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on 78 rpm Records,
Cylinders, Phonographs, and the
Early Recording Industry
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TWO YEARS IN THE LIFE OF A STUDIO FREELANCER: ARTHUR FIELDS' ED KIRKEBY SESSIONS (1921–1922)
Ed Kirkeby is best remembered as the manager of the California Ramblers, but in the early 1920s he made a good portion of his living by brokering studio dates for pop singers. Details of his Arthur Fields sessions, preserved in his logbooks, offer a revealing look at the professional life of a typical studio singer, as well as the widespread shuffling of recording duties among the small independent studios of the day.
THE AMERICAN CYLINDER RECORD PROJECT: BUSY BEE CATALOG (1906)
Although manufactured by Columbia, some Busy Bee cylinders use alternate takes, or even entirely differet recordings, than those used on the corresponding Columbia XP cylinders.
THE AMERICAN CYLINDER RECORD PROJECT: HARMS, KAISER & HAGEN COMPLETE CATALOG (c. 1898)
An extraordinarily rare catalog, featuring Harms, Kaiser & Hagen brown-wax cylinder listings and an illustrated ad for the unusual paper-fiber "Kaiser" horn.
THE AMERICAN CYLINDER RECORD PROJECT: THE U-S EVERLASTING "MYSTERY" CYLINDERS (1910)
An early United States Phonograph Company catalog listed 51 two-minute U-S Everlasting cylinders with numbers that precede the start of confirmed issues, and which are not known to have been issued.
JACK
PENEWELL AND HIS "TWIN SIX" GUITAR: An Exploratory Discography
A preliminary discography of this popular Midwestern radio
star, complied from the Autograph catalog and original discs.
A
BERLINER GRAMOPHONE AD GALLERY (1896–1901)
A collection of rare advertisements for various models of the Berliner
Gram-O-Phone, from hand-cranked and ear-tune equipped to the classic
"trademark" model as pictured in Eldridge Johnson's earliest
(pre-Victor) advertisements.
THE
RECORDS MARCONI DIDN'T INVENT: The True Story Behind the Marconi
Velvet Tone Records
By Allan Sutton
New research confirms that Guglielmo Marconi didn't invent the records
that bear his name
and likeness. The credit goes instead to a long-forgotten Columbia
engineer.
[Abode Acrobat or Acrobat Reader required]
THE
ZONOPHONE RECORDS VICTOR HERBERT'S BAND DIDN'T MAKE: Evidence in
the Case of the Bogus Herbert Zonophones
Neither Victor Herbert nor his band had anything to do
with the Zonophone records bearing their name, and in 1904 he successfully
sued to stop their sale.
SEE
BEE: PIONEER BLACK RECORD LABEL OF THE 1920s
By Allan
Sutton
See Bee is remembered
as the label that recorded Marcus Garvey in 1922, but it also tried
unsuccessfully to emulate Black Swan, producing gospel and dance
band records before quietly disappearing. Updated
7-5-2011
Archive
Record Labels and Companies:
78-rpm and Other Disc Records
THE VICTOR BLUE AND PURPLE LABEL SERIES: AN ILLUSTRATED INTRODUCTION
By John R. Bolig
Victor's blue and purple label catalogs were amazingly diverse for their time, running the gamut from the latest Broadway hits to classical and obscure ethnic material. John Bolig explores the series' history.
Illustrated with rare graphics from the Victor catalogs and supplements.
CAMDEN,
PHILADELPHIA, OR NEW YORK? THE VICTOR STUDIO CONUNDRUM
(1900-1920)
By Allan Sutton
Newly discovered evidence confirms that Philadelphia, not
Camden, was the site of most early Victor recording sessions, and
clarifies the early role of the New York studio.
THE
CAMDEN CHRONOLOGY: EVOLUTION OF THE VICTOR TALKING MACHINE CO. FACTORY
AND STUDIO COMPLEX (1899 - 1929)
By Allan Sutton
A year-by-year account of Victor studio and factory construction,
and associated activities, based on the memoirs of recording engineers
Raymond and Harry O. Sooy.
VICTOR
RECORD SALES STATISTICS (1901–1941)
Victor's
sales figures by label color, entered into evidence in the Decca
"red-label" lawsuit.
EDISON
DIAMOND DISC MANUFACTURING PROCESSES (1920 - 1929)
By Paul B. Kasakove
In July 1920, Paul Kasakove was hired to streamline Edison's Diamond
Disc production. Here, he recalls the disc-manufacturing process
in detail.
EDISON
DISC RECORD AND PHONOGRAPH SALES STATISTICS (1912 - 1928)
Courtesy of Raymond Wile and the Edison National Historic
Site
A sampling of yearly Diamond Disc record and phonograph sales totals,
from the original Edison files.
"DISCONTINUING
RECORD PRODUCTION" (1929) - DOCUMENTS FROM THE FINAL DAYS OF EDISON'S
PHONOGRAPH DIVISION
Courtesy of Raymond Wile and the Edison National Historic
Site
A selection of internal memos and reports documenting the closure
of Edison's recording operations during October - December 1929.
THEATER-USE
RECORDS AND THE "TALKIE" TRANSITION
Theater-use
records like Victor's Pict-Ur-Music series bridged the gap between
silent and sound films during the none-too-swift conversion to "talkies"
in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
THE
BIRTH OF HOME THEATER: FILMOPHONE, CINE-TONE, AND THE HOME-TALKIE
FILMS AND RECORDS (1927 1929)
Home theater is nothing new. After several similar ventures failed,
Home-Talkie films and synchronized records finally gave movie fans
a way to watch sound films by major vaudeville stars in the comfort
of their homes.
THE
VICTROLA IN THE RURAL SCHOOLS (1919)
Excerpts from the 1919 publication, showing the Victor School Machine
in use in country schoolhouses
“A
MINIATURE CONCERT”— The Earliest Issued Victor Electrical
Recording
The
Victor Talking Machine Co. had been experimenting with electrical
recording since 1922, but to no avail until February 26, 1925. On
that day, a test of acoustic vs. electric systems produced
the first Victor electrical recordings accepted for issue, featuring
the Eight Popular Victor Artists.
EDISON
DISC RECORD ODDITIES: PROTOTYPES AND SPECIAL-USE RECORDS AT THE
EDISON NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Courtesy
of the Edison National Historic Site
An illustrated
sampling of ENHS rarities, including the Selectatune and Slogan
Reproducing Machine records and a Brunswick-Edison hybrid disc.
IN
THE EDISON STUDIOS (1905–1928)
Courtesy of Raymond Wile and the Edison National Historic
Site
Rare photographs and blueprints of Edison's various recording studios
THE
SEARS-ROEBUCK LABELS: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY (1905–1950)
By Allan Sutton
Sears built its reputation by offering major manufacturers’
good under its own cut-rate brands, and phonograph records were
no exception.
WHEN
DID MARSH LABORATORIES BEGIN RECORDING ELECTRICALLY?
Orlando Marsh was the first to produce and issue electrical recordings
on a regular commercial basis, but the date at which he first used
his system has long been debated. A recent discovery may answer
that question.
EMERSON'S
TEN-CENT CARUSO RECORD
It was only a snippet, but what more could one ask for a dime? The
story behind Emerson's only release by Enrico Caruso.
THE
EMERSON RECORD STORY — Part 1
Victor Hugo Emerson, creator of the Little Wonder record, left Columbia
in 1915 to challenge them with his own diminutive 78 records. His
company's early days are chronicled in the first part of this series.
THE
ARTHUR FIELDS SONG SHOP AND ARTHUR FIELDS MELODY RECORDS
In 1923 Arthur Fields teamed with the chronically ill-fated John
Fletcher to produce his own Arthur Fields Melody Record label.
EVOLUTION
OF THE VICTOR RECORD LABEL (1900–1905): An Illustrated Guide
THE
KIDDIE RECORD WARS (1917–1930)
ODEON
RECORDS IN THE UNITED STATES
Record
Labels and Companies:
Cylinder
Records
O'NEILL-JAMES BUSY BEE CYLINDER CATALOG (1906)
THE HARMS, KAISER & HAGEN CYLINDER CATALOG (c. 1898)
U-S EVERLASTING MYSTERY NUMBERS (1910)
STALKING
LEEDS & CATLIN'S RADIUM CYLINDERS
By Allan Sutton
Leeds & Catlin re-entered the cylinder record business
in early 1907, with their new line of Radium cylinders. Samples
were shown to the trade, and an initial list was published in the
trade papers, but where did the records go?
ADA
JONES: Edison Blue Amberol Cylinderography
ARTHUR
FIELDS: Edison Blue Amberol Cylinderography
A
GALLERY OF EARLY CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH ADVERTISING (1896–1900)
Artists
and Recording
Industry Pioneers
Recording Artists:
JACK
KAUFMAN'S PERSONAL SCRAPBOOK (1910–1925)
Courtesy
of Phil Kaufman
Rare Kaufman Brothers photos and memorabilia (1910-25) from Jack
Kaufman's scrapbook, courtesy of rock-legend grandson Phil ("The
Road Mangler") Kaufman.
THE
KAUFMAN BROTHERS: A PREHISTORY OF PHIL, JACK, AND IRVING
By
Allan Sutton
The original Kaufman Brothers act — Phil and Jack —
were a hit in vaudeville long before they made their first records,
while other brother Irving purused a career that landed him with
the Avon Comedy Four.
A
HISTORY OF THE AVON COMEDY FOUR
By Allan Sutton
The legendary vaudeville team of Smith & Dale scrambled their way
from Bowery saloons to top billing at America's and England's premier
theaters as front-men for the Avon Comedy Four. Irving Kaufman,
Arthur Fields, and Eddie Miller were some of the supporting members
who came and went during the act's long life.
BILLY
MURRAY'S RECORDING CONTRACTS: A CASE STUDY
By
Allan Sutton
Murray's recording contracts provide a deeper understanding of his
recording career, as well as a glimpse into the legal workings of
the early American recording industry.
BILLY
MURRAY'S VICTOR RECORDING CONTRACTS - THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL TEXTS
From
The Billy Murray Pages
The complete,
unaltered texts of Murray's 1909, 1919, and 1920 recording contracts,
made public here for the first time, along with additional amendments
and riders restricting his broadcasting and touring.
PORTRAIT
OF THE ARTIST IN DECLINE: Billy Murray's Comeback and Final Year
Compiled from the Martindale–Walsh letters
Martindale, a noted legal publisher, was closely involved
with Murray's later comeback attempts. His letters to columnist
Jim Walsh provide an intimate first-hand look at the the singer's
later years.
'GENE
GREENE'S VICTOR RECORDINGS: An Illustrated Discography
Compiled
and annotated by Allan Sutton
Updated
from the Victor files, and featuring rare Victor advertising for
recordings by "The Ragtime King".
“RAGTIME”
BOB ROBERTS: From Studio to Stage
By
Allan Sutton
The
son of a prominent mime-turned-theatrical manager, Robert A. "Bob"
Roberts was one of the foremost exponents of the syncopated song.
In a reversal of the usual process, his recording career preceded
his success on the vaudeville circuits.
FLO
BERT: A CASE OF DISCOGRAPHIC MISTAKEN IDENTITY
By
Allan Sutton
Flo Bert and Florence-Cole Talbert were not the same individual
— in fact, they were not even the same race — despite
the claims of two eminent discographers.
SYNTHETIC
COUNTRY: Fred Hall, Arthur Fields, and the Creation of the Hillbilly
Stereotype
By
Allan Sutton
In
the early 1930s, New York entertainers Fred Hall and Arthur Fields
pandered to urban audiences with their take on country music. In
partnership with businessman Rex Cole, they concocted an artificial
— but quite popular — "mountaineer" band employing
the same stereotypes later perpetuated by the likes of "Li'l
Abner" and "The Beverly Hillbillies."
THE
SCANLAN SCANDAL: THE REST OF THE WALTER VAN BRUNT STORY
By
Allan Sutton
The saga of Walter Van Brunt's reinvention as "'Walter Scanlan,"
his rise to fame in the theatrical world, and the bigamy charge
that made national headlines and possibly ended his career on the
New York stage.
CAL
STEWART'S RECORDING CONTRACTS
By
Allan Sutton
Cal
Stewart's impact on the early recording industry went far beyond
the success of his "Uncle Josh" records. His insistence on being
paid royalties, at a time when other studio artists accepted modest
flat rates as a matter of course, was revolutionary for its day.
UNCLE
JOSH'S PUNKIN CENTRE STORIES: CAL STEWART AS WRITER, PUBLISHER,
AND ENTREPRENEUR
Behind Cal Stewart's country-bumpkin stage persona was a successful
author and businessman. His Punkin Centre Stories, initially
self-produced, later passed through the hands of multiple publishers.
A
PREHISTORY OF ADA JONES (1889 - 1905)
By Allan Sutton
Before she was a phonograph star, Ada Jones led a checkered career,
singing in Broadway flops and dime museums, and sharing billing
with "The Eight Fat Women" and "Signor Monstrom's Troupe of Boxing
Monkeys."
EVERYMAN'S
McCORMACK: A JOHN STEEL BIO-DISCOGRAPHY
John Steel was no John McCormack, although he attempted to emulate
the great Irish tenor. But he was a colorful personality and a major
stage star of the 1920s whose full story is finally emerging.
THE
BILLY MURRAY PAGES: DISCOGRAPHIES, ARTICLES,
PHOTOGRAPHS AND EPHEMERA
Index to an extensive archive of articles,
photographs, ephemera, and
discographic data relating to the "Denver Nightingale"
Recording
Industry Pioneers:
THOMAS
EDISON'S OPINION OF OPERA SINGERS
Courtesy
of Raymond Wile
and the Edison National Historic Site
Excerpts from Thomas Edison's personal comments on operatic singers
used in the 1910 - 1912 experimental disc sessions.
STEVE
PORTER, GLOBAL ENTREPRENEUR
By
Allan Sutton
Stephen
Carl Porter was hardly the dimwitted bumpkin he liked to portray
on records. From his pioneering work in India as a recording engineer
to his successful Port-O-Phone hearing-aid business, Porter was
a far more ambitious and accomplished man than his records might
lead one to believe.
VICTOR'S
SINGING EXECUTIVE: HARRY MACDONOUGH
By Allan
Sutton
Record buyers had no idea that singing was a sideline for tenor
Harry Macdonough, who in real life was Victor Talking Machine Coompany
executive John S. Macdonald.
THE
OTHER SIDES OF VICTOR H. EMERSON
By
Allan Sutton
An inveterate tinkerer, the founder of the Emerson Phonograph Company
had numerous patents to hs credit (including an early attempt at
magnetic recording), dabbled in side-businesses ranging from children's
picture discs to aluminum home-recording blanks, and financed Georgia's
first pressing plant.
JOHN
FLETCHER: FROM SOUSA'S BAND TO BLACK SWAN, AND BEYOND
By
Allan Sutton
John Fletcher began his career as a cornetist with Sousa's Band,
recorded for Indestructible cylinders, then founded Operaphone in
1914 — the first in a long string of failed ventures that
included the Olympic label and his ill-fated partnership with Harry
Pace in Black Sawn.
Jazz
and Blues Features
ADDITIONS
AND CORRECTIONS TO JOHNSON & SHIRLEY's AMERICAN DANCE BANDS
A regularly updated database of verified additions and corrections,
with source citations. Currently 25 pages, in PDF format.
JAZZ
COMES TO NEW YORK (1917–1918): A GALLERY OF EARLY JAZZ BAND
ADS
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band's success at Reisenweber's in 1917
brought an influx of would-be competitors to New York, some of them
historically significant, some of them noisy novelty acts, and some
not jazz at all.
RE-DATING
THE NEW YORK RECORDING LABORATORIES' L-SERIES MATRIXES
By Alex van der Tuuk
The author of Paramount's Rise
and Fall examines the evidence — ranging from the
markings on issued 78s and test pressings, to dates of historic
events, and even Wisconsin's weather on a given day — to arrive
at more accurate dates for Paramount's legendary Grafton sessions.
PARAMOUNT'S
1929 "MASKED MARVEL" CONTEST
Blues legend Charley Patton went incognito for his introduction
to Paramount record buyers.
JELLY
ROLL MORTON'S PRE-VICTOR BAND RECORDINGS (1923–1926):
A COMPARATIVE DISCOGRAPHY MODEL
By
Allan Sutton
An analysis of conflicting data and questionable sources in published
jazz discographies, using Morton's early Paramount, Okeh, and Autograph
band recordings to demonstrate the challenges facing a new generation
of jazz discographers.
PASSING
FOR BLACK: DISGUISED WHITE PERFORMERS ON BLACK SWAN RECORDS
Although Harry Pace claimed his Black Swan records would use only
black talent, many issues were actually by white performers using
the aliases listed here.
THE
BLUES ALBUM
An archive of rare traditional blues and race-record labels, photographs,
and epehmera
REDISCOVERING
SAM MOORE
By Allan Sutton, with Betsy Loar
Sam Moore's 1921 "Laughing Rag" is a pioneering blend
of Hawaiian, ragtime, and Southern folk influences unlike anything
previously recorded. Aside from his guitar work, Moore championed
unconventional instruments ranging from the sublime to the utterly
ridiculous, and for a time even jaded New Yorkers sat up and listened.
THE
IMAGINARY CARL FENTON: Gus Haenschen, Rubie Greenberg, and the Conductor
Who Never Existed
Brunswick's popular band leader was a fiction, a trade-name entity
that was later sold, and that once even filed for bankruptcy.
Early
Radio and
Broadcasting
PHONOGRAPH
STARS ON THE RADIO — The Wireless Age Interviews,
1922–1923
Some revealing comments by Aileen Stanley, Nathan Glantz, Rosa Ponselle,
Tita Ruffo, and other stars on their transitions from recording-making
to broadcasting.
Current
Topics in Research
and Discography
THE
ARTIFACTS OF RECORDING HISTORY: CREATORS, USERS, LOSERS, KEEPERS
By Tim Brooks
A report on the resources available to record collectors
and researchers, their accessibility and state of preservation,
the dangers those materials face, and what might be done to ensure
their continued survival. (Courtesy of the ARSC Journal)
CARUSO
AND DISCOGRAPHY: A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN BOLIG
John Bolig, interviewed by Barry Ashpole
The author of Caruso Records: A History and Discography
and the Victor Discography Series
discusses his research into Enrico Caruso's records, and his views
on the current state of the discographic art, with the editor of
the ARSC Journal.
Artist
Discographies
THE BILLY MURRAY ONLINE DISCOGRAPHY
ADA
JONES: Edison Blue Amberol Cylinderography
ARTHUR
FIELDS: Edison Blue Amberol Cylinderography
JAMES REESE EUROPE & THE HELL
FIGHTERS BAND: The Revised Discography*
MAMIE SMITH: The Revised
Discography*
ORIGINAL DIXIELAND JAZZ BAND: The
Revised Discography*
* Adobe Acrobat Reader is required
Photograph
Galleries
BROADWAY
CANDID: The Stars Offstage (1915–1920)
ENRICO
CARUSO: The Bain News Service Photos (1918 – 1921)*
INSIDE
THE EARLY RECORDING STUDIOS
A
BILLY MURRY ICONOGRAPHY: Rare Ads, Photos, and Memorabilia (1902–1953)
BILLY
MURRAY AT HOME: The Bain News Service Photos (1919–1920)*
ADA
JONES AT HOME: The Bain News Service Photos*
ARTHUR
FIELDS AT WORK AND PLAY: The Bain News Service Photos (1919)*
IRVING
KAUFMAN AT HOME: The Bain News Service Photos (c. 1919)*
VERNON
DALHART AT HOME: The Bain News Service Photos (c. 1919–20)*
PIONEER
STUDIO STARS AT WORK AND PLAY
*
Courtesy of the Library of Congress (G. G. Bain Collection)
Phonographs
and Audio Equipment
PLAYING
CYLINDERS ELECTRICALLY: The Archeophone and the ACT Reproducer
There's amazing sound in your cylinders. These two devices, at either
end of the price scale, can help you recover it.
BEWARE OF THE CRAP-O-PHONE!
They're counterfeit, they're junk, and they're everywhere —
from eBay (especially eBay!) to upscale antique shops and
mail-order catalogs. Hold onto your wallets until you've read our
exposé of these truly crappy 78 record players.
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