[78-L] Walter Winchell

[David Lennick]

On 11/24/2010 8:54 PM, Steven wrote:
> From: David Lennick
>> Savoy also had two early King Cole sides which it acquired from Varsity
>> which
> acquired them from Ammor.
>>
> The provenance of those KC3 sides is hopelessly complicated...! Cole, living
> on the west coast, seems to have cut them for the little-known (and
> failing?!)
> Ammor label (Californian!).When Cole's Decca sides became "hits," any
> number of labels reissued his pre-WWII sides (including a number of
> transcription sides?!).

True, although the one transcription company involved was D&S and they seem to 
have issued their recordings commercially as 78s and simultaneously to radio 
stations as transcriptions. I've seen other examples from them.
>
> This was the VERY tail end of an era when labels signed artists to
> "exclusive"
> contracts whenever possible. Many well-known artists chose to continue as
> independents...earning a fixed (and often low!) sum per issued recording!
>
In Cole's case, he was signed to Capitol during the ban and the label was so 
anxious to get something out by the Trio, they bought a couple of masters that 
had been recorded for Excelsior in 1942. Some of Cole's Excelsior sides have 
AMO matrix numbers, so Ammor may still have been on the scene in 1943..or not..

dl