (1926-05) US Billboard 1926 #20, US Pop #2 for 1 weeks, 6 total weeks
21 Vernon Dalhart "The Death of Floyd Collins"[27] Victor 19779 September 9, 1925 (1925-09-09) November 1925 (1925-11) US Billboard 1926 #21, US Pop #3 for 1 week, 7 total weeks, US Hillbilly 1925 #4, 403,055 sales[8]

Other important recordings[edit]

Classical music[edit]

Opera[edit]

Film[edit]

Jazz[edit]

Musical theater[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hurd, Michael (1983). "Rutland Boughton (1878–1960), The Immortal Hour". Hyperion. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  2. ^ Hewett, Ivan, "Rolling with the Punches", BBC Proms 2022, pp. 20–4
  3. ^ Jazz Standards. Accessed 22 April 2013
  4. ^ Songwriters Hall of Fame: James F Hanley Archived 2013-04-30 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 22 April 2013
  5. ^ Gelber Music Archived 2013-09-24 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 22 April 2013
  6. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
  7. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-35242. Valencia / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  8. ^ a b c d "The Victor Talking Machine Company". davidsarnoff.org. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  9. ^ "Victor matrix B-30633. The prisoner's song / Vernon Dalhart - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  10. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-35558. Baby face / Jan Garber Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  11. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-33856. Who / George Olsen and his Music - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  12. ^ "Brunswick matrix E17061-E17063. Sleepy time gal / Ben Bernie ; Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  13. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-36036. The birth of the blues / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  14. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-35354. Bye bye blackbird / Gene Austin - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  15. ^ a b "OKeh matrix 74008. Always (Waltz) / Casa Lopez Orchestra ; Vincent Lopez - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  16. ^ "Brunswick matrix E17172-E17173. I'm sitting on top of the world / Carl Fenton's Orchestra ; Al Jolson - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  17. ^ "Columbia matrix W142355. Breezin' along with the breeze / Johnny Marvin - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  18. ^ "Brunswick matrix E19418-E19420. When the red, red, robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along / Carl Fenton's Orchestra ; Al Jolson - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  19. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-34683. Gimme a little kiss (Will ya? Huh?) / Jack Smith - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  20. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-34103. Five foot two, eyes of blue (Has anybody seen my girl) / Gene Austin - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  21. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-36044. Moonlight on the Ganges / Paul Whiteman Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  22. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-33855. Sunny / George Olsen and his Music - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  23. ^ "Columbia matrix W141164. Dinah / Ethel Waters - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  24. ^ "Brunswick matrix E18754-E18756. Reaching for the moon / Ben Bernie ; Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  25. ^ "Columbia matrix W141673. I've found a new baby / Ted Lewis and his Band - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  26. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-34676. Horses / George Olsen and his Music - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  27. ^ "Victor matrix BVE-33374. Death of Floyd Collins / Vernon Dalhart - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-19.
  28. ^ Dales, Ossie (June 2012). Down Yonder With (booklet). Champ Butler. London, England: Jasmine Records. JASCD 724.

External links[edit]