[78-L] Scranton Sirens

[Malcolm Rockwell]

Hi Bryan -
I just checked Ty Settlemier's alphabetical artist index to my RR 
indexed table of contents and found no mention of the Scranton Sirens or 
the Sirens label. Doesn't mean they're not there, though, just that I'd 
have to go through all the listings issue by issue to find them and I do 
not have the time right now. If you can wait I'll look over my index 
over the next couple of days and get back to you.
Malcolm R

*******

On 12/4/2010 10:56 AM, Bryan Wright wrote:
> I recently transferred a copy of the Scranton Sirens' first record for
> an upcoming CD project. The record was privately issued on the band's
> own "Sirens" label in about 1923 (Sirens 1001) and it is notable for
> being the first known recording to feature Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. The
> tunes are "Fate" (mx. SRP-S-5) and "Three O'Clock in the Morning" (SRP-
> S-4). I have a few questions about the record that I'm hoping someone
> on the list can answer.
>
> 1.) Where was the disc recorded? What company produced it? The new J&S
> Dance Band discography suggests New York as the recording location. If
> that's true, what label did the recording and pressing? I know that
> some sources cite OKeh as the company responsible, but in talking with
> Vince Giordano about it, I have my doubts. For one thing, the record
> plays at about 84.2 rpm -- way off speed for most OKehs of the period.
> Furthermore, it doesn't really resemble OKeh records of the time in
> terms of label fonts or overall physical appearance. The Scranton
> Sirens' other record, made two years later in New Orleans, was indeed
> for OKeh, so I suspect that may be responsible for the attribution.
> Vince G. has suggested that it may have been made by a small outfit in
> Pennsylvania somewhere. Unfortunately, the specialty matrix numbers
> would appear to make tracing the manufacturer quite difficult.
>
> 2.) How rare is the record? The owner who loaned the record for
> transfer knows of only three extant copies. Does that sound like a
> fair assessment? I know I've never seen one "in the wild."
>
> 3.) Vince G. also mentioned that the record has been the subject of at
> least three articles in Record Research. I have only a small handful
> of RR magazines myself and none of them discuss the Scranton Sirens
> disc. Is there anyone here with a better collection of RR issues who
> could check to see what RR has to say about the record?
>
> Thanks very much in advance!
>
> Bryan W.
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