Samuel Siegel

Samuel Siegel (born 1875, Des Moines, Iowa — died January 14, 1948, Los Angeles, California) was an American mandolin virtuoso and composer who played mandolin on 29 records for Victor Records, including 9 pieces of his own composition and two that he arranged. Siegel was the first mandolinist to record on Emile Berliner's phonograph disk-records. He was labeled "America's Greatest Mandoline Virtuoso" and "The King of the Mandolin" in the May 1900 Banjo World.

Siegel performed both in vaudeville, as well as in concert halls. He had no formal training in music, but saw that the mandolin needed original music, rather than relying on the transcribed violin music. His compositions and arrangements were well known in his day.

He was the author of Siegel's Special Mandolin Studies, published by Jos. W Stern and Company, 1901, in which he covered left hand Pizzicato and harmonic duo style.

Siegel recorded with Roy Butin in 1908 on four Victor records, the tunes: Southern Fantasy, Estellita Waltz, American Valor March, and In Fairyland.

He recorded Edison Diamond Disk record Ragtime Echoes in 1918 with Marie Caveny, with her on ukulele, and also Dance, Mouse Dance, and Medley. Marie and her husband James Frank Caveny lived with Siegel as lodgers in Chicago during the 1910 United States Census. They were performers or lecturers in the Lyceum movement. James Franklin was a cartoonist and Marie sang soprano in their performance.

Recorded for Victor records between October 20, 1900 and December 28, 1918.

He made records for Columbia Records.

He recorded for Edison Records on their Blue Amberol, Gold Moulded, and Diamond Disk albums.

He made records marketed by Indestructible Records.