Amy Ellerman
Last updated: 06.11.24
ound some wonderful info on her by David Hoehl here : "contralto (1890 - June 4, 1960). Amy Ellerman was born in Yankton, South Dakota. She began as a pianist before turning to voice; among her teachers were Gemma Bellincioni and Herbert Witherspoon. The outbreak of World War I aborted a contract with the Dresden Opera, but she was soloist at the Bethlehem-Bach Festival, the Bach Cantata Club, the New York Oratorio Society, and the Chautauqua Lake Festival and with the New York Symphony Orchestra under Walter Damrosch. As a recitalist, she appeared at New York's Town and Aeolian Halls, and she was another participant in Edison's Tone Tests. Ellerman also sang with Betsy Lane Shepherd and Gladys Rice as "The Homestead Trio." In 1917 she married a fellow concert singer, Calvin Coxe, in Lead, South Dakota, where her brother was State Mine Inspector. (The next paragraph in the Lead Daily Call's column announcing the nuptuals recounted how someone had driven a Ford car "filled with carp and suckers from the big dam" into town and "cleaned up a bunch of money" by selling the carp at from 10 to 35 cents each and the suckers at two for five cents, offering "persons trying out the war ration scheme an opportunity to save on a good dinner"!) Although her recording career was brief, she remained an active performer for years after her time with Edison: for instance, on January 16, 1931, she participated in a joint recital with the Gloria Trumpeters sponsored by the Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota (of which she was an honorary member) at the Ithica Conservatory, and in 1936 she sang at Town Hall. For more than a quarter century until a few years before her death, she was contralto soloist at the First Presbyterian Church in New York City. In later years, she was voice coach to film stars including Irene Dunne
Websites:
url15.gif  DAHR: Amy Ellerman List of 138 historic recordings from 1916 to 1929.

  Title (Release Year) Composer Performers Issue
         
  Historic Records      
recordmp3.gif On a Mountain Trail in Old Virginia (1923) B. Allan Amy Ellerman
Harvey Hindermeyer
Arthur Middleton
Charles F. Robinson
Elizabeth Spencer
Edison: 9166
recordmp3.gif Song of Wonderful Love, The (1924) S. Beazley Amy Ellerman
Almon Knowles
Edison: 9544
recordmp3.gif Forgotten (1917) E. Cowles Amy Ellerman Edison: 5477
recordmp3.gif La Zingara (1918) G. Donizetti Amy Ellerman Edison: 6158
recordmp3.gif Land O' the Leal, The (1917) A. Foote Amy Ellerman Edison: 5653
recordmp3.gif Dusky Lullaby, A (1918) H. Gilberté Amy Ellerman
Gladys Rice
Betsy Lane Shepherd
Edison: 6437
recordmp3.gif Messiah - He Was Despised and Rejected (1921) G.F. Handel Amy Ellerman Edison: 7872
recordmp3.gif I've Been Roaming (1917) C.E. Horn Amy Ellerman Edison: 5716
recordmp3.gif Shadows (1917) C. Jacobs-Bond Amy Ellerman Edison: 5627
recordmp3.gif Last Night (1916) H. Kjerulf Amy Ellerman Edison: 4699
recordmp3.gif In the Shadow of the Pines (1919) G.O. Lang Amy Ellerman
Charles Hart
Edison: 6766
record15.gif All the Way My Saviour Leads Me (1925) R. Lowry Amy Ellerman
Olive Marshall
Edison: 10279
recordmp3.gif Faded Love Letters of Mine (1922) L.L. Moore Amy Ellerman
J. Harold Murray
Gladys Rice
Betsy Lane Shepherd
Edison: 8673
recordmp3.gif Ole Virginny Days (1917) T.F. Morse Amy Ellerman
Gladys Rice
Betsy Lane Shepherd
Edison: 5481
recordmp3.gif Irish Lullaby (1917) A. Needham Amy Ellerman Edison: 5484
recordmp3.gif When Love Is Kind (1918) H. Pepper Amy Ellerman Edison: 6100
recordmp3.gif  How Firm a Foundation (1925) M. Portuga Donald Alexander Chalmers
Amy Ellerman
Charles Harrison
Olive Marshall
Edison: 10629
recordmp3.gif At Parting (1918) J.H. Rogers Amy Ellerman Edison: 6095
recordmp3.gif Douglas Tender and True (1917) A.A.J. Scott Amy Ellerman Edison: 5662
recordmp3.gif Saved by Grace (1917) G.C. Stebbins George Wilton Ballard
Amy Ellerman
William F. Hooley
Betsy Lane Shepherd
Edison: 5449
recordmp3.gif I Surrender All (1916) W.S. Weeden George Wilton Ballard
Thomas Chalmers
Amy Ellerman
William F. Hooley
Elizabeth Spencer
Edison: 4810
recordmp3.gif Silver Bay (1917) P. Wenrich George Wilton Ballard
Amy Ellerman
William F. Hooley
Gladys Rice
Edison: 5415
recordmp3.gif Aloha Sunset Land (1917) J.S. Zamecnik Amy Ellerman
Gladys Rice
Betsy Lane Shepherd
Edison: 5479
The peformer is featured on 23 sheet music/recording covers. It does not claim to be complete and represents only the number of items located. Keys: (w&m)
     Title Composer Attribution Items
         
perf15.jpg On a Mountain Trail in Old Virginia (1916) Bob Allan George Mack (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Harvey Hindermeyer (perf.)
Arthur Middleton (perf.)
Charles F. Robinson (perf.)
Elizabeth Spencer (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Song of Wonderful Love (1924), The Samuel W. Beazley Eben E. Rexford (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Almon Knowles (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Forgotten (1894) Eugene Cowles Flora Wulschner (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg La Zingara (1918) Gaetano Donizetti Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Land O' the Leal (1917), The Arthur Foote Baroness Carolina Oliphant Nairne (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Dusky Lullaby (1919), A Hallett Gilberté Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Gladys Rice (perf.)
Betsy Lane Shepherd (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Messiah - He Was Despised and Rejected (1742) George F. Handel Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg I've Been Roaming (1941) Charles E. Horn Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Shadows (1901) Carrie Jacobs-Bond(w&m) Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Last Night (1911) Halfdan Kjerulf Charles B. Cory (words)
Christian Winther (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg  In the Shadow of the Pines (1892) G.O. Lang Hattie Lummis (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Charles Hart (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg All the Way My Saviour Leads Me (1925) Robert Lowry Fanny Crosby (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Olive Marshall (perf.)
 record15.gif
perf15.jpg Faded Love Letters of Mine (1922) Luella Lockwood Moore Will E. Dulmage (co-author)
Richard W. Pascoe (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
J. Harold Murray (perf.)
Gladys Rice (perf.)
Betsy Lane Shepherd (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Ole Virginny Days (1916) Theodore F. Morse William Henry Gardner (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Reed Miller as James Reed (perf.)
Gladys Rice (perf.)
Betsy Lane Shepherd (perf.)
Frederick J. Wheeler as James F. Harrison (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Irish Lullaby (1917) Alicia Adelaide Needham Francis A. Fahy (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg When Love Is Kind (1918) Harry S. Pepper Thomas Moore (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg How Firm a Foundation (1925) Marcos Portuga George Skene Keith (words)
Donald Alexander Chalmers (perf.)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Charles Harrison (perf.)
Olive Marshall (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg At Parting (1886) James Hotchkiss Rogers Frederic Peterson (words)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Douglas Tender and True (?) Alicia Ann John Scott Amy Ellerman (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Saved by Grace (1905) George C. Stebbins George Wilton Ballard (perf.)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
William F. Hooley (perf.)
Betsy Lane Shepherd (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg I Surrender All (1909) W.S. Weeden Judson W. Van DeVenter (words)
George Wilton Ballard (perf.)
Thomas Chalmers (perf.)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
William F. Hooley (perf.)
Elizabeth Spencer (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg  Silver Bay (1916) Percy Wenrich(w&m) George Wilton Ballard (perf.)
Amy Ellerman (perf.)
William F. Hooley (perf.)
Gladys Rice (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif
perf15.jpg Aloha Sunset Land (1916) John Stepan Zamecnik Amy Ellerman (perf.)
Gladys Rice (perf.)
Betsy Lane Shepherd (perf.)
 recordmp3.gif