Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- One hundred years ago Wednesday the Mormon Tabernacle Choir recorded its first album.
Now 175 albums, five gold records, two platinum records and a Grammy later, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been recording longer than any other recording artist in the United States.
"Just think - we've been on the cutting edge for 100 years, right from the beginning. And so many times they thought it couldn't be done, and it's been done," Mormon Tabernacle Choir President Mac Christensen said. "There's nothing else like it in the world. What's happening now, and what's happened before is unbelievable."
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has performed at such historical events as presidential inaugurations, the American Bicentennial in 1976, the funerals of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, and the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Vienna Boys Choir, whose first recording was done in 1905, is the only other music artist in the world with a recording history as long as the Choir's.
The Choir released a special three-disc set entitled "100: Celebrating a Century of Recording Excellence" to celebrate the anniversary that includes the Choir's first recording on Sept. 1, 1910.
