78 Records Collector Notes

78 Records Production

78 Records Collector Notes:

Note on Musicians: Some seemingly “no-name” musicians may actually be well-known musicians in disguise. For example, Fletcher Henderson often went under (with or without his consent) the pseudonym “Sam Hill” or “Dixie Stompers”. This was done by some unscrupulous musicians to avoid payments to their contracted record label thereby earning money on the side. Additionally, some labels would copy a hit record and release it under a different musician’s name, thus avoiding paying the musician more money.

Note on Record Label: Generally speaking, records that have a label (the sticker in the center) that is more ornate, decorative, colorful, etc. may be worth more money.

Note on Size: Almost all record companies experimented with different record sizes: 5inch, 8inch, 7inch, 9inch, 10inch, 12inch, and 14inch.

Notes on Color: Generally speaking records pressed in red or that have a predominantly red label are the classical series while records pressed in green or that have a predominantly green label are the ethnic or foreign series.

Notes on Record Type: Vertical Cut records are where the needle picks-up sound along the bottom of the record. The sound is determined by the depth of the grooves. A Lateral Cut record where the needle picks-up sound in a side-to-side motion across the record.

Notes on Collecting: 1910s/1920s blues music can be highly collectible. You know it is “blues” when the label says: Blues, Stomp, Shuffle, and Foxtrot as part of the song or includes Banjo, Guitar, Harmonica, or Jazz on the label.

Some well-known blues/jazz musicians include:

Robert JohnsonLeadbellyBlind Lemon Jefferson
King OliverJelly Roll MortonBix Beiderbecke
Blind Willie JohnsonBlind Willie McTellBessie Smith
Blind BlakeSon House Skip James
Louis ArmstrongSidney BechetWilly “Lion” Smith
Charley PattonMa RaineyTampa Red
Bessie SmithPapa Charlie JacksonWillie Brown
North Carolina Cooper Boys

Blind Blake, Son House, Skip James, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Charley Patton can all be found on Paramount Records.

See: http://www.jazz-on-line.com/ for a source of downloadable pre-WW2 music that could’ve been heard on the radio.

The New York Times wrote an article about 78 Collectors you may find helpful here: They’ve Got Those Old, Hard-to-Find Blues

Paramount Records

Paramount Records (1918- Aug. 1932; 1934; 1948-1970)

Paramount Records was produced by New York Recording Laboratories (NYRL) which were owned by the Wisconsin Chair Company, which was headquartered in Port Washington, Wisconsin. The last Paramount label records were sold in Aug 1932.

The Black Swan Record Label was bought by Paramount in May 1924. They then discontinue it and re-introduce it as the Paramount Black Swan Label in June 1924. A redesign of the Black Swan Label would be introduced.

The following year, in 1925, Paramount Records would acquire the Broadway Record Label from Bridgeport Die and Machine Company of Bridgeport Connecticut.

America Record Company (ARC) would buy the Paramount label in 1934 and released a few records before discontinuing the label. ARC would also drop the Broadway Label in 1934. Decca would pick the Broadway label up for a brief time in 1935 only to discontinue it within the year.

Paramount was revived in 1948 by the Wisconsin Chair Company and by 1952 was producing reissues of older recordings. By 1970, the recordings of Paramount were sold to the Jazzology Records group but the name “Paramount Records” was sold to Paramount Pictures.

During the first 7 years until Aug 1926, all Paramount label records were blue and gold. The Paramount logo was an eagle with spread wings. In 1926 the color changed to black with the phrase “Electrically Recorded” in lowercase type near the right of the spindle hole. Labels printed before 1925 state the following phrases “This Record is Made Entirely in Our Own Laboratories in New York City and Grafton Wisconsin” or “This is a Vertical Cut Record Made in our own Laboratories” around the rim of the record. After 1925 the phrase along the record-bottom rim changed to “The New York Recording Laboratories Inc.”.

Music Genres: Race Records, Country, Blues.

Pre-1941 Label: 1918-Aug 1926. Consists of blue and gold coloring.

Record Label: Pre-Aug 1926. Note the blue and gold coloring
Paramount Record Label: 1918-Aug 1926. Note the blue and gold coloring Sometime after Aug. of 1926 the label had a redesigned to black and gold.
Paramount Record Label: 1926-1932. The phrase “Electrically Record” came about in 1926 and the phrase “The New York Recording Laboratories Inc.” came about in 1925. Note the black and gold coloring.
Paramount Record Label: 1926-1932. The spindle-hole phrase “Electrically Record” came about in 1926. The phrase along the bottom, “The New York Recording Laboratories Inc.”, came about in 1925. Note the black and gold coloring.

Black Swan: Black Swan, an almost exclusively “race record” label. This label may be seen in orange and black, yellow, red, blue, black, purple, or red. Paramount would buy the Black Swan Label in May 1924, discontinue it, and then re-introduce it as the Paramount Black Swan Label (keeping the black swan logo but adding the Paramount wings) in June 1924.

Black Swan Record Label: Black Swan, an almost exclusively “race record” label. May be seen in orange and black, yellow, red, blue, black, purple, or red. Note black swan icon at top.
Black Swan Record Label: Note black swan icon at top.
Record Label: Black Swan label as bought by Paramount in 1924.
Record Label: Black Swan label as bought by Paramount in 1924.


Broadway Record Label:
  This record label was in production by Paramount from 1925  to 1933. ARC would drop the label. Decca would pick the Broadway label up for a brief time in 1935 only to discontinue it within the year. Note the black and gold coloring.

1941-1945 Label: None

Post World War II Label: 1948 redesign. Silver and black coloring.

Paramount Record Label: Post WW2 production
Paramount Record Label: Post-WW2 production

Numbers from start to 1945: 1-20000

Notes:
The 12000- series is the label’s “Race Record” series.

Sources:
http://www.redhotjazz.com/blackswan.html
http://www.mainspringpress.com/nyrl.html
–Rust, Brian. The American Record Label Book. Arlington House Publishers, NY. 1978.
–Sutton, Nauck. American Record Labels and Companies: An Encyclopedia (1891-1943). Mainspring Press, CO.2000.