Burt Shepard - The Robin

In time for Christmas, here's a comedy record from 1904 that I think is still pretty funny. Burt Shepard promises an imitation of a robin which never comes; it quickly devolves into a rambling, increasingly confused dissertation largely concerning drinking at Christmas.

Shepard recorded dozens of sides for Victor in the early years of the 20th century, both songs and comic recitations like this. During this period the record company was using the "Monarch" designation for its one-sided ten-inch records, reserving "Victor" for the twelve-inchers. My copy of this record is in decent shape, but there is one stripped groove near the beginning which causes a slight skip, at the phrase, "our dear little robin," about twelve seconds in. There are a few other slightly rough spots, but everything should be pretty intelligible. So enjoy "The Robin," recorded on July 26, 1904. And try to get the other fellow to buy that first drink.

The Robin