It’s A Grand Old Song Is “Home Sweet Home”

 

 

Manuscript of lyrics, believed to be in
Fred Godfrey’s hand.

Billy Williams & Fred Godfrey, 1912.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Interestingly, Godfrey recycled the idea of this song in 1940 for The Grandest Song Of All (Is “Home Sweet Home”), which both Gracie Fields and Vera Lynn recorded.

 

HMV-Victor 120700-A Aco G-15758 Zonophone Twin 910-B

A 1925 reissue
on an Aeolian Co.
label using a 1912
Jumbo master.

 

Recordings

Billy Williams recorded at least five versions of this song: 26 July 1912 for Zonophone, ca. August 1912 for Columbia-Rena, ca. August 1912 for Edison Amberol, ca. September 1912 for Pathé, and ca. November 1912 for Jumbo. Reissues appeared on several other labels.1

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Note

1  For comprehensive discographies of recordings by Billy Williams, see Brian Rust, British Music Hall on Record (Harrow, UK:
    Gramophone, 1979); and Frank Andrews and Ernie Bayly, Billy Williams’ Records: A Study in Discography (Bournemouth, UK:
    Talking Machine Review, 1982).