DESCRIPTION:
I was just reading a book about the 1912 ‘Titanic’ disaster, when it occurred to me that the 105th anniversary was coming up, so am uploading this record. I don’t know why the singer was given the pseudonym Ernest Gray, when it was actually by the redoubtable baritone Robert Carr. Possibly Carr was under contract to a major label, such as The Gramophone Co., (later HMV) or Columbia? Winner records had only just appeared in 1912, so in spite of their later success, they were in 1912 a minor-league label. Although the disc does not say so, profits from the record were donated to one of the many ‘Titanic’ relief funds for the support of the bereaved families, in the U.S.A. as well as the U.K., and elsewhere too. The image towards the end of the video is taken from a copy of the sheet music ‘Just as the Ship Went Down’, published in 1912 by Rossiter in Chicago. There is no specific reference to ‘Titanic’ in the lyric, though the name can quite faintly be discerned on the stern of the ship in the image. However, the lyric does conclude with: "Nearer, My God, Just As The Ship Went Down", so the connection is pretty certain - all agree that the ill-fated ship's orchestra were playing this. Some have said they were playing ragtime - but 'Nearer, my God, to Thee' will never be unseated. Most likely, the band played both sorts of music; but we will never know.