Page 42 - summer 22

During World War One, materials were often in short supply, especially the shellac
for making discs, which came from India. Record Companies sometimes asked the
public to donate records they had finished with, for recycling. Given that most people
now have no means of playing them, they sound ropey, they are brittle, and that
companies wanted them back, it is amazing there are still a lot about.

Most of the records issued during the Great War, were of military bands, or sketches
of the lighter side of military life. Record companies seemed to use this period to

upgrade their recording studios, and my next example is of the Grenadier Guards
Band in 1919, with a gimmicky tune called The Mill in the Black Forest. My copy is
very worn, because I used to like listening to it as a boy, on a pre-war portable
gramophone. It took several goes at digitally cleaning it before I could use it.
(Clip No. 4 Band of the Grenadier Guards – The Mill In The Black Forest)

The early 1920’s saw the advent of the radio. The record industry was at first worried

about the competition, and for a couple of years it did affect sales, but soon realised
that they could use the radio to publicise their records. Columbia was still in trouble,
and actually went into receivership briefly in 1922/23. Between 1903 and 1922, nine
Victor releases had sold over a million copies, while Columbia USA hadn’t released
any million sellers. Its British subsidiary had released one. Part of the rescue from
receivership was the purchase of the British subsidiary, by its sales director, Louis
Sterling, who paid half a million dollars for it and its European franchises. (remember
that in those days there were about four dollars to one pound)

In Britain, Music Hall was still very popular, and here is the first Music Hall artist ever
to perform on radio, in 1922.
(Clip No. 5 Ernie Mayne – What d’you Think of That?)

I don’t know if he cross dressed for his stage show, but he was obviously singing as a

woman. I have seen a photo of him as a performer (not singing that song), He was
very fat, and judging from his outlandish outfit, I’d say he probably did, unless it was
the song he did on the radio.

The 1920’s was called the Jazz Age, and jazz was particularly popular with the black
population in the USA, though the first jazz record was actually by a band of white
Italians from New Orleans. (I don’t have a copy!).

The Okeh record label in the States specialised in music for black audiences, and its

house band produced such gems as this in1923.