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WHITE PERFORMERS ON BLACK SWAN

Despite Harry Pace's claims that Black Swan records were "the only records made entirely by colored people" and "the only record using exclusively Negro voices," he began issuing recordings by white artists under pseudonyms as early as November 1921. The percentage of white material on Black Swan increased significantly after the spring of 1922, when Pace went into partnership with white producer John Fletcher, owner of the Olympic label.

Pace went to great lengths to disguise these issues, creating dozens of pseudomyms and even using the names of Fletcher Henderson and Ethel Waters to mask these white performers. Identification of the actual artists was determined from the tell-tale Olympic catalog numbers, which can be easily seen in the Black Swan pressings. Identifications followed by [P] are from Paramount masters and were also identified from retained markings; all others are from Olympic masters.

For identitites of thousands of other pseudonyms on early labels, see Pseudonyms on American Records (1892-1942): A Guide to False Names and Label Errors, now available in a newly revised and expanded edition.
Issue No. Label Identity Actual Identity
2025-A/-B
Henderson's Novelty Orch. =
 Irving Weiss & his Ritz-Carlton Orch.
2028-A
Black Swan Quartette =
 Cardinal Quartet [P]
2028-B
Black Swan Quartette =
 Stellar Quartet [P]
2029-A
Black Swan Trio =
 Hackel-Berge Trio [P]
2029-B
Black Swan Quartette =
 Cardinal Quartet [P]
2030-A Herbert Black = Elliott Shaw
2030-B Herbert Black = Victor Churchill (itself probabaly a pseudonym)
2031-A Arthur Williams & Walter Johnson = Craig & Knapp (unidentified pseudonym)
2031-B Lorenzo Wells = Charles Hart
2034-A/-B Henderson's Dance Orch.= Sam Lanin's Southern Serenaders
2035-B Ethel Waters' Jazz Masters = Irving Weiss & his Ritz-Carlton Orch.
2041-A/-B  Joe Brown's Alabama Band = Yerkes' Jazzarimba Orch.
2042-A Sammy Swift's Jazz Band = Yerkes' Metroploitan Dance Players
2042-B Sammy Swift's Jazz Band = Yerkes' Jazzarimba Orch.
2043-A Henderson Dance Orch. = Vicent Lopez & his Hotel Pennsylvania Dance Orch. [P]
2043-B Henderson Dance Orch. = Metropolitan Dance Players [P]
2052-A Fred Smith & his Society Orch. = Frisco Syncopators [P]
2052-B Fred Smith & his Society Orch. = Lenzberg's Riverside Orch. [P]
2058-A Haynes' Harlem Syncopators = Rudy Wiedoeft's Californians
2058-B Haynes' Harlem Syncopators = Earl Fuller's New York Orchestra
2059-A Haynes' Harlem Syncopators = Palace Trio & Orch.
2059-A Haynes' Harlem Syncopators = Yerkes' Jazzarimba Orch.
2061-A Danny Lewis = Fred Van Eps
2061-B Harry Hubert = Linday McPhail
2064-A Baltimore Blues Orch. = Sam Lanin's Roseland Orch.
2061-B Baltimore Blues Orch. = Club Maurice Orch.
2100-A Henderson's Dance Orch. = Novelty Syncopators
2101-A/-B Laurel Dance Orch. = Novelty Syncopators
2102-A Johnson's All Star Orch. = Broadway Melody Makers (itself a pseudonym for various white bands)
2102-B Johnson's All Star Orch. = Novelty Syncopators
2103-A Edward Albright = Jack Duffy (itself a pseudonym?)
2104-A/-B Laurel Dance Orch = Tivoli Dance Orch.
2105-A/-B Sammy Swift's Novelty Orch. = Broadway Melody Makers (itself a pseudonym for various white bands)
2106-A/-B Brashear's California Orch. = Broadway Melody Makers (itself a pseudonym for various white bands)
2107-A/-B Harold Graves = Arthur Fields
2109-A/-B The Jazz Masters = Indiana Syncopators
2110-A/-B Laurel Dance Orch. = Broadway Melody Makers
2111-A/-B Johnson's All Star Orch. = Palm Beach Society Orch.
2113-A/-B Sammy Swift's Jazz Band = Melody Dance Orchestra (itself apparently a pseudonym for an unknown, presumably white band)
2114-A/-B Fred Smith's Society Orch. = London Dance Orchestra (itself apparently a pseudonym for an unknown, presumably white band) 
2115-A/-B Laurel Dance Orch. = Wallace Downey's Dance Orchestra (itself apparently a pseudonym for an unknown, presumably white band; Downey was Olympic's studio manager)
2117-A/-B Sammy Swift's Jazz Band = St. Louis Syncopators (itself possibly a pseudonym) 
2119-A/-B Fred Smith's Society Orch. = Palm Beach Society Orch.
2122-A/-B Laurel Dance Orch. = Mike Loscalzo & his Orch.
2127-A/-B Howard Lewis = Arthur Hall
2129-A/-B Sammy Swift's Jazz Band = Original Indiana Syncopators
10065-A/-B Baltimore Blues Orchestra = Bennie Krueger's Orchestra
10066-A Johnson's All-Star Orchestra = Palm Beach Orchestra
10066-B Johnson's All-Star Orchestra = Irving Weiss' Ritz-Carlton Orchestra
10068-A Fred Smith's Society Orchestra = McPhail's Jazz Orchestra of Chicago
10068-B Fred Smith's Society Orchestra = Green Brothers Novelty Band
10069-A Henderson's Dance Orchestra = Merry Melody Men
10069-B Henderson's Dance Orchestra = Sam Lanin's Roseland Orchestra
10070-A Ethel Waters' Jazz Masters = Palace Trio (Rudy Wiedoeft)
10070-B Ethel Waters' Jazz Masters = Fred Van Eps Quartet
10071-B Laurel Dance Orchestra = Sam Lanin's Roseland Orchestra
10076-A Sammy Swift's Jazz Band = Bennie Krueger's Orchestra
10076-B Sammy Swift's Jazz Band =

Sam Lanin's Roseland Orchestra
10079-A/-B Johnson's All Stars = Broadway Melody Makers
10080-A Fred Smith's Society Orchestra = Broadway Melody Makers
10080-B Fred Smith's Society Orchestra = Melody Dance Players
18047-A Harry A. More = Vernon Dalhart
18047-B Harry A. More = Charles Harrsion
18048-A Lorenzo Wells = Percy Hemus
18048-B Herbert Black = Howard Shelly (itself a pseudonym?)
23001-A/-B Buffalo Military Band = Olympic Military Band
25001-A Royal Hawaiian Guitars = Hawaiian Singing Guitars
25001-B Royal Hawaiian Guitars = Louise & Ferera Waikiki Orch.
25002-A-/-B Kaluana & Brown = unknown Hawaiian instrumentalists
25003-A/-B Kaluana & Brown = Honolulu Hawaiian Orch.
25004-A/-B Kaluana & Brown = unknown Hawaiian guitarists
25005-A Kaluana & Brown = unknown Hawaiian guitars
25005-B Kaluana & Brown = Honolulu Hawaiian Orch.
21101-A/-B Jack Green = Victor Fletcher
40003-A/-B Bessie Johnson = Margaret McKee
40004-A Bob Jones & Slim White = Al Bernard & Ernest Hare
40004-B Slim White = Al Bernard
40005-A/-B Edward Lee = Irving Post (normally a pseudonym for Franklyn Baur; in this case, however, the performer is unknown)
40006-A/-B Bessie Johnson = Margaret McKee
60001-A/-B Smith Brothers = Santini Brothers (suspected pseudonym for Boudini Brothers)
60002-A Joe Briggs = Fred Van Eps
60002-B Tony Gray = Joesph Samuels
60003-A/-B Creole Trio = Philharmonic Trio
60006-A University Four = Van Eps Quartet
60006-B Raymond Green = George Hamilton Green

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