Happy 140th birthday Enrico Caruso..

It has been a long time since I had first heard of Caruso. I discovered him on my own in 1971. In that year I found my first Caruso record. In fact, if I have said this before I am sorry, but I traded a 1935 Philco Cathedral Radio for my first Caruso record. I knew nothing  about the value of his records then. I thought as many do today that his records were amazingly valuable.  Well, they are not usually. Save for his early stuff of pre - 1906.  But I studied him a lot as a boy and marked my few Caruso's with lots of information on the smooth other side of the record.  I see these records and now laugh a little. But in 1971 what did I know.

Now I have a sizable Caruso collection of recordings made from 1902 to 1920.  And I do prize many of them for their artistic qualities. As for value only the very early as I mentioned before have that.  For the rest of his recordings from 1906 on, they have never been out of print. Be it shellac disc, cylinder, vinyl disc, 78, 45, 33,  or CD and now downloaded from the net.

I cannot think of any singer in our history who has had 111 years of success on record. I will imagine that when we in the very distant future land on Mars. The voice of Caruso will be there to be heard by a lover of fine singing.

So happy birthday Enrico, little did you know how much you would touch the world of the future.

Thank you