Enrico Caruso and Alvin L. Belle Isle

Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) was a famous Italian opera singer and a pioneer in the field of recorded music. The tenor made his theatrical debut at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples in 1895 and later signed a contract with the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1903. However, he continued to sing in other American cities and in Europe as well. Caruso made his first voice recordings in 1902 and signed a contract with the Victor Talking Machine Company (later RCA Victor) two years later. Over an eighteen-year relationship with Victor, Caruso made more than 260 extant recordings and became famous internationally as a result of the widespread distribution of the resulting 78-rpm discs.