His main recording was made for Victor on November 20, 1919, under the name of Selvin's Novelty Orchestra.

It was released December 1919,[1] reaching number one the following month, a position It held for 13 weeks.

[4] As with most hit records of the time, the market was soon rife with unauthorized copies of the tune.

A front page ad in Variety (January 2, 1920) warned "thieves and pirates" not to "imitate, copy or steal any part of 'Dardanella'."

[7] Notable subsequent recordings were by Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band (included in his album A Stranger No More);[8][user-generated source] by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong on their 1960 album Bing & Satchmo,[citation needed] and by Geoff Muldaur and Maria Muldaur on their 1974 Warner/Reprise album, "Sweet Potatoes," featuring Amos Garrett.