Vess Ossman

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Vess Ossman (1868 – 1923) was a leading 5-string banjoist and popular recording artist.

Sylvester Louis Ossman was born August 21, 1868 in Hudson, New York, USA. He made his first recordings in 1893. He became one of the most recorded musicians of his day, recording marches, cakewalks, rags, and other instrumentals. He also accompanied popular singers including Arthur Collins and Len Spencer.

He performed in the USA and England. Late in his career he led his own dance bands in Dayton, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. He died December 7, 1923 in Fairmont, Minnesota.

Ossman played in what is now known as the classical banjo style. He fingerpicked gut strings using a technique similar to classical guitarists.

Some of his recordings include "St. Louis Tickle", "Yankee Doodle", "Rusty Rags", "Maple Leaf Rag", "The Stars and Stripes Forever", "A Bit of Blarney", "My Irish Molly O", "A Gay Gosson", "Yankee Girl", "Bill Simmons", "Karama". His recordings also include songs with less politically correct titles such as "A Coon Band Contest", "The Darkies' Awakening" and "All Coons Look Alike To Me."

[edit] External links

Collected Works of Vess L. Ossman Downloadable recordings from archive.org
Downloadable recordings of Ossman from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara