Charles Kellogg: Bird Calls on the Bill

Charles Kellogg (1868-1949) was a star of the B.F. Keith vaudeville circuit for decades by virtue of his ability to imitate bird calls, not just by whistling (as was common in his day) but by using his voice. You can hear him warble on Youtube, and scoff though you may initially, I think you may be won over. His skills were indeed remarkable — uncanny.

Kellogg had developed this skill as a boy in the forests and mountains of Northern California. His father operated a store that catered to prospectors. Largely raised by a Native American Au Pair and a Chinese American cook, Kellogg spent most of his time communing with nature and observing the birds and beasts, which he perforce learned to imitate. Later he went to school in the east, and this is where and when he found opportunities in vaudeville, starting in the 1880s. Kellogg also sang. From 1911 to 1925 he was a recording artist on the Victor label.

In time, Kellogg has become better known for his devoted activities as a naturalist, conservationist, and, well, eccentric. He patented many inventions and became most famous for the Travel Log — a truck he fashioned out of the trunk of a redwood tree so that he could advertise the plight of that endangered and awe-inspiring deciduous. He also studied methods of extinguishing fire with sound waves, and advertised that he could put out forest fires with the technique. Thus were aspects of his persona that were not unlike a magician. His last years were spent in a log cabin called “The Mushroom” in the California Woods. He called his property “Ever Ever Land”, a reference of course to Peter Pan, but with a characteristically American , positive spin. In 1929 he published his autobiography Charles Kellogg, The Nature Singer, His Book. And good news! The Travel Log still exists and may be visited at the Humboldt State Park Visitor Center.

For more on vaudeville history please see No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous.