Page 44 - summer 22

It wasn’t issued in Britain until 1936.I assume that the Great Depression was to

blame. I suspect the record company Brunswick, didn’t think it would sell.
The record industry was booming in the USA until around 1930. Turnover in the USA
alone was around 75 million dollars. By 1935 in the Great Depression it had dropped
to less than three million.
(Clip No. 13 Bing Crosby Brother Can You Spare a Dime 1932)

Prior to the depression there were dozens of smaller record companies in addition to
HMV, Columbia, Parlophone, Decca and Brunswick. Many of the small companies

would sell quite cheaply through chain stores. One such, selling through Woolworth,
was a 7 inch called Victory which sold for sixpence, or 2 ½ new pence(nothing to do
with the American Victor, which normally distributed through HMV). To keep costs
down, they often sold tunes that were out of copyright. I have one which is a banjo
solo by someone called Geo. Clinton. On researching him , I discovered it was Olly
Oakley, who had of course retired by 1930

By 1936 there were only two record companies in Britain, HMV and Decca. Both had
several labels. HMV had Columbia (ironically because they were still bitter rivals with
Victor in the US), Parlophone and a cheaper Regal Zonophone. Decca had several
cheap labels including Rex, which, (I read) were sold exclusively in Marks and
Spencer, and also Eclipse and Broadcast, which were Woolworth brands. Although
cheap, Rex did carry famous bands including Billy Cotton and Jack Payne. In fact, I
think Jack Payne had shares in it. One band which played on all the cheap labels,
under a different name for each label, was the accordion band of Harry Bidgood. He

was on Rex for this one
(Clip 14 Primo Scala Man on the Flying Trapeze 1934)

Here he was Primo Scala. Other labels would credit him as Don Porto, or Rossini.

Rex also issued a series of records with a silver label to celebrate the Jubilee of

George fifth in 1935. So far as I know there were three records in the series, with
consecutive serial numbers. Though the content on these records was pretty cheesy,
if I ever learned there were others, I could be tempted to buy them.
(Clip 15(about 20 seconds) jack Paynes Band, followed by Clip 16(about 45
seconds)Welsh Guards band with vocalist Foster Richards)

By the time of the second world war, the Government realised that records could be
used as a morale booster, both for the Armed forces and for the home population.
(Clip No 17 Glenn Miller American Patrol 1942)