The Unlikely Fortune of 'After the Ball'
A Milwaukee music publisher recounts how a banjo player with no formal training turned a popular song into a small fortune.
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Mr. Herman Rohlfing and his nephew, Mr. Charles Rohlfing, are tourists stopping at the Rainier. Mr. Charles Rohlfing, of the music publishing house William Rohlfing & Sons, shared a story about Charles K. Harris, the author of 'After the Ball.' Harris, who cannot write a note of music, plays the banjo and whistles melodies to musicians to transcribe. Despite industry skepticism, Harris insisted on publishing his own work. He successfully promoted the song by courting variety and comic opera singers, entertaining them and gifting them copies. The song became a massive hit, earning royalties of over $3,000 a month from a single Boston music house, allowing Harris to purchase a $50,000 residence in Milwaukee.
“We laughed at him, and told him we wouldn't make a contract with the angel Gabriel. I advised him to publish his own songs.”
This 1893 anecdote captures the birth of the 'hit single' and the early music industry’s skepticism toward DIY artists. It mirrors today’s independent artist movement where musicians use social media 'influencers' to bypass traditional gatekeepers, much like Harris used variety singers to bypass skeptical publishers.
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