[2] He founded the Yerkes Sound-Effects Company, which developed and marketed a pneumatic system to play chimes, featured in the Woolworth Building at time of construction.

[6] He subsequently was involved in The Happy Six,[2] the Columbia Saxophone Sextette,[7] who produced jazz-tinged records prolifically, both again for Columbia Records, and what is probably the musical group he is most associated with, Yerkes' S. S. Flotilla Orchestra.

[9] Other labels Yerkes' outfits appeared on include Edison,[10] Gennett, Grey Gull, and Lyric.

[12] Most of Yerkes' recordings have limited, if any, jazz content in the modern sense.

[13] He was also a proponent of blues music, and was a key figure in producing a concert at Aeolian Hall which debuted a symphony by Albert Chiaffarelli which incorporated themes by W. C. Handy.