Pathe Archives

Perfect Record Label 1922-Apr. 1938

A budget brand of the Pathe-Actuelle Label. The Perfect Record Label operated under the Pathe-Actuelle controlled Perfect Record Company. Early Perfect labels were black for popular music or maroon for classical. These early labels used an octagonal border. By 1923, the label design changed to two nude sun-worshippers. Red shellac pressings were introduced in late 1924 but discontinued in 1931 in favor of black shellac. Perfect created a series called Perfect Star Series for higher-end talent. After being bought by the American Record Company (ARC) in 1929 the label remained the same until a re-design in 1937 to an undistinguished blue-and-silver label without a pictorial trademark. Perfect would be discontinued by ARC in April 1938.

Music Genres: Pop, Orchestra, Classical, Band, Blues

Pre-1941 Label:

Perfect Record Label: 1922-1923. Notice the octagonal border.

Uncle Josh (Cal Stewart) was a monologuist known for telling humorous stories with a unique laugh. I’ve included a link to the audio of Uncle Josh at the Circus below. It is on a Columbia record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GvmVTtZy6g

Perfect Record Label: 1923-1937. The record may be black, blue, green, or red shellac with nude sun-worshippers.

Perfect Record Label: Note the Sun Worshippers

Perfect Record Label: 1937-1938. Blue and Silver.

1941-1945s Label: None

Post-WW2 Label: None

Numbers from start to 1945: #100-16000. A listing of records from 1928-1931 can be found here:
http://www.78discography.com/PE15000.htm

Notes: The Race record series was called Perfect 100s. It was started in July 1926. These were duplicates of Pathe’s race series (#7500). Rosa Henderson and Mary Staffard would feature prominently on the Perfect race-record series. Another race artist include Big Bill Broonzy (operating under the pseudonym of Sammy Sampson). Big Bill would also have a side project with Tommy Dorsey, called The Famous Hokum Boys.

Sources:
–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.
—Perfect Race Record Blues Encyclopedia Entry
–Discography of Perfect Race Record Numbers

Pathe-Actuelle Record Label (1914-1929)

Founded in France and came to the US in 1914 as the Pathe-Freres Phonograph Company. Pathe-US would introduce a short-lived budget brand called Sapphire in 1915. Another label called Actuelle would be created in Sept. 1920. The Actuelle label was at first red, black, and gold on a buff, white, or another color background. They were replaced by a similar label in 1922 of gold and black for popular music or gold and maroon for classical. In 1922 the Pathe-Freres Phonograph Company went bankrupt.

By Nov. 1922 Pathe-Freres was re-organized as the Pathe Phonograph and Radio Corporation. They would introduce two new labels: Perfect and Pathe-Actuelle. The Pathe-Actuelle (sometimes referred to as Pathe) label had a race record series that was introduced in 1924. Pathe-Actuelle and Perfect were merged with the Cameo Record Corporation in Oct. 1927. Two years later, Cameo was bought by the American Record Corporation (ARC) in 1929. ARC dropped Pathe in March 1930 and Perfect in 1938. The Perfect record label can sometimes be seen in red shellac rather than black.

Music Genres: Pop, Orchestra, Classical, Band, Blues

Pre-1941 Label:

Pathe Record Label would last from 1914-1922. In 1922, Pathe-Freres would reorganize as a different company and created a different label.

Pathe Label. Note the Chicken — Pathe Label, 1914. Note the Chicken

The Sapphire Record Label, 1915.

Actuelle Label, 1920. This would replace Sapphire as a budget brand label.

Actuelle Label redesign in 1922. This redesign would not last for long as Pathe-Freres would reorganize as a different company the same year.

Pathe-Actuelle Label, 1922. This was the new label of the former Pathe-Freres company, now reorganized as the Pathe Phonograph and Radio Corporation. After ARC buys the corporation in 1929, they would drop the label.

1941-1945 Label: None
Post-WW2 Label: None
Numbers from start to 1945: 10000-60000

Notes: The Perfect Record Label went from #100-16000

Sources:
-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.