Letter Edged In Black (The)

This is a snippet of “The Letter Edged In Black” (Hattie Nevada) as recorded on a wax cylinder in 1897 by composer Hattie Nevada (Hicks) for the Kansas City Talking Machine Company. Hattie and husband Frank Woodbury co-owned the recording company.

The first time “The Letter Edged In Black” was issued on shellac was a version by George Reneau “The Blind Musician of the Smoky Mountains”. George sang, played the harmonica and banjo as a street musician in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Often it was Gene Austin singing and not George.

In 1925 Vernon Dalhart (Marion Slaughter) scored what is credited as a top ten hit with “The Letter Edged In Black”. Since then, the tearjerker has been recorded by acts like Johnny Cash, Wilbert Harrison, Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins and Hank Snow.