United States Phonograph Company Flyer (Brown-Wax Cylinders, c. 1898)

This rare United States Phonograph Company four-panel flyer advertises selections from Sousa’s comic opera, The Bride-Elect, in this case played not by Sousa’s band, but by Edward Issler’s. The flyer most likely dates to 1898. The Bride-Elect opened at the Knickerbocker Theatre (New York) on April 11, 1898, closed in June after 64 performances, then had a  brief return engagement at the Harlem Opera House in October of that year.
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The flyer is from Bill Bryant’s archive, which also includes a complete 32-page United States Phonograph Company cylinder catalog and related materials. We’ll be scanning and posting the full catalog on the Mainspring Press website later this month, as part of our new American Cylinder Record Project.

Bert Williams on Black Swan Records?

No, it never happened — But it might have, if you believe this April 1922 Black Swan ad. Williams did invest in the Pace Phonograph Company (as did W.E.B. Du Bois and other prominent African-Americans), but the claim that he had promised to make records for them is dubious. As far as we know, this statement was never made while Williams was alive to refute it. Being an excellent businessman, would he really have left Columbia — which was selling his records by the millions and promoting him a grand scale — for a small struggling outfit like Black Swan?

100 Years Ago This Month: Highlights from the August 1911 Victor Supplement

August 1911 was a good month for Victor’s Broadway fans, with new releases by headliners George M. Cohan and Montgomery & Stone (whose “Gay Paree” refers not to France but to Paris, Texas — a town the comedians skewer mercilessly). Victor’s first version of Gene Greene’s signature “King of the Bungaloos” was also on the list (this version was never coupled; the more common coupled version used a 1917 remake).

In the Red Seal department, Victor — which had been using imported Gramophone Company masters by Mischa Elman — began releasing some recordings the violinist made on his recent American visit. A new release by Metropolitan Opera tenor Albert Reiss also appeared this month — one of only six Reiss Red Seals issued by Victor.

If you’re a Victor fan, be sure to check out John Bolig’s ongoing Victor Discography Series, compiled from the original Victor files — details are on the Mainspring Press website.