Red and white wraps with black titles and B&W photograph of The Versatile Three. This copy has much wear on edges, corners and surfaces along with general aging. The top right corner is torn away. Overall this copy is in Fair condition. In the heart of a Fool was composed by Harry D. Squires with Lyrics by Max C. Freedman. It was copyrighted in 1919. Of more interest, are the singers,The Versatile Three. This American trio was quite popular in England and had some success in the US. Gus Haston, a banjo player, had originally formed The Versatile Three as a string band in 1914 with Anthony Tuck and Charles Wenzel Millas. Charles Wesley Johnson soon joined to make them The Versatile Four. Johnson soon returned to America and the group again became The Versatile Three. They played England , Australia and continental Europe for many years. A newspaper article from the 1920's says that the Prince of Wales occasionally sat in with them on the drums. The group played mainly played a kind of ragtime on string instruments that did not keep up with the jazz that was developing in America. Eventually, the group disbanded. The photograph on the front is one of several from a photography session in England. From left to right in the photograph are Haston, Mills and Tuck. Thia group is mentioned several times in Tim Brooks' Lost Sounds and a CD of all their recordings is available. Like many of the mostly forgotten African-American musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, The Versatile Three could not break into the American music scene because of racial issues. They chose to play in Europe instead. This sheet music is a nice artefact of their existence. ; B&W Photograph; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 4 pages
Title: In the Heart of a Fool by The Versatile Three -- Sheet Music, 1919
Location Published: London, Laurence Wright: 1919
Binding: Softcover
Book Condition: Fair
Categories: Music
Seller ID: 15672
Keywords: music jazz ragtime popular music african - american black negro paper sheet music