Gennett Records: America’s musical grassroots 1920s music recording hotbeds
New York City
Chicago
Richmond, Indiana? Richmond, Indiana
Built on a river and a railroad Quaker industrialist Charles Starr 1872: Piano making begins in Richmond
James Starr 1880s: Boom on the Whitewater River
Company assumes “Starr Piano” name 1893: Gennett takes over Starr Piano Co.
John Lumsden from Nashville Jesse French
Henry Gennett Henry Gennett builds Starr Piano empire Creates national network of retail stores 1915: 15,000 pianos produced in “Starr Valley” 1915: Starr Piano diversifies Starr label becomes Gennett label
New York studio established in 1917 1921: Second studio opens in Richmond
Studio Engineer: Ezra Wickemeyer Recording in Richmond Not for the faint of heart!
“A boiler room in here!” Curtis Hitch endures the heat!
Guy Lombardo Brutal market: Two labels dominated the “78s” business 1922: Supreme Court showdown
Gennett ignores patent Gennett strategy: Record everything Enduring stigma…
Gennett pressed KKK discs Fred Wiggins
Starr Piano store manager in Chicago 1922-123 1922: Introducing Chicago jazz
New Orleans Rhythm Kings
Starr Piano Store 1923: Jazz’s 1st recorded masterpieces
Louis Armstrong’s recording debut
King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band – with young Louis 1923-24: Landmark piano solos in Richmond Chicago Jazz Alliance: Gennett Records/Melrose Publishing
Fred Gennett Lester Melrose Gennett/Melrose: cross promotion Targeting black record buyers
One problem: Ladd’s Black Aces were white 1924: Wolverines come to Richmond Wild boys barnstorm the Midwest
Young Man With A Horn: Bix Beiderbecke Bix & Hoagy music alliance
Hoagy Carmichael Bix & Wolverines IU Law student 1925: The booze was flowing!
Who’s on trombone? 1927: Recording an American classic song
“Poor seller” 1920s radio: The new threat
Powel Crosley creates a revolution Survival strategy: Dump price Gennett proliferates discount labels
Presses Sears mail order discs Yeehaw! Gennett goes hillbilly Richmond becomes a prolific country music studio Diamonds in the Gennett rough
Bradley Kincaid
Uncle Dave Macon
Cowboy singer Gene Autry Gennett blues The roots of rock ‘n’ roll
Lonnie Johnson
Scrapper Blackwell Bill Broonzy Sam Collins: A blues identity crisis!
Sam Collins: Gennett / Black Patti Jim Foster: Superior & Champion Big Boy Woods: Bell Bunny Carter: Conqueror Jelly Roll Hunter: Supertone 1929: The Paramount connection
Landmark Delta Blues in Richmond
Died three months later
Downtown mural Charley Patton debuts 1929: on record in Richmond
Charley Patton Mississippi Delta Blues 1936: Family Tree
Robert Johnson
1940s:
Howlin’ Wolf Muddy Waters Arthur Crudup "High Water (For Charley Patton)" 2001 1950s:
Elmore James B.B. King Elvis Presley 1960s: Bob Dylan Rolling Stones Eric Clapton 1934: Gennett music recording ends Sound effects discs for radio Breaking up is hard to do…
Fred Gennett
37 GE Title or job number 3/11/2021 1952: Starr Piano finally closes down
1953: 1st detailed Gennett Records article Starr Valley’s Long Goodbye
1950s-60s: Mercury/Decca leases 1970s: Buildings slowly abandoned 1980s: Demolition in valley
Gennett studio in 1963
Early 1980s
1990s Reclaiming a lost history Starr Gennett Foundation revives Richmond 41 GE Title or job number 3/11/2021 Library of Congress: National Recording Registry
From Richmond, Indiana:
*2003: William Jennings Bryan “Cross of Gold” speech (1921)
*2004: Hoagy Carmichael Original “Stardust” (1927)
*2006: Charley Patton “Pony Blues” (1929)
*2009: King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band “Canal Street Blues” (1923) An enduring legacy