James F. Hanley (co-author of "Back Home In Indiana") and Robert King (co-author of "I Ain't Nobody's Darling") wrote this in 1923 as an "answer song" to the runaway smash written by Irving Cohn and Frank Silver, and Eddie Cantor turned it into a minor
hit in its own right. Edison had the Jazz-O-Harmonists come in to record a version of it on August 3 of 1923. The vocalist is mercifully uncredited - he was probably one of the musicians in the group - it's a pity that Vernon Dalhart wasn't available!
It's a snappy number besides the vocal, and a good example of Edison Labs recording technique. The record itself is in remarkably good condition and didn't need much noise reduction. (An interesting discertation about the social impact of "Yes We Have No
Bananas" can be found at Gilbert Seldes's web site, and Eddie Cantor's recording is available on CD through
Amazon. Lyrics to this song are on-line at CyberDiva's web site.)
