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FEATURED SITES:
NEW TELEVISION AND RECORD INDUSTRY HISTORY RESOURCES - A new website edited by the author of Lost Sounds, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, two volumes of The Columbia Master Book Discography, and other major works. The site includes authoritative articles, book and CD reviews, and an extensive collection of links.
THOMAS EDISON'S ATTIC - This weekly radio show hosted by Jerry Fabris, audio curator of the Edison National Historic Site, regularly aired test pressings, experimental recordings, and other rarities from the ENHS. The show went off the air in late 2007 after a long run, but happily, the archived broadcasts remain available online.
THE BIXOGRAPHY DISCUSSION GROUP - An astonishing resource devoted to Bix Beiderbecke. Like most discussion groups, this one offers offers hundreds of postings ranging from quirky to invaluable. Among the many interesting items to be found here are scans from band contractor Ed Kirekby's original journals.
CYLINDER PRESERVATION AND DIGITIZATION PROJECT (UCSB) - An excellent overview of the cylinder record, with illustrated company histories, sound files, and a searchable collection listing. Compiled by David Seubert at the Davidson Library, University of California—Santa Barbara.
NAUCK'S
VINTAGE RECORDS - One of the world’s premiere
auction sites for rare recordings. Also offers an extensive catalog
of books and discographies for collectors, plus top-quality variable-speed
turntables and audio equipment, including the Archeophone
cylinder deck.
VINTAGE
JAZZ MART - The online counterpart to VJM magazine, and one of the finest traditional jazz sites on
the web. In addition to its legendary jazz and blues record auctions, VJM publishes excellent original research on its website.
ASSOCIATION
FOR RECORDED SOUND COLLECTIONS - With more than 1,200
members, ARSC promotes serious discussion and research into
all aspects of the history, technology, collecting, and preservation of recorded sound. Membership benefits include the biannual ARSC Journal, quarterly newsletter, and discounted rates for the ARSC Annual Conference. Collectors and researchers of all levels of experience are welcome.
AL JOLSON SOCIETY -
A must-visit site for all fans of the "World's Greatest Entertainer."
An abundance of interesting historical material, including sound
clips.
ALLEN
KOENIGSBERG'S RESOURCES FOR PHONOGRAPH COLLECTORS -
The former editor of Antique Phonograph Monthly offers a
fine selection of books, resources, and links for serious collectors.
AMERICAN
VARIETY STAGE: VAUDEVILLE AND POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT, 1870-1920
- Multimedia site from the Library of Congress
features many sound files (mostly from Edison recordings) and rare
film clips.
ANTIQUE
RADIO RESOURCES - Links to numerous radio-, phonograph-
and record- related sites on the Net.
APSCO
(ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH SUPPLY CO.) - A virtual supermarket
of high-quality phonograph replacement and repair parts, steel needles,
accessories, new record sleeves and cylinder tubes, and miscellaneous
items for collectors. Great quality and service.
ART GILLHAM, THE WHISPERING PIANIST - George Blau's site devoted to the popular Columbia recording star. Includes sound files and a fine collection of photos and other rare source material from Gillham's long and varied career.
THE
BLUE PAGES: THE GUIDE TO 78 RPM PARTY RECORDS - David
Diehl's masterful, and often amusing, site devoted to those long-neglected
"under-the-counter" 78s. Also includes extensive information
on Eli Oberstein, one of the most unethical and colorful of the
early independent record producers.
BLUES
WORLD - The ultimate blues link site also features a fine array of articles
and features on blues and blues roots, plus one of the most useful
links pages on the web. A bonus is Joel Slotnikoff's auction of
choice 78s.
A
BRIEF HISTORY OF RECORDED SOUND IN CANADA - A superbly
written and beautifully illustrated history from the National Library
of Canada. Focus is on early Berliner products.
BRITISH DANCE BAND ENCYCLOPEDIA / BRITISH 78 RECORD LABELS - A tremendous amount of information on English dance bands of the 1920s and 1930s, on a well-organized site. Equally interesting is an extensive sub-site featuring scans and brief comments on hundreds of English 78 labels.
THE
CANADIAN COLUMBIA GROUP OF LABELS, 1921-1931 - Colin
J. Bray and Jack Litchfield's detailed, illustrated treatise on
how to distinguish Canadian from U.S. Columbia 78s.
CANADIAN
HISTORICAL SOUND RECORDINGS: BIOGRAPHIES - Authoritative
biographies of Canadian recording pioneers, some of whom also had
successful U.S. careers. From the National Library of Canada.
CANADIAN
HISTORICAL SOUND RECORDINGS DATABASE - This database,
when completed, will provide a detailed picture of the 78-rpm era
in Canada. A large amount of basic data is already online and is
fully searchable. A very promising site from the National Library
of Canada.
CLASSIC RECORD COLLECTOR
- The premiere quarterly for advanced collectors of vintage classical and operatic records (78 and LP). Their site includes free articles from current and past issues, a back-issue index, and subscription information
CRAP-O-PHONES
AND OTHER PHONOGRAPH FORGERIES - The ultimate Crap-O-Phone
identification guide. These trashy fake "Gramophones," mass-produced
in Asia, are flooding eBay and the flea markets. Check the detailed
photos on this site to avoid making a costly mistake!
THE DEVIL'S MUSIC - Extensive blues website with artist bios, photographs and videos, blues lyrics, merchandise, and a guest forum.
THE
EARLY DAYS OF RECORDING JEWISH MUSIC - Stellar research
from Paul Vernon, offering fascinating insights into early Jewish
recordings and record companies in the U.S.
THE
E-DISCOGRAPHER - David Diehl's online digest features
articles by Brian Rust, Ray Wile, Ross Laird, and other major researchers.
Issue #3 features an extensive bibliography of label research.
EDDIE LANG - A TRUE JAZZ PIONEER - A new site by Mike Peters devoted to the pioneering jazz guitarist. Includes a useful sessionography, photos, and other interesting features.
EDISON
NATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE - NPS expanded site includes
rare photos, short articles, and sound files. (See also "Thomas Edison's Attic," in the Featured Links section.)
THE
ENGINEERS: EARLY GRAMOPHONE COMPANY RECORDINGS ABROAD -
Paul Vernon's superbly researched investigation of the early engineers
who traveled the world recording indigenous music.
ENGLISH RECORD LABELS (and much more, on NORMAN FIELDS' WEBSITE) -
A dazzling array of hundreds of English labels, primarily from the early 1900s through the 1920s, with outstanding scans and some helpful explanatory text. The site also includes an outstanding section devoted to Bix Beiderbecke and his circle, and other jazz-related topics, with some very interesting sound files.
THE
GENNETT COLLECTION, UCLA MUSIC LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS -
Detailed discographical data on UCLA's extensive Gennett holdings.
THE
GERMAN NATIONAL DISCOGRAPHY - Information on this massive
undertaking to catalog all German 78s. A promotional site, but well
worth visiting for its gorgeous photos of rare German labels.
HAWTHORN'S ANTIQUE AUDIO - Another high-quality auction with a wide selection of records; plus sheet music, machines, repairs, and appraisal service at their California retail locations. Site features good photos of selected auction items.
BLUES IMAGES - John Tefteller's site is a must-see for fans of traditional blues, featuring images of incredibly rare discs and ephemera, plus a great selection of blues-related calendars, posters, photos, records, and other merchandise.
KAB
- The top source for variable-speed turntables, Stanton
and Expert (UK) custom 78 styli, sound restoration equipment, record
cleaners, sleeves, and accessories. Excellent service, and highly
recommended.
KIDDIE
REKORD KING - Peter Muldavin's nostalgic site features
vintage children's labels, cover art, phonographs, and more, plus
news on Peter's kiddie-record discography project.
LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS SONIC CATALOG - Locate basic discographic
data on a part of LOC's massive sound-record holdings with a robust and well-designed
search engine. (A word of caution, however: Errors that apparently occurred in transcribing information from the labels, although infrequent, have not been corrected.)
LITTLE
WONDER RECORDS AND BUBBLE BOOKS - A beautiful new site
devoted to the history and collecting of these diminutive 78s. Includes
the latest corrections and updates to the Tim Brooks Little Wonder
discography.
MICHIGAN
ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH SOCIETY - Homepage
of MAPS, which publishes In the Groove, an informative monthly
newsletter for members. Site includes information on state and regional
chapters (they're not just in Michigan anymore).
MUSIC
HALL 78 RPM RECORDS - Roger Wilmut's site is devoted
to recordings from the golden age of the British music hall (the
English counterpart of American vaudeville). Includes sound files
of recordings made as early as 1897-1898, plus technical articles
on reproducing and equalizing historic recordings.
NATION'S
FORUM: AMERICAN LEADERS SPEAK - An outstanding multimedia
site from the Library of Congress. Includes a detailed history of
the Nation's Forum label, discographical details, and complete sound
files for this entire series of rare political recordings.
OKIN-LYNTON
RECORD RESOURCE - Features an outstanding gallery of
photos of Golden Age operatic stars, as well as some rare European
labels. Okin & Lynton also supply dubbings to CD producers from
their extensive collection.
OLD HAT
RECORDS - Outstanding CD reissues of classic country and blues rarities of the 1920s-1930s.
THE ONLINE
DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT - An ambitious project that varies tremendously in the quality of data presented. The listings for 1920s and early 1930s minor labels are often badly flawed, and even the major-label listings contain serious errors. However, the focus seems to have shifted lately to research on 1940s and 1950s labels and radio transcriptions, using what appear to be more reliable data sources. While many listings should be viewed skeptically, the site holds great promise and encourages users to submit additions and corrections.
PARAMOUNT
RECORD DATABASE - An ongoing project of the Mills Music
Library, University of Wisconsin, to catalog Paramount and its subsidiary
labels. Excellent source of data on the Paramount material (pop,
classical, and ethnic, for instance) that discographers have tended
to overlook.
PARAMOUNT'S
DECLINE AND FALL - Stephen Calt & Gayle Dean Wardlow's
classic study of the legendary jazz-and-blues label's last days,
from 78 Quarterly.
PHONOFAN
- Author Tim Fabrizio's site for antique-phonograph collectors.
The site focuses primarily on books for collectors, featuring Fabrizio
& Paul's lavishly illustrated tomes. Also has a fine assortment
of machines and gadgets for sale at set prices.
THE RAGTIME EPHEMERALIST - One of the most important ragtime publications, and certainly the most visually attractive. The website features some "teaser" excerpts from the magazine that are well worth a visit.
RED
HOT JAZZ - This massive online jazz archive hosts
more than 7,000 historic jazz recordings in Real Audio, all free
of charge. Includes photos, biographies, and rudimentary discographies
of all major and many minor figures of the 1920s.
78
QUARTERLY - The premier journal for collectors
of classic jazz and blues. Not really a quarterly (more like a sporadic
biannual), but their site is well worth a visit for its ongoing
Paramount series.
THE
78 RPM RECORD HOMEPAGE - Gary Herzenstiel's eclectic
site includes some excellent articles, news for collectors and researchers,
and label photos (including many post-1943 and foreign brands not
covered in ARLAC).
THE
STARR-GENNETT FOUNDATION - A nonprofit organization
undertaking several ambitious projects to preserve the Gennett heritage
in Richmond, Indiana. Good historical background, plus some very
fine CD reissues of Gennett rarities.
TIM
GRACYK - Tim Gracyk's Victrola & 78 Journal
is no longer with us, but his webpage lives on with an interesting group
of articles for novice-to-advanced collectors. Also has details
of his biographical encyclopedia of pioneer recording stars and
many reprint publications.
VICTORY
MUSIC: THE STORY OF THE V-DISC RECORD LABEL - Chuck
Miller's informative label history (1943-1949), originally published
in Goldmine. Includes label photos.
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