The Playlist (Steaming MP3)• Some Accordion Favorites, 1909 – 1927
Original recordings from the Mainspring Press Collection
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PIETRO FROSINI: An American Rag
London: c. June 1911 Albion 1012 (Beka mx. 41241)
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JOHN J. KIMMEL (with uncredited pianist): Indian Intermezzo
New York; released June 1909 Indestructible 1090 (cylinder)
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PIETRO FROSINI: New York Blues — Rag Classical
New York: September 15, 1916 Edison Diamond Disc 50454 (mx. 4998 – C)
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GUIDO DEIRO: Ostrich Walk
New York: c. August 29, 1918 Columbia A2648 (mx. 78033 – 2)
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PIETRO DEIRO: Melody Rag (Philadelphia Blues)
Camden, NJ: October 5, 1915 Victor 17895 (mx. B 16597 – 1) The subtitle was entered in the Victor files but does not appear on the labels.
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FRANK SALERNO: Kent Street Blues
Chicago (Marsh Laboratories): c. May 1928 Broadway 1189 (mx. 20608 – 1) A reworking of Pietro Deiro’s “Melody Rag.”
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RUTH ETTING (with MARIO PERRY, accordion; RUBE BLOOM, piano): Sam, The Old Accordion Man
New York: March 1, 1927 (William Freiberg, recording engineer) Columbia 908-D (mx. W 143564 – 3) Accompanists are from the Columbia matrix card; they are uncredited on the labels.
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Reposting and/or commercial use of these sound files is prohibited. Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
Five newly revised editions are currently available on DAHR, and ten more will follow as revisions are completed over the next several months. Updates will be coordinated between the two sites, ensuring that both are hosting the latest versions. (To see all titles that are currently available on the Mainspring blog, visit our free Online Reference Library.)
DAHR is also hosting several outstanding discographies by Mainspring Press author John Bolig. In addition, Greenwood Press and other publishers have made some of their titles available as free e-books.
The site’s crowning feature is its massive, ever-expanding, and highly authoritative discographical database of 78-era recordings. Largely compiled from original company documentation, it embodies a level of detail not found elsewhere, is well-organized and easily searchable, and includes linked audio files for many recordings.
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As always, we welcome properly documented additions and corrections to the Mainspring discographies from first-hand inspection of the original recordings (preferably supported by photos or scans if you are not one of our regular contributors). They can be e-mailed to us at publisher@mainspringpress.com. If sending large files, please use WeTransfer or a similar file-compression program.
Keep in mind that these discographies are copyrighted works, with publication rights licensed solely to Mainspring Press and the University of California–Santa Barbara. Alteration, copying, re-posting, and/or distribution by any other party, in any form or by any means, is prohibited.
Chicago (Marsh Laboratories): c. November 1928 Broadway 1227 (mx. 20924 – 2)
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COON-SANDERS ORCHESTRA (Joe Sanders, dir / vcl): Tennessee Lazy
Chicago: February 12, 1929 Victor 21939 (mx. BVE 48880 – 2)
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COON-SANDERS ORCHESTRA (Leroy Shield, dir; Joe Sanders, vcl): Harlem Madness
Chicago: November 18, 1929 Victor 22300 (mx. BVE 57429 – 3)
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Other than directors and vocalists, the Victor recording ledgers do not list personnel for these recordings. Personnel listed in Rust’s Jazz Records and derivative works are from unknown, uncited sources, not from original Victor file data.
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Commercial use and/or unauthorized re-posting of these sound files is prohibited. Please report violations to publisher@mainspringpress.com
This publication is a part of the free Mainspring Press Online Reference Library. It may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial use only. Unauthorized sale, reproduction, alteration, reposting, or other distribution in any form and by any method, whether or not for monetary gain, is prohibited. Please help us preserve this free service by honoring the terms of use stated in each document, and by reporting violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
This publication is a part of the free Mainspring Press Online Reference Library. It may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial use only. Unauthorized sale, reproduction, alteration, reposting, or other distribution in any form and by any method, whether or not for monetary gain, is prohibited. Please help us preserve this free service by honoring the terms of use stated in each document, and by reporting violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
The Playlist (Free Streaming MP3) • Some Early February Additions
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A fine month for Victors so far! Here are a few of the latest arrivals for your listening pleasure.
We pay top prices for top-quality records of this sort (strong E– minimum, except in the case of true rarities, and grainy pressings are not wanted). Your lists of disposables are always welcome. Please grade very conservatively, using the standard VJM scale, note all defects (no matter how seemingly minor, including label flaws), and state your asking price.
Enjoy!
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CHARLIE JOHNSON & HIS ORCHESTRA: Harlem Drag (EE+)
New York: May 8, 1929 (released July 19, 1929) Victor V-38059 (mx. BVE 51298 – 2)
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CHARLIE JOHNSON & HIS ORCHESTRA: Hot Bones and Rice (EE+)
New York: May 8, 1929 (released July 19, 1929) Victor V-38059 (mx. BVE 51299 – 1)
The Victor recording ledger lists no personnel for this session other than Johnson (as director). Those cited in Rust’s Jazz Records and similar works are from unnamed sources, not original file data.
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PAUL HOWARD’S QUALITY SERENADERS: Quality Shout (E)
Hal Roach Studios (Culver City, CA): April 29, 1929
(delayed release: April 18, 1930) Victor V-38122 (mx. PBVE 50831 – 5)
The Victor recording ledger lists no personnel for this session other than Lionel Hampton (as vocalist on the record’s reverse side). Those cited in Rust’s Jazz Records and similar works are from unnamed sources, not original file data. The Hal Roach recording studios, constructed and largely financed by RCA, were used for movie-soundtrack as well as commercial Victor recording sessions, mirroring use of the Victor “church” studio in Camden, NJ.
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RED NICHOLS & HIS ORCHESTRA: Harlem Twist (E–)
New York: June 21, 1928 (released August 31, 1928) Victor 21560 (mx. BVE 45814 -3)
Initially entered as “Humpty Dumpty” in the Victor ledger, which lists no personnel. Those cited in Rust’s Jazz Records and similar works are from unnamed sources, not original file data.
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RALPH WILLIAMS & HIS RAINBO ORCHESTRA (HENRY WINSTON, piano): Get Lucky (E)
Chicago: November 7, 1924 (released December 19, 1924) Victor 19504 (mx. B 31147 – 3)
Winston is confirmed as the piano soloist in the Victor recording ledger. For god-only-knows-what reason, Brian Rust credited the pianist as Vic Lubowski in Jazz Records and The American Dance Band Discography, while Johnson & Shirley inexplicably compounded the error in their largely derivative American Dance Bands by crediting Vic Lubowski or William Krenz. Obviously, none of them consulted the Victor files, so all we can say (once again) is: Never take these books too seriously.
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GEORGE GERSHWIN (piano) with PAUL WHITEMAN’S CONCERT ORCHESTRA: Rhapsody in Blue (E)
New York: June 10, 1924 (released October 17, 1924) Victor 55225 (mxs. B 30174 -1 / B 30173 -2)
Rhapsody in Blue is now officially in the public domain, so we can legally offer you Ferdie Grofé’s original orchestration that caused such a sensation at its historic 1924 Aeolian Hall debut. Ross Gorman, the featured clarinetist, improvised the famous opening glissando, which Gershwin originally wrote (and Grofé scored) as a fussy, articulated seventeen-note run. (Thanks for that insight to Henry Sapoznik, from his classic Klezmer: Jewish Music from the Old World to Our World; Schirmer, 1999).
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Discographical data are from the original Victor Talking Machine Company documentation at Sony Music Archives (New York), as transcribed by John Bolig.
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Reposting or commercial use of these sound files is prohibited. Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com (your identity will be kept anonymous).
This publication is a part of the free Mainspring Press Online Reference Library. It may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial use only. Unauthorized sale, reproduction, alteration, reposting, or other distribution in any form and by any method, whether or not for monetary gain, is prohibited. Please help us preserve this free service by honoring the terms of use stated in each document, and by reporting violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
The Playlist (Streaming MP3) • Some More
January 2023 Additions
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Reposting or commercial use of these sound files is prohibited.
Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
NAP HAYES & MATTHEW PRATER: Nothin’ Doin’ (V+)
Memphis: February 15, 1928
Okeh 45231 (mx. W 400243 – B) An outstanding example of a recording by Black artists having been issued in Okeh’s White country-music series.
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GWEN FOSTER & DAVID FLETCHER (as Carolina Twins): Your Wagon Needs Greasing (EE-)
Atlanta: February 20, 1928
Victor 21363 (mx. BVE 41922 – 2) Gwen Foster, harmonica, guitar, vocal; David Fletcher, guitar, vocal. Regional release, per Victor files.
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UNCLE DAVE MACON & HIS FRUIT-JAR DRINKERS:Rock About My Sara Jane (E- to V++)
New York: May 7, 1927
Vocalion 5152 (mx. E 4925) Uncle Dave Macon, lead vocal and banjo; Sam McGee, guitar; Kirk McGee, Maize Todd, “fiddle,” per Brunswick-Vocalion files
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RICHARD M. JONES’ JAZZ WIZARDS: Boar Hog Blues (E-)
Victor Laboratory, Chicago: November 7, 1927
Victor 21203 (mx. BVE 40822 – 2) No personnel listed in the Victor files; those in Jazz Records and similar works are from an unknown source. Race release, per Victor files.
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GEORGE E. LEE’S ORCHESTRA: Ruff Scufflin’ (E+)
Kansas City: November 1929
Brunswick 4684 (mx. KC 585 – ) No personnel listed in the Brunswick files; those in Jazz Records and similar works are from an unknown source.
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EMANUEL FEUERMANN (cello) with Members of the Berlin State Opera Orchestra — Michael Taube, conductor: Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 (Dvorak) (EE+)
Berlin: May 1928 (movements 1–2), October 1929 (movement 3)
Columbia G-68037-D — G-68041-D (Masterwork Set 172)
(mx. 2-20748, 2-20749, 2-207503, 2-207512, 2-207522, 2-20753, 2-21582, 2-21583, 2-21584)
First U.S. issue, 1930; Original German issue on Parlophone E 10856 – E 10860.
William R. Bryant and Record Research Associates Archives Donated to the University of California
Len Kunstadt and William R. Bryant
I am pleased to announce that the William R. Bryant and Record Research Associates archives have been donated to the Davidson Library at the University of California–Santa Barbara. The library’s Discography of American Historical Recordings project has been at the forefront of discographical research for nearly two decades, beginning with its posting of the Victor file data, and expanding rapidly from there.
Having worked with David Seubert, Sam Brylawski, and the Davidson Library staff on several projects in the past, I have no doubt that UCSB is the best choice as a permanent new home for this important collection, which was acquired by Mainspring Press in 2011 — and from which so many Mainspring discographies have sprung. Rights to several unfinished Mainspring Press discographies based on this material, including Plaza-ARC and Grey Gull, have also been assigned to UCSB.
The initial lot, dispatched to UCSB earlier this week, comprises all of the discographical data compiled over a span of five decades, from first-hand aural and visual inspection of countless thousands of 78s, by the Record Research group (Walter C. Allen, Len Kunstadt, Perry Armagnac, Carl Kendziora, George Blacker, et al.) and Bill Bryant. Bill acquired and continued to work on the RR archive, as well as his own projects, before his untimely death in 1995.
As with any collection of this sort, it will take considerable time to process and organize the materials, and to set parameters for access; so please do not contact UCSB concerning access or requesting data for now — it’s simply far too early. Updates will be posted here as they become available.
THE PATHE – PERFECT DISCOGRAPHY (1922 – 1930) Second Edition (Digital Version 1.0)
By Allan Sutton
Data Compiled by William R. Bryant,
The Record Research Associates, et al.
Free to Download for Personal Use *
The newest addition to the free Mainspring Press Online Reference Library covers all concurrent Pathé–Perfect domestic-catalog issues, from the introduction of Perfect in 1922 to the discontinuation of the American Pathé label in early 1930. Totaling more than 750 pages, this newly revised and expanded edition includes highly detailed discographical data for all U.S. releases on Pathé, Perfect, and their many affiliated labels.
The work also includes an illustrated, well-documented history of the American Pathé operation, label illustrations, and guidance on two particularly vexing problems that have tripped-up some discographers in the past — the difference between dubbing numbers and true take designations on acoustic recordings; and the assignment of false master numbers and take designations during the Pathé-Cameo and American Record Corporation merger periods (there was a method to that seeming madness, as determined by first-hand aural and visual comparison of many thousands of original pressingsd).
As with all titles in the Mainspring Press Reference Library, you are welcome to download this file for your personal use only. Mainspring Press holds the copyright and exclusive publication rights to this work. Commercial use, or any unauthorized reposting, publication, or distribution in any form, whether or not for monetary gain, is prohibited.
Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
Original recordings from the Mainspring Press Collection Commercial use of these sound files is prohibited. Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com
Headed by Texas entertainer Claude Shugart, the Five Harmaniacs defy easy categorization. Originally the Four Harmaniacs, they started out singing cowboy ballads in a vaudeville act titled “Round-Up Tunes.” But in 1926 they headed off in a new direction that caught the attention of the record companies.
Now calling billing themselves as “A Genuine Musical Novelty,” they began featuring jazz- and blues-inflected tunes in a style inspired by southern jug and skiffle bands (Brunswick even released two of their titles in its race-record series). But they continued to wear their cowboy outfits on national tours, and reverted to their old “Round-Up Tunes” act while playing in some regions.
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HARMANIAC FIVE: Harmaniac Blues Chicago (Marsh Laboratories): c. June 1926 Broadway 1034 (mx. 1079 / ctl. 371)
FIVE HARMANIACS: Coney Island Washboard New York: September 17, 1926 Victor 20293 (mx. BVE 36327 – 2)
FIVE HARMANIACS (Walter Howard, speaking):What Makes My Baby Cry? New York: February 8, 1927 RCA archive test pressing (mx. BVE 37750 – 1, unissued on 78)
FIVE HARMANIACS (Walter Howard, speaking): What Makes My Baby Cry? New York: February 8, 1927 Victor 20507 (mx. BVE 37750 – 2)
FIVE HARMANIACS: It Takes a Good Woman (To Keep a Good Man at Home) New York: February 8, 1927 RCA archive test pressing (mx. BVE 37750 – 1, unissued on 78)
FIVE HARMANIACS: It Takes a Good Woman (To Keep a Good Man at Home) New York: February 8, 1927 Victor 20507 (mx. BVE 37750 – 2)
FIVE HARMANIACS (uncredited vocalist): Sleepy Blues New York: February 24, 1927 Brunswick 7002 (mx. E-4587 [E-22013]) The Brunswick recording sheet is headed “Test Masters — Special Race Recordings.” Rust’s Jazz Records shows the recording date as February 4, in error; February 24 is confirmed on the recording sheet.
American Recording Pioneers: Abe Schwartz (Streaming MP3)
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Abe Schwartz accompanied by his twelve-year-old daughter, Sylvia (November 1920)
Original recordings from the Mainspring Press Collection.
Commercial use of these sound files is prohibited.
Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
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ABE SCHWARTZ’S ORCHESTRA
Sher — Part 2 New York: c. October 1920
Columbia E4905 (mx. 86692 – 1)
ABE SCHWARTZ’S ORCHESTRA (as Yiddisher Orchester)
Biem Reben’s Sideh
New York: c. November 1917
Columbia E3671 (mx. 58785 – 1)
ABE SCHWARTZ’S ORCHESTRA (as Jewish-Russian Orchestra)
Tantzt, Tantzt, Yiddelach
New York: c. November 1917
Columbia E4133 (mx. 58784 – 2)
ABE SCHWARTZ’S ORCHESTRA (as Yiddisher Orchester)
Sadegurer Chasd’l
New York: c. November 1917
Columbia E3671 (mx. 58782 – 1)
ABE SCHWARTZ’S ORCHESTRA (as Yiddisher Orchester)
Noch der Havdoleh New York: c. February 1918
Columbia E3839 (mx. 84011 – 1)
AARON LEBEDEFF (acc. by ABE SCHWARTZ’S ORCHESTRA)
Ich Bin a Border Bei Mein Weib New York: c. January 1923
Vocalion 14502 (mx. 10588)
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The original recording files for most of the Columbia “E” series and early Vocalion masters have been lost. Estimated recording dates are from from Dick Spottswood’s Ethnic Music on Records (University of Illinois Press).
A Midsummer Night’s Playlist • Some June–August Additions to the Collection (Free MP3 Downloads)
New MP3 transfers from some recent additions to the 78 collection, for your enjoyment. We’re always looking to purchase similar material (strong E– minimum, except in the case of true rarities). Let us know what you have in the way of disposables.
Reposting or commercial use of these sound files is prohibited.
Please report violations to: publisher@mainspringpress.com.
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LUCILLE HEGAMIN & HER BLUE FLAME SYNCOPATORS:Lonesome Monday Morning Blues (E–)
New York: c. June 1921 (released August 1921)
Arto 9074 (mx: 18086 – ) No master or take number appears on this pressing, but mx. 18086 is confirmed on some client-label pressings.
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DOUGLAS WILLIAMS FOUR: Kind Daddy (E)
Memphis (Auditorium): September 4, 1928
Victor 21695 (mx. BVE 45476 – 1) Personnel per Victor recording ledger: Nathaniel Williams (cornet), Douglas Williams (clarinet), Elaine Elliott (piano), Sam Sims (percussion).
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DOC COOK & HIS FOURTEEN DOCTORS OF SYNCOPATION: Brainstorm (E)
Chicago: June 15, 1927 (John Gloetzner, recording engineer)
Columbia 1298-D (mx. W 144334 – 3) Session logged as Dock Cook & his Dance Orchestra, but changed to Doc Cook & his Fourteen Doctors of Syncopation prior to release. No personnel are listed in the Columbia files.
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KING OLIVER & HIS DIXIE SYNCOPATORS: Slow and Steady (E+)
New York: November 14, 1928
Brunswick 4469 (mx. E 28757 – ) “Joseph Oliver,” arranger, per the Brunswick ledger; no other personnel are listed in the Brunswick files.
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KING OLIVER & HIS DIXIE SYNCOPATORS: I’m Watching the Clock (E+)
New York: September 12, 1928
Brunswick 4469 (mx. E – 28203 – ) Brunswick ledger states only “8 men” (unnamed), plus Oliver as an “extra.”
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CLARENCE WILLIAMS’ ORCHESTRA: Watchin’ the Clock (EE+)
New York: December 19, 1928
Okeh 8663 (mx. W 401466 – C) No personnel listed in the Okeh files.
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HENRY (RED) ALLEN & HIS ORCHESTRA (vocal by Victoria Spivey):Funny Feathers Blues (E+)
New York: September 24, 1929
Victor V-38088 (mx. BVE 55853 – 2) No personnel other than Spivey listed in the Victor files.
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CLARENCE WILLIAMS & HIS ORCHESTRA (vocal by Ed Allen and Floyd Casey): Mama Stayed Out (EE-)
New York: July 14, 1933
Brunswick X-25009 (mx. 13545 – 1) Brunswick issue is unlisted in Jazz Records and derivative works. The catalog number is that of the corresponding Vocalion release, with the addition of an X- prefix. No personnel are listed in the American Record Corporation files.
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ALLEN BROTHERS: New Deal Blues (EE+)
New York: October 3, 1934
Vocalion 02890 (mx. 16098 – 2) Austin Allen (vocal, banjo); Lee Allen (guitar)
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W. K. (OLD MAN) HENDERSON: Hello World (E+)
Shreveport, LA: February 18, 1930
Hello World 001 (Okeh mx. W 403810 – A) The lengthy, very faintly recorded chime introduction has been deleted in this transfer.
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BLIND ANDY JENKINS: Hello World Song (Don’t You Go ’Way) (E+)
Shreveport, LA: February 18, 1930
Hello World 001 (Okeh mx. W 403814 – B)
Special issue for independent radio station KWKH (Shreveport), on which “Old Man” Henderson rails against the new radio networks, the federal government, and — a little too late — Wall Street. On the reverse side, Blind Andy Jenkins (one of the most prolific writers of “death-and-disaster” ballads for the country market) goes after the same targets, tossing in chain stores for good measure, all set to the tune of his “Death of Floyd Collins.” From the Okeh matrix cards, it’s clear that talent scout / furniture dealer Polk Brockman had a hand in this venture, taking the publisher credits and collecting royalties on sales of the record. It retailed for 75¢, “postpaid anywhere.”
i78s.org Is Now Hosting American Record Companies and Producers (1888 – 1950)
We’re pleased to announce that entries from American Record Companies and Producers, 1888 – 1950 (Allan Sutton, Mainspring Press) are now available for free onscreen viewing on the i78s website. If you’re not familiar with the site, click here for a quick overview.
You will need a password with i78s.org to access this material (see below). Registration is free and easy, with no personal data required, and no nasty spyware. Once you’re logged-in, simply click the “factory” icon at the upper-right of the screen to open the list of individual entries:
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Entries can also be accessed from the search window, by clicking the “Company Information” tag (in this example, it will open the entry for the American Record Company, the selected record’s producer):
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The selected entry will open as a PDF (Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader) file.
Out of consideration for those who purchased the book, the files are configured for onscreen viewing only, and cannot be downloaded or printed-out. Only individual entries can be viewed here — in other words, you cannot access the entire work as a single file.
(For those of you still wanting a copy of the book — and we’ve had a surprising number of requests lately — Mainspring Press has a few choice copies on hand that it’s currently offering on eBay. These were unsealed for random quality-control inspections, but otherwise are like-new. Once those are gone, we have no others, nor do any of our former distributors).
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This is the first phase of an ongoing project (Phase 2 will involve the addition of label-specific files for labels that drew on multiple suppliers). Additions and correction are always welcome, provided that they are properly documented, and should be e-mailed to:
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Enjoy More than 45,000 Vintage Recordings and 8,000 Early Sheet Music Covers for Free, at i78s.org
Vintage-record enthusiasts have cause to celebrate with the recent launch of i78s.org, created and hosted by David Giovannoni. Many of you know David for his role in recovering the Scott Phonoautograms (which pre-date Edison’s first recording by nearly two decades) and other important work in the field of early recorded sound.
At the moment there are more than 45,000 digitized discs and cylinders on the site, from David’s own eclectic collection and those of other advanced collectors, and that number will no doubt increase as others come onboard. You’ll find some exceedingly rare, unusual, and even one-of-a-kind recordings here. Offerings run the gamut from popular mainstream hits to the virtually unknown and just-plain-weird.
Recent upgrades include the addition of more than 8,000 high-quality scans from sheet music covers of the late 1890s through late 1920s, and all of the entries from the award-winning American Record Companies and Producers, 1888–1950 in PDF format.
Registration is simple, requiring only a valid e-mail address and a password. No personal information is required, and there are no third-party cookies, trackers, spyware, ads, or other such nastiness. Plus, it’s free.
If you’re not already registered, by all means visit i78s ASAP, and start enjoying all the features this remarkable resource has to offer.
78 RECORDS, CYLINDER RECORDS & VINTAGE PHONOS 
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