Phonograph record:Just before the Battle, Mother #8872

Thomas Edison developed the first method of recording speech in 1877. In the beginning, the very first record players were expensive machines that played cylinders, not discs. Although the machines became commercially available in 1895, there was still no way to mass-produce the cylinders; each had to be recorded one at a time. An easy method of copying the cylinders was introduced at last in 1902, and overnight the breakthrough transformed music in the home. Suddenly, in the comfort of their own homes, average Americans could hear their favorite songs performed by their favorite singers. "Just Before the Battle, Mother," was one of the most popular songs of the day, and Harry Macdonough & John Bieling were among the most popular singers. Songwriter George F. Root, better known for such patriotic songs as "Battle Cry of Freedom," had written the song for Union soldiers in 1864, during the American Civil War. His sentimental ballad proved popular among soldiers on both sides of the war, and a version was even published in the South in 1865. The song remained popular well after the war, and various singers recorded their own renditions through World War I.