The Peerless Quartet - In The Sweet By and By

The Peerless Quartet was an American vocal group that recorded in the early years of the twentieth century. They originally formed to record for Columbia Records, where they were credited as the Columbia Quartet or Columbia Male Quartet. From about 1907, when they began to record for labels other than Columbia, they were more widely known as the Peerless Quartet.
The first cylinder recordings by the Columbia Male Quartet (or ...Quartette) were made in the late 1890s. The earliest version of the group included first tenor Albert Campbell, second tenor James Kent "Jim" Reynard, baritone Joe Belmont and bass Joe Majors. The same line-up also recorded in 1901-02 as the Climax Quartette for Climax discs, a predecessor of Columbia's own discs, although later recordings under that name were by a different group. Over the next few years, Reynard was first replaced by George J. Gaskin, and then, around 1902, by Henry Burr. Majors was first replaced by Tom Daniels and then, in about 1903, by Frank C. Stanley. On some recordings, Belmont was replaced by Arthur Collins or Bob Roberts.

By 1904, the group's membership had stabilized as tenors Albert Campbell and Henry Burr, baritone Steve Porter, and bass Frank C. Stanley. Frank Stanley (born William Stanley Grinsted) became the group's lead singer and manager, and, as freelance musicians, the group began recording for other labels as well as Columbia. They recorded as the Peerless Quartet for Zonophone from 1907; for Victor from 1908; and for Edison's National Phonograph Company from 1909. The group's most successful early recordings included "You're The Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline" for Columbia in 1904, and "Honey Boy" for Columbia and Zonophone in 1907. In 1909, Arthur Collins replaced Steve Porter, who continued to record as a solo performer and in duos.] They continued to have success in 1910, notably with "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", which they recorded for Columbia, Zonophone, and Everlasting, and "Silver Bell", recorded for Victor and Everlasting.
In 1918, Collins left the group and was replaced by Frank Croxton. The line-up of Burr, Campbell, Meyer and Croxton remained together until 1925 and continued to record for Columbia and Victor. They had diminishing success, but in 1922 made the first recording of "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", later a rock and roll hit song.

After that line-up disbanded in 1925, Burr formed a new version of the Peerless Quartet, with himself, Carl Mathieu, Stanley Baughman and James Stanley. The line-up made a film at that time with Pathé Films. The quartet finally disbanded in 1928, though Burr continued to record thereafter.