The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #144834 Message #3349082
Posted By: Jim Dixon
10-May-12 - 07:58 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Grandfather singing on a Voice-o-Graph
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Grandfather singing on a Voice-o-Graph
I can only make out an occasional word or phrase, and these are doubtful:
"… poor boy … railroad track … rails … him far from home … alone …"
It seems to have the feel of a cowboy song or a very old country song.
"In the past (approximately from the 1940s through the 1970s), there were booths called Voice-O-Graphs, that let the user record their own voice onto a record when money was inserted. These were often found at arcades and tourist attractions alongside other vending and game machines. The Empire State Building's 86th floor observatory in New York City, Coney Island, NY and Conneaut Lake Park, PA are some of the locations which had such machines. Gem Razors also created thousands of free Voice-O-Graph records during wartime for the troops to send home to their families."
Here is some information that might help you date the recording: