Ben Pollack And His Orchestra Before Victor 1925

According to a September 1925 issue of Variety, the Ben Pollack Orchestra from Venice, California, had been playing an exclusive engagement at the Venice Ballroom. The most important part of this insert, was the mention of all the musicians in the orchestra at the time. Notice how Benny Goodman is addressed and the fact that he plays saxophone in addition to the clarinet. The other, better known original member of the band mentioned, was Gil Rodin, who would later form his own group, and record for Crown Records in the early 1930’s. 

Is This The Austin High Gang? A Photographic Mystery 1928

From what I understand, the Chicago Rhythm Kings were made up of what was known as the “Austin High Gang”. This group of musicians consisted of Gene Krupa on drums, Eddie Condon guitar and vocals, Joe Sullivan on piano, Mezz Mezzrow, tenor saxophone, Frank Teschemacher on clarinet, Mugsy Spanier on cornet, and Red McKenzie, vocals. They apparently recorded for Brunswick in April, 1928. So, how is it that this advertisement, inserted in the Albany Evening News on January 20, 1928 states that they are already recording artists? Because the photograph is so dark, I could only make out  possibly Joe Sullivan, with his glasses. Is that Teschemacher second from the left holding a clarinet? At least the advertisement shows that the group was to appear at Murray’s Dance Academy in Albany, New York.

 

Update! A viewer on Facebook has cleared up the mystery! This is not the Chicago Rhythm Kings that recorded in April, 1928. It is an all black band. The picture of the musicians has been uploaded for identification.

Ross Gorman And His Earl Carroll Orchestra At The Earl Carroll Theatre 1925

I stumbled upon an interesting full-page advertisement placed in the July 1, 1925 issue of Variety, depicting Ross Gorman, and the names included in the orchestra that would appear at the Earl Carroll Theatre on July 6th. The most notable were Miff Mole and “Red” Nichols. Don Voohrees is mentioned as manager and musical director.

The Reliance And Artophone Portable Phonographs 1929

Tull and Gibbs, the largest home furnishing and music store in Spokane, Washington set their hopes in generating Summer phonograph business, with an advertisement that they placed in The Spokesman Review on June 9, 1929. They were offering both the Reliance and Artophone portable phonographs at a discounted price. I am not certain of the origins of the Reliance, but there is a notation of Victor manufacturing such a model. The Artophone, however dates back to 1916, and was manufactured in St. Louis, by The Artophone Company. Again, there is no other data to rely on to confirm that this portable phonograph was not manufactured by the same company.

A Look At My Own Record Collection

Five years ago I got back to collecting 78’s after a long gap dating back to the 1980’s. At that time I had amassed a collection of 500 78’s before I  disposed of them in a sale to another collector. I now have about 3000 78’s and am gearing up for this year’s “hunt for records”, as I call it. I’d like to share with you a few pics of the records, and hope you enjoy them.

Husk O’Hare Super Orchestra In Milwaukee 1923

Anderson “Husk” O’Hare was born in Chicago in 1890, and became a booking agent  for bands during the 1920’s. He led his own “Super” orchestra, which recorded for Gennett in 1922. Husk O’Hare is probably best known for his association with the Friar’s Society Orchestra, and thereafter, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings. In 1923 his orchestra was on tour in Milwaukee, and would perform at the Riverview Ballroom. The publicity for the event was advertised in the Milwaukee Journal on February 4th.

 

Leona Williams And Her Dixie Band

Since my last article about singer Leona Williams and her Dixie Band, I searched high and low for more advertisements that Columbia records would have run between 1922 and 1923. I was fortunate to find two more, in The Atlanta Independent, which was the local colored newspaper at that time. As I previously may have mentioned, her band was none other than members of The Original Memphis Five.

Millard G. Thomas And His Chicago Orchestra In Ottawa, Ontario 1926

American born Millard G. Thomas was a blues pianist, who immigrated to Montreal, Quebec, circa 1918. He took up position as pit band leader at local Vaudeville theatres from 1919 to 1924. The Compo Company, Lachine, Quebec, had just launched its race record in the United States under the Ajax label in 1923. The band made five records for the Ajax label, between March 7, 1924 and August 12, 1924, and continued to play the Vaudeville circuit in Canada until 1926. On May 21, 1926 the announcement of the new amusement park in Ottawa, Royal Park, contained the news that the Millard G. Thomas Chicago Orchestra would be performing.

 

The Dance Bands That Montrealer’s Enjoyed In 1923 And 1924

Montreal, Quebec was bustling with American and Canadian musical talent who recorded during the early 1920’s, some played Vaudeville at the Princess Theatre, while others were fortunate enough to play at the Clubs and Hotels. You may be surprised at whom you see below!

The Best Kept Record And Phonograph Secret Of Central Ontario

One of the best kept secrets on where to junk for 78 rpm records, and phonographs in Central Ontario is the Barrie Antiques Centre, located in the heart of downtown Barrie, Ontario. Barrie, is located north of Toronto, Ontario, as is about an hour away by car. I paid a visit to it on Saturday, March 15th, 2014, and was astonished to find such a wide display of records and phonographs. The manager graciously allowed me to take some photographs and share them with you.

Barrie Antiques Centre, 227 Innisfil Street, Barrie, Ontario Open 7 days a Week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saxi Holtsworth’s Harmony Hounds Play Vaudeville In Montreal 1923

Saxi Holtsworth Harmony Hounds are regarded as a Jazz band,  from the recordings they made for both the Emerson and Gennett labels, between 1920 and 1924. In addition to the other band members,  Saxi played clarinet, while his brother Charlie was one of the  two trumpet player’s, and the Mrs. Saxi Holtsworth, Vera Burt, was the vocalist. The Vaudeville circuit in New York and Philadelphia is where the group was known to have performed, but no where is it mentioned, to my knowledge, that they ever had a gig in Montreal, Quebec. This gig at the Imperial Cabaret in Montreal took place on October 5, 1923. Their last recording in 1924 for Gennett of “Tropical Palms,” and, “How Come You Do Me Like You Do,” was also released on the Canadian Starr Gennett label, number 9598.

 

The Crescent Talking Machine Company

The Crescent Talking Machine Company of New York City existed primarily from 1916 to 1920, and the phonographs were sold primarily in New York State, with some distribution extending into Pennsylvania. There were a line of 8 inch records manufactured by the company under the Crescent name, most likely to compliment the phonograph line. The two ads below were from the  Wallace Company of Schenectady, New York, posted between 1920 and 1922, in the Schenectady Gazette.

Tony Spargo Photorama From Record Research 53 July 1963

Record Research provided an excellent photographic biography of Jazz drummer Ton Spargo, who played with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in the July, 1963 issue. 

 

Gilbert Watson And His Orchestra 1925 To 1942

Most Canadian jazz collectors of the 1920’s would say that the Gilbert Watson Orchestra, was the first to record jazz. Gilbert Watson was born in Glasgow, Scotland on October 31, 1896, and died in Peterborough, Ontario on August 12, 1959. He studied piano with Michael Hambourg and Harvey Robb, and played at the Allen Theatre in Toronto, Ontario. He worked for several music retailers in Toronto, including Mason and Risch (in the Victrola department) and Whaley Royce (as store manager).

In the mid 1920’s he formed his own dance band, which played at the Prince George Hotel, where he was heard on the Toronto radio station and, from 1935 to 1942. The band also appeared in dance pavilions around Toronto. In 1929 the orchestra also performed a recital at Massey Hall in Toronto, a first for Massey Hall. The seven or eight musicians made a total of nine sides for the Compo Company of Lachine, Quebec, first recording on July 12, 1925 and then again on November 15, 1926. Six sides released in 1925 appeared on the Apex and Starr labels, while the three sides made in 1926 appeared on the Domino label. It is not clear if any of the recordings ever showed up on other Compo labels such as Lucky Strike and Microphone.

Watson retired from music in 1942 after the Old Mill band broke up, and opened a Summer resort, Gil-Mar Lodge, and a dance hall at Sturgeon Lake in the Kawartha region of Ontario. Below is a photographic history of the Watson Orchestra, some pics are seen here for the first time! The first set shows the band in 1925 and 1929, and the second line shows The Old Mill Orchestra, along with some personal photo’s of Gilbert Watson and sheet music.

Most of this information has been provided to me by Gilbert Watson’s son, Doug, for whom I am very grateful. I hope to upload some recordings of the Gilbert Watson Orchestra in the near future.

 

Brunswick Phonographs And Race Records 1929

It is not common to find an advertisement which combined both phonographs and race records together, let alone in a non colored newspaper. Such was the case in this Brunswick insert, placed in The Tulia Herald, Tulia, Texas on May 9, 1929.

 

The Royal Phonograph 1921

The Royal Phonograph Company of New York City introduced the Royal Phonograph around 1919. P.C. McInnis of Brownwood, Texas advertised that they carried this line of phonographs on May 5, 1921 in the Brownwood Bulletin.

 

Let’s Try This Record On A Claxtonola Talking Machine 1922

From the pages of the April 28, 1922 edition of The Schulenburg Sticker, Schulenburg, Texas comes this rare advertisement  for the Claxtonola Talking Machine at the local City Drug Store. The City Drug Store also stocked the latest Okeh records.

Berliner Launchs The Canadian 216000 HMV Record Series 1919

On August 1, 1919 The Berliner Gram-o-phone Company Limited announced a newly conceived line of  records which would promote Canadian talent, such as pianist Willie Eckstein, violinist Luigi Romanelli, whose orchestra appeared at The King Edward Hotel in Toronto during the early 1920’s, The Melody Kings Dance Orchestra from Montreal, and, around 1929, Fred Culley and his Royal York Hotel Orchestra.

Where Did Edison Come Up With A $3,000,000 Phonograph? 1919

The idea of using professional singers and dancers to promote the sales of phonograph had already been tested in the past. In 1914 Victor offered professional dance instructors to teach the latest dance steps while the Victrola played a record in the background at their distributor’s music store. Now Edison, in an effort to sell his latest two models of phonographs to a captive Montreal audience of 1,500, employed the talents of Scottish baritone Glen Ellison, who had already recorded his voice on an Edison disc, and would sing along side to see if the audience could tell the difference. There is no explanation for the $3,000,000 price anywhere in the advertisement, which was placed in The Montreal Gazette on April 1, 1919.

The Berliner Gram-o-phone Company Limited Of Canada Expands 1912

In November 1912, the Berliner Gram-o-phone Company Limited, which manufactured and sold His Master’s Voice and Victor records, and its Victrola phonographs, decided to take out a full-page advertisement in the Montreal Standard to show the public where their manufacturing plant and retail locations were located, in the heart of Montreal itself. There were already two existing retail operations at 415 St. Catherine Street West, and the other was at 488 St. Catherine Street East. Berliner was now announcing its latest retail operation would be located at 355 St. Catherine Street West.

James McIntyre And His Chateau Laurier Orchestra

James McIntyre, a Scottish born violinist, led his Chateau Laurier Orchestra, at the famous Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario during the 1920’s and 1930. All of the research material about this obscure Canadian orchestra points to the fact that he broadcast live from the hotel five nights a week. What they fail to mention is that he made one single record on the His Master’s Voice 216000 series, which was number 216489. When I consulted Jack Litchfield’s excellent discography entitled “The Canadian Victor 216000 Series-Estimating The Recording Dates”, it is presumed that the record was released around May, 1925. The songs on the record are “In the Garden of To-Morrow”, and, “China Girl”.

“He’s Tight Like This” Hilda Alexander And Mamie McClure 1929

Brunswick’s Race Records gave us a good example of their ability to put a great blues tune on one side of a record, and a great jazz tune on the flip side on record number 7069. First there is the blues singing team of Hilda Alexander and Mamie McClure backed up by the Backa Town Boys, and, to a suprisingly lesser degree, we find Jabbo Smith and his Rhythm Aces “Michigander Blues” mentioned.

Louis Armstrong Is The King Of Trumpet Players 1929

The Okeh Phonograph Corporation ran a series of new release advertisements in the Afro-American newspaper of Baltimore, Maryland during 1929 for their star performer, Louis Armstrong. One of these release ads, run on April 13, 1929, suggested most appropriately, that Louis was indeed the “King of Trumpet Players” .

The Montgomery Ward Cecilian Phonograph Manual 1913

In 1913, the American department store Montgomery Ward provided an owner’s manual with each Cecilian phonograph purchased, containing the complete line of models, and how to properly care for the phonograph and records.

 

The Forty Third Canadian Collectors Congress April 25-April 27, 2014 Toronto, Ontario

Fellow record collectors, it is with great pleasure that I announce that the Forty Third Canadian Collectors Congress will take place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada the last weekend of April, 2014. There are a total of seven attachments so that you may see the lectures that will take place, and register.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Down Hearted Blues” Eva Taylor And Clarence Williams 1923

From the pages of The Atlanta Independent comes this photographic advertisement of both Eva Taylor and Clarence Williams together, as part of the General Phonograph Corporation’s promotion of their new release “Down Hearted Blues”. The Okeh release appeared first, on May 3, 1923 .

 

Rare Black Swan Promotion 1922

This rare Black Swan race record promotion ran in the negro newspaper ”The Dallas Express”  on July 22, 1922.

 

Ted Lewis And His Band Appear At Edmund Gram Music House 1923

By 1923 Ted Lewis and his Band were already successful artists with Columbia Records. The Milwaukee music store of Edmund Gram, Wisconsin’s leading piano house, announced that Ted Lewis and his Band would make a personal appearance on February 16, 1923, to give a concert. Edmund Gram planned to celebrate the fact that they would be now handling Columbia phonographs and records. The ad was run the day before in The Milwaukee Sentinel.

The Mastertone Phonograph 1920

On March 8, 1920 the department store of Kaufmann & Baer, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania announced that they would be the exclusive dealers of the Mastertone Phonograph. This is the advertisement that they placed in The Pittsburgh Press that day.

Jazz King Makes $800,000 In Five Years 1922

I came across an article about band leader Isham Jones, and how he became a successful  jazz musician and recording artist. Anyone familiar with Isham Jones knows that he was associated with Brunswick Records. The blurb itself appeared in the Lawrence, Kansas newspaper on June 20, 1922, the Lawrence Journal-World.

 

March Victor Records 1923

At the beginning of each month, Victor Records would announce its latest releases in national newspapers throughout Canada, and the United States. Here are three examples of different banners used to announce the releases on March 1, 1923.

Devine’s Wisconsin Roof Garden Orchestra At The Royal Dance Palais 1927

The Royal Dance Palais, located in Dubuque, Iowa was one of the best locations in that state to find the latest recording dance bands.  The announcement that Devine’s Wisconsin Roof Garden Orchestra was billed to play there included the record labels they recorded on. This announcement appeared in the May 20, 1927 edition of The Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal, Dubuque, Iowa.

 

Original Browns Saxophone Six Appear At The Colonial Theatre 1923

From the late 1900’s until 1920 The Six Brown Brothers, originally from Canada, recorded for both Emerson and Victor. They were highly successful in becoming known in the Vaudeville circuit also at that time, and were billed as ”Original Browns Saxophone Six” while they played a three-day engagement at the Colonial Theatre in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in May, 1923.

Here Are The Latest Hits On Regal And Banner 1923

William H. Bonnage of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania  advertised the latest hits that they carried on Regal and Banner Records, which sold for 49 cents, in the February 10, 1923 edition of The Beaver Falls Tribune.

 

Leeds Talk-O-Phone Record Label

Leeds Talk-O-Phone was a record label, producing cylinders from 1894 to 1903 and single-sided lateral-cut disc gramophone records in the United States of America from about 1902 to 1909.

Leeds Records were produced by the Talk-O-Phone Company of Toledo, Ohio, owned by Wynant van Zant Pierce Bradley and Albert Irish. Talk-O-Phone produced disc phonographs(gramophones in British English) very similar to the earliest “Victor” machines of the Victor Talking Machine Company.

Some Leeds Records were unauthorized dubs of recordings made in other countries, a practice that slipped through a legal loophole at the time when international copyrights on recorded sound was poorly regulated. Some printed speculation about this obscure early record label has alleged that all Leeds material was either leased or pirated from other companies, but this was not the case. Some Leeds records were recorded specifically for Leeds, as can be confirmed by the spoken announcements at the beginning of the records. There was, however, an artist dishonesty incident in the late 1890s with Russell Hunting. Leeds had Hunting record a specialty of his called “Cohen at the Telephone”. He was paid $5 per “round”, as pantographic duplication yielded about 100 acceptable duplacates of a cylinder. At the end of the fourth round (recording into 4 machines yielded 16 masters) he saw a man carting 24 recordings of his “Cohen at the Telephone” away at the end of the studio. Hunting accused Leeds of attempting to defraud him. Leeds Talk-O-Phone, according to Hunting, made good upon being threatened with exposure.

A few Vaudeville stars of some note recorded for Leeds, including Byron G. Harlan. The audio fidelity of original Leeds recordings is about comparable to Victor or Columbia Records discs of some 5 years earlier.

The most notable feature of early Leeds records are the labels at the center of the discs, some of the most elaborate and beautiful ever to grace phonograph records. The labels are coated in embossed gold foil in high relief, with a trio of angels flying in clouds beside “LEEDS TALK-O-PHONE RECORDS” in elaborate flowing lettering. The lower portion of the label shows the record number, song title, and artist, in much more plain type. The whole is surrounded by a floral border.

In the early 20th century, the quality of Leeds records improved. Leeds records were issued under the rare “Century” label, the “Sir Henri” label, the “Imperial” label, and many others. None of these labels credited Leeds as the manufacturer, likely as Leeds was usually in court for infringing some patent, trademark, etc. In 1905, Leeds was rumored to have begun plans for returning to producing cylinders, sending Edison investigators scattering about. Leeds made its last known cylinders in 1903, in brown wax. Columbia made molded brown waxes at this time and introduced black waxes in 1903. This stopped Leeds cylinder production. If Leeds really did resume cylinder production in 1905, the cylinders would have to have been molded black waxes or they would not have survived on the market if they were brown. Columbia stopped brown wax molding in 1904, thus eliminating any niche competition for Leeds brown waxes. No supposed Leeds cylinders from ca. 1905 survive, nor do any Leeds cylinder catalogs.

In April 1909 Victor triumphed in a lawsuit for patent infringement, and Leeds Records and Talk-O-Phone went out of business.

 

(Courtesy Wikipedia)

The Melotone Phonograph 1923

Jones and Cross Ltd., of Edmonton, Alberta, a piano and phonograph store, ran this interesting advertisement for the ”Melotone” phonograph, in the Edmonton Journal, on September 1, 1923. 

”I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate” Leona Williams And Her Jazz Band 1922

The recording of this record on the Columbia label took place in New York City on September 19, 1922. Many famous Jazz musicians backed up Williams on her recordings, including Jimmy Durante on Piano, Miff Mole on Trombone, and Phil Napoleon on trumpet, or The Original Memphis Five if you wish. The release of the record did not appear in the newspaper until November 17, 1922.

 

Lucille Hegamin And Her Blue Flame Syncopaters 1921

Below is a rare photograph of Lucille Hegamin  and her Blue Flame Syncopaters from March 4, 1921, announcing her new recording on the rare Arto label. The Lexington Music Shop was in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Mamie Smith And Her Jazz Hounds 1922

Here is wonderful advertisement by the East Texas Phonograph Co., depicting Okeh Records artist Mamie Smith and her Jazz Hounds. This was inserted in the Dallas Express on July 1, 1922.

Ray Miller And His Orchestra Appear At The Hotel Sherman In Chicago 1929

Ray Miller and his Orchestra, who record with Brunswick Records, have a current engagement at the Hotel Sherman College Inn, according to this advertisement in a Chicago publication, February, 1929.

 

 

 

Jack Crawford Orchestra in Miami Florida 1929

Victor recording artist Jack Crawford and his Orchestra are signed on to appear at the Million Dollar Pier in Miami Beach. The announcement was made on September 1, 1929 via The Miami News newspaper.

 

Hit-Of-The-Week Record Launch 1930

On June 12, 1930 Dirium Products Corporation of New York launched their new indestructible phonograph record that would be sold weekly at newsstands for the remarkable price of 15 cents. The launch in Pittsburgh that day was through a full-page advertisement, and an article about the Hit Of The Week record, as reported by The Pittsburgh Press.

 

The Rexonola Phonograph 1923

While scanning over the pages of one of Australia’s newspapers I happened upon this insert for the Rexonola Phonograph. The manufacturer was a company by the name of Jackson and MacDonald, Sydney, Australia. This ad was placed by them in The Sydney Mail on May 30, 1923.

 

Jelly Roll Morton And His Red Hot Peppers Appear At The Lindo Theatre In Freeport, Illinois 1927

On Saturday, October 22, 1927, The Lindo Theatre of Freeport, Illinois announced its upcoming shows for the next couple of days. Headlining Monday’s show is none other than Victor Records Jelly Roll Morton. Here below is a scan of that advertisement.

 

The Dixie Portable Phonograph 1928

In the previous article about portable phonographs, the advertisement mentioned The Dixie Portable. Now, from Australia, comes an illustration of this phonograph, courtesy of The Sydney Mail, February 8, 1928.

 

Add Pleasure To Your School Days And Vacation Outings With A Portable Phonograph 1928

For those of us in Canada and the United States who have had to endure a harsh winter, I give you thoughts of hot Summer days ahead, and music from a portable phonograph. Sterchi Bros. of Florence, Alabama advertised that they carried four different portable phonographs, in the Florence Times Daily, on June 18, 1928.

 

King Oliver Appears At The Reading Casino 1924

These two items appeared in The Reading Eagle, Reading, PA., on May 13, 1924 regarding an appearance of King Oliver on May 14th for a dance at The Casino. This casino was controlled, I believe, by the notorious gangster Tony Moran.

 

The Original Indiana Five At Junction Park, Beaver, PA. 1926

The Original Indiana Five had various musicians in the group while they recorded from 1923 to 1929. Some of these were: James Christie on Trumpet, Tony Colucci, Banjo, Nick Vitalo on Clarinet and Alto Saxophone, and Harry Ford, Piano and Director. I came across an advertisement in The Daily Times of Beaver, PA. for the Original Indiana Five appearing at Junction Park. The ad was placed in the paper the date of the concert, June 15, 1926.

 

“Am I Blue” Jimmie Noone And His Apex Club Orchestra 1929

From the motion picture “On With The Show” comes Jimmie Noone and his Apex Club Orchestra’s interpretation of “Am I Blue”, and, “Birmingham Bertha”. The promotion for his recording on the Vocalion label was advertised in The Afro-American, Baltimore, Maryland on October 5, 1929.

“Croonin’ The Blues” Jabbo Smith And His Rhythm Aces 1929

A second Jabbo Smith and his Rhythm Aces advertisement has been located! Brunswick inserted this ad in the August 3, 1929 edition of The Afro-American.