[78-L] Keen-O-Phone label

[Malcolm Rockwell]

On 8/17/2010 5:34 AM, Michael Biel wrote:
>    On 8/17/2010 10:21 AM, Rockined1 wrote:
>    
>> just acquired a bunch of Keen-O-Phone 78s--in all my years of collecting I've never seen this label.
>>
>> Anyone know about it??
>>
>> Ed
>>
>>
>>
>> *******
> Vertical discs with Pathe-type sapphire ball groove.  According to
> Sutton&  Nauck from 1912-1914 and then reorganized into Rex, which are
> more common but still scarce.  Although Fred Hager was the musical
> director for both Keen-O-Phone and Phono-Cut, according to the book the
> latter became the source for Starr Piano's first label Remington with no
> tie-in with Rex.  I remember George Blacker's frustration at trying to
> figure out the relationships among all these vertical labels with so
> little evidence to go by except for the rare instances of finding
> masters issued on two labels.  Is anyone now working on this project?
>
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
>    

*******

I am, obliquely.
I'm interested in any history related to Starr Piano company's 
phonograph and record output, especially the early recordings and 
issues. I heard about the Keen-O-Phone connection years ago - probably 
from Record Research - and about how it was suspected to be the source 
of Starr's initial material (on Remington).
Didn't Starr also buy out Keen-O-Phone's recording machine(s)?
I'm curious about any and all of this as rumors abound concerning 
recording going on in Richmond's Starr Valley as early as 1915, although 
all the Starr records traced that were released beginning c. 1916 were 
recorded in New York. When asked about this my sources invariably say, 
"Well, you know, personal records were made then in Richmond," but my 
research to date has shown this to not be the case. There is no support 
for any issued recordings, personal or otherwise, coming out of a 
possible Richmond studio until c. 1920.
All of this, and more, will appear in a in a few more years as an 
historical preface to Charlie Dahan and my Starr discography.
Malcolm

*******