[78-L] Decca field sessions

Thu Jun 10 12:06:44 PDT 2010

Here are some details on Decca's field sessions for their hillbilly recordings for the 5000 series:

CHICAGO

1st session mx 9353 (8/27/34). Last number of the four digit series was C-9997 by the Log Cabin boys on 5/7/35. On 5/15/35, Decca switched to the five-digit 90000 series, retaining the C- prefix. The first master for the hillbilly series was 90031, recorded on 6/16/35 by Heinie & his Grenadiers.

The last regular Chicago master was 91744 by the Swiss Hillbillies (5/17/39). No further sessions were held in Chicago until 1941, however field recordings utilizing the 90000 series were held in Houston and Dallas.

Houston sessions: 92000-92095 (April 3-11, 1940)

Dallas sessions: 93650-93755 (4-24 to 5/2/41)

Chicago sessions: 93506 to 93649 (2/26 to 4/1/41)

Two other sessions featuring Red Foley (11/14/41) and Ernest Tubb (11/17/41) used the last of the 90000 matrices. The last one relating to the 5000 series was 93798. 

LOS ANGELES

These began with masters prefixed by "DLA" with DLA-1 by Stuart Hamblen & his Covered Wagon Jubilee on August 3, 1934. The last "DLA" master was 3056 by Jimmy Wakely & his Rough Riders (6/23/42). After this, the prefix was changed to "L" beginning with L-3071 by Texas Jim Lewis (6/27/42).

NEW YORK

Decca hillbilly recordings made in New York started with 38314 (Marc Williams) on 8/15/34. The last number in this series was 39972 by the Dixie Demons (9/12/35). After this, Decca switched to its 60000 series, beginning with 60002 by Ken Card (9/26/35). After MX 60599, field sessions began using this series:

New Orleans: 60600 to 60846 (March 2-21, 1936)

Dallas: 61767 to 61927 (2/10-22, 1937)

  (an exception was 61926-61927, recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers in July 1936 at the site of the Texas Centennial)

A run of 61636-61649 by Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers was recorded in Dallas as well (2/5/37), although Bruner remembered it as being in San Antonio. 

Subsequent field sessions were held in:

Dallas: 62900-63108 (12/4-16, 1937)

Charlotte: 64000-64169 (6/3-15, 1938)

San Antonio: 64500-64572 (9/13-22, 1938)

Houston: 65100-65161 (3/2-6, 1939)

Houston: 66300-66423 (8/26 - 9/5/39)

To further the confusion, the New York series moved into the 70000 series, but a few sessions were held in Chicago, using New York master numbers, the earliest was 72135 by Red Foley (5/4/44) and the last was 73036 by Ernest Tubb (9/11/45), the last session for the 5000 series. 

Cary Ginell

> From: david.diehl at hensteeth.com
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 21:21:24 +0000
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Decca series
> 
> >Also, are those matrix numbers real or are they Chicago and NYre-numberings like Hal Flackser complained about concerning SouthAmerican recordings to Milt Gabler in my famous video of the SyndicateMeeting?
> What is real when it comes to field recordings? The various Decca mx. series generally reflect which office organized the dates rather than where those sessions took place. Most DLA and L prefixed sides were recorded at Recordings, Inc. in Hollywood but the paperwork was handled in Los Angeles. Many early Texas recordings are in the 90000 series generally associated with Chicago but many later ones are in the regular NY series. I seem to remember a couple of 90000's with NO (New Orleans) prefixes but those are exceptional. It is possible that blocks of numbers were set aside in advance for these excursions (as with Victor). Someone with oodles of time and access to the Ruppli Decca books should be able to logically deduce whether assignments were made before or after the fact -IF practices were consistent.
> DJD
> 
> Visit the Blue Pages: the Encyclopedic Guide to 78 RPM Party Records
> http://www.hensteeth.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Biel [mailto:mbiel at mbiel.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 12:24 PM
> To: '78-L Mail List'
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Decca calypso series
> 
> Other than the discography project listing and Ruppli's Decca book set,is there a detailed discography like yours for the calypso series? Didthe series continue beyond 17484? And did the recordings continuebeyond April 1941? If the AFM ban did not cover Trinidad, they couldhave done recording there during the ban!!!Also, are those matrix numbers real or are they Chicago and NYre-numberings like Hal Flackser complained about concerning SouthAmerican recordings to Milt Gabler in my famous video of the SyndicateMeeting?Are the files you used at MCA to do your book still exist or were theyvaporized in the Universal City warehouse fire? And the masters?? Ihappened to spend Monday afternoon at Universal Music in NYC and theanswers I got was the status of the destruction was still unknown, andthat NY deals mainly with the East Coast tapes at Iron Mt. The tapes Isaw there were heartening as far as the microgroove era was concerned. (Quarter-inch Billie Holliday, one-inch Cowsills 8-t
> racks, and 1/2-inchJackson 5 concert 4-tracks. Verve, MGM, Motown.) And they are stilldoing a LOT of reissue projects. They gave me a nifty Nat King Cole setcoming out later this month that includes the 1936 Eddie Cole Deccas. http://www.amazon.com/Riffin-Decca-Keynote-Mercury-Recording/dp/B003KZZ4SK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1276104242&sr=8-1 Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com -------- Original Message --------Subject: Re: [78-L] Decca calypso seriesFrom: Cary Ginell Date: Wed, June 09, 2010 12:56 pmTo: <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>I documented the 17000 Cajun series in my book, "The Decca HillbillyDiscography," which was published by Greenwood. The series actually goesto 17059. Some of the songs had English lyrics and were co-issued in the5000 series. Items in the 17000 series are rare. You can find thecomplete list here: http://www.78discography.com/Dec17000.htm although there are quite a few errors and typos. In my book, Iidentified exactly what was printed on each label, ha
> ving examinedcompany label copy and actual issues whenever possible. This includes"Cajun" or "Cajin" designations, subtitles, songwriters, andtranslations. Cary Ginell > From: jcenderman at solcon.nl> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com> Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 17:53:27 +0200> Subject: [78-L] Decca calypso series> > The Decca 17000 series starts with Cajun.> I have images in the range 17000-17050, with Decca sunburst & block labels, and even with> Decca script labels (17016 & 32). Apparently some were kept in print for a longer time.> The word 'Cajun' appears at 3h for the first time on my scan of 17017 (mx 60795).> Surprisingly all known following issues write 'Cajin' (17025-50 range).> > I have calypso images in range 17250-17471.> Maybe the Decca or ethnic dgs give a more accurate range, but apparently over 200 records > were released.> De 17250-51 omit the mx.nrs on the sunburst labels, and thus are early Decca issues.> Early mxs are in the 39000 series, and followed by mxs in ra
> nge 60986-62019.> Then mxs in range 91370-91976 (Decca 17349-449); all with 'Recorded in Trinidad' on the labels. > Since Barr lists these 90000-series mxs as a Chicago series, were they reprocessed in Chicago?> > Han Enderman> ===> >>> From: "Steven C. Barr" > > For the most part, discographers don't include West Indian (mostly calypso > > at that time) recordings; they were usually issued on limited-circulation> > "ethnic" series. Both Decca and ARC recorded such discs; I have run across> > a VERY limited number of these, and always find them pleasant listening...!> > It is astonishing how many Calypso records were issued on American Decca> in the 1930s that nobody knows about. They were not listed in Decca's> "Popular" catalog, When photographing album 78 titled "Decca presents A> Special Collection of the World-Famous Music of Trinidad - CALYPSOS By> Wilmouth Houdini and His Royal Calypso Orchestra" I was astonished to> see a listing of SIXTY FOUR Decca releases on the b
> ack page of the> booklet (dated 11-39). They were all in the 17000 series, but the three> discs in this album were in the 18000 series. This album is like a> promotional sampler because although only one performer is featured, the> are many photographs inside of other groups, as well as that catalog> listing. An English collector had given us a presentation at the 2001> ARSC/IASA about these records but I had no idea until I saw this list> how truly extensive the series was beyond the few that were in the> catalog and show up, such as "Joe Louis". The subtitle on in the> booklet is "The World-Famous Topical Song of Trinidad" and two of the> songs in the album is "Roosevelt Opens World's Fair" and "The Welcome of> Their Magisties". > > The description includes "Having been unable to resist the purchase of> Calypso records in Trinidad, tourists bring them home in great> enthusiasm as something new and fascinating to introduce to their> friends. . . . At the same time many peop
> le wished to buy the records> that had heard locally, but they were very difficult to obtain. Decca> has been for years the principal recorded of this type of song and has> exported many thousands of records annually to the West Indies and it is> the Decca Records that have been brought back home and about which you> have read interesting articles in The New Yorker, Esquire, Cosmopolitan,> Newsweek, and other leading publications. . . . The complete catalog of> Decca Calypso Records by all of the leading Calypsodians is now> available domestically in response to wide demand and in consideration> of the mounting interest Decca is pleased to present this first album> collection of Calypsos containing six new numbers by the famous Wilmoth> Houdini, one of the first ever to record the Calypso song and the only> Calypsonian residing in the United States."> > I can provide my photos of the cover, inside cover, booklet cover,> booklet intro, and the booklet record listing but the s
> ize of each of> the photos is huge -- about two megs each -- in order for you to get the> resolution to enlarge and read it.> > Mike Biel mbiel at mbiel.com > <<<> _______________________________________________> 78-L mailing list> 78-L at klickitat.78online.com> http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l _________________________________________________________________Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more fromyour inbox.http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_2_______________________________________________78-L mailing list78-L at klickitat.78online.comhttp://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l_______________________________________________78-L mailing list78-L at klickitat.78online.comhttp://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l
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