Ben Selvin

Who was Ben Selvin?

Benjamin B. Selvin, son of Russian-immigrant Jewish parents, was a musician, bandleader, record producer and innovator in recorded music. He was known as The Dean of Recorded Music.

Selvin 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, Selvin recorded more musical sides than any other person. 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 for each label. Selvin's output has been estimated at 13,000 to 20,000 song titles.