It is unclear what Kanewsky did for the first few years he lived in the United States, but by 1910 he was performing concerts in New York and being called the "Jewish Caruso" in advertisements.

[8][9] In the fall of 1915 Kanewsky left Columbia for Victor Records, bringing with him his instrumental collaborator and Klezmer musician Abe Elenkrig.

[11] Towards the end of the decade, Kanewsky's Columbia recordings seem to have continued to be popular, because his name was given top billing on an advertisement aimed at the Jewish market in 1919.

In July 1918 he appeared at City College stadium with the orchestra conducted by Arnold Volpe, where he performed Ukrainian and Jewish folksongs as well as Italian opera pieces.

[13][14] In March 1919 he made his debut at Carnegie Hall, where he performed Jewish and Russian songs as well as passages from La Juive and Rigoletto.

[15][16][17] The concert received positive reviews in the press, with one noting that he had a "naturally beautiful and powerful lyric tenor voice".