[78-L] Bishop Pressinigs

[Geoffrey Wheeler]

The Monday, November 9, 2009 weekly List included nine postings on 
“Bishop Pressings.” I just happened to hit on it minutes ago while 
backtracking past listings. As Cary Ginnel correctly notes, Bishop 
record pressing plant was an L.A. based business located at  810 Rollin 
St. in South Pasadena. From what I’ve learned, the company specialized 
in short-run small independent labels. Per contributions from other 
posters on this subject, the labels identified with Bishop pressings 
included Crescent, Session, Jump, S D, Fentone, and Dial. Session 
started as a Chicago label but was moved to the Los Angeles area. Jump 
was also based in Los Angeles. Some Jump records are similarly embossed 
with “Bishop Pressing” but not all by any means. I have most of the 
Jumo 78s. For more information on this label, consult the excellent 
soft-cover bio-discography “The Jump Records Story,” by Sonny McGown 
and Bert Whyatt, published by IAJRC in 2006. Ross Russell of Dial 
Records also had some of his issues stamped by Bishop. I have copies of 
S D Bishop Pressings but don’t know how John Steiner came to use 
Bishop. Fentone (not Fen-Tone), a Division of Fentone Enterprises,  was 
originally manufactured by Oliver Record Co., Oakland, Calif. Fentone 
was started by white singer Hal Fenton (Elliot Dolgin), who lived in 
San Francisco. The second group to be recorded by the label at the 
Radio Central Recording Studio (probably early 1949) was Charles 
Mingus, who was living at the time in the Filmore district. Four sides 
were recorded and issued on 10-inch 78s Fentone 2002 and 2003. Ralph J. 
Gleason wrote up the group in his March 25, 1949 column in Down Beat. 
Gleason misspells the label name as “Fen-Tone.” Recorded in late 1948, 
Fentone 2001 was a 12-incher featuring the Owl Sextette. The best-known 
player in the group was altoist Pony Poindexter, who later played for 
Basie. All Fentone pressings are very scarce and may have been sold 
only on a limited basis on the West Coast. The marvelous 96-page 
booklet included in the Uptown set “Charles ‘Baron’ Mingus West Coast 
1945-1949” provides excellent detail and photos of Mingus’ playing and 
recording activities.