Ben Selvin (March 5, 1898 - July 15, 1980), son of Russian-immigrant Jewish parents, started his professional life at age 15 as a fiddle player in New York City night clubs. A husky lad, he looked older than he was and as such was permitted into such establishments.

A mere six years later, as leader of his own dance band, the "Novelty Orchestra," Selvin released the biggest-selling popular song in the first quarter-century of recorded music. That single, Dardanella, eventually went on to sell more than 5 million copies and an additional 2 million pieces of sheet music.

According to The Guinness Book of World Records and many other sources, Selvin is acknowledged as having recorded more musical sides (on 78-rpm discs) than any other person, living or dead. One reason for this prolific output is that he recorded for dozens of different labels during this high-growth time in the industry, using a different name (or slightly different name) for each label.
Selvin's output has been estimated at 13,000 to 20,000 song titles.

(Audio Sourced from Ben Selvin and his Orchestra

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