[78-L] Swing Time, Down Beat questions

[Malcolm Rockwell]

Sorry about the late posts and the spelling errors, re Swing Time, etc. 
Since I'm the last guy in the US to read these posts I really have to 
read the whole thread to get current. I usually answer the first post I 
see however and thus the duplication of effort.
And never mind the speling erors, either! I'm a lousy typist and having 
worn most of the letters off my keyboard (this is the third I've 
replaced since getting the computer) doesn't help at all.
Mal

*******

On 5/9/2011 6:34 AM, Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
> I have a scan of Swing 169, a Sample record, by Rete Johnson doing Flat
> Foot Boogie. It's a cream label with red surround and lettering. The
> mast shows Swing Records with the bandleader logo between the two words
> BUT the creditd and label number are in black AND the red "Records" is
> overstruck with "Time" in balcs so Swing Records morphs into Swing Time!
> Odd.
> I'm sending you the scan, Han.
> Mal
>
> *******
>
> On 5/9/2011 3:13 AM, Han Enderman wrote:
>> This is an interesting problem and information supplied by Carey (below),
>> Gart's ARLD and the 1987 Leadbitter-Slaven postwar blues dg (I do not have
>> the later and still available postwar blues dg) is contradictory and incomplete.
>> I have a large series of label images and here are the ranges with some dates:
>>
>> Down Beat 100-230; 401; 3002 (Western Series). - 1947-c.10/1949
>> Swing (134-)231. - Only one new release: 231 Lowell Fulson. - c.10/1949
>> Swing Beat (122-221).
>> Swing Time (114-)234-347. - c.3/1950
>>
>> Some remarks:
>> - DB 100 Lucky Thompson
>> - DB 128 4/48, 205 5/49 (ARLD release dates) [205 = Jay McShann]
>> - (DB)/ST 228/229 Ray Charles [no images seen of the DB issues]
>> - Sw 231 Lowell Fulson [not seen on ST]
>> - ST 234 Lloyd Glenn 9 Nov 50
>> - ST 244 12/50 (ARLD).
>> - ST 347 by The Serenaders is last available image.
>>
>> Apparently 231 is the only new issue on Swing, following DB 230, also by Lowell Fulson.
>> I have not seen (Swing Time) 232/233.
>> ST 234 by Glenn is common and a recording date (in the blues dg) of 9 Nov 50 fits with
>> a release date or announcement in Dec 50.
>> Thus Swing Beat is only known from repressings !
>> Probably there was no recording activity for a long time in 1950, after the release of 231
>> in late 1949.
>> This suggests that Swing Beat was introduced late 1949 for repressings and that the
>> namewas changed to Swing Time when new recordings were released late 1950.
>>
>> Recording dates are almost absent in the available blues dg.
>> Possibly there is more info in Billboard (difficult to consult here), and some searches in
>> Billboard on these artists may help.
>>
>> Any comments and additional info welcome.
>> Han Enderman
>> ===
>>>>> Jack Lauderdale started the Downbeat Record Company in 1947. For the first couple of years
>> Downbeat (or Down Beat) was challenged by legal problems because of the famous jazz magazine
>> that bore the same name. This resulted in a series of label name changes;
>> first to Swing (there was only one release with this name),
>> then Swing Beat for the Christmas 1947 catalog and subsequent recordings after the 1948 strike
>> and into 1949.
>> In October 1950 it was changed again to Swing Time.
>> Ray Charles' first release was on Down Beat 171.
>>
>> As for the numbering system, I believe that the numbering was not interrupted by the changes in the
>> label names and continued, but I can't be certain of this without doing more research.
>> The only Down Beat record I own is the aforementioned disc above by The Maxin Trio (actually the
>> McSon Trio, with a misheard name), which included Brother Ray's first vocals:
>> "I Love You, I Love You" and "Confession Blues."
>>
>> Cary Ginell
>>
>>> Date: Sun, 8 May 2011 21:44:51 -0700
>>> From: 78rpm at sbcglobal.net
>>> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
>>> Subject: [78-L] Swing Time, Down Beat questions
>>>
>>> I've run across Swing Time, Down Beat, Swing and now Swing Beat (combining the 2 names!) labels
>> from the 1940s. All with the same label design, so I'm guessing the same ownership.
>> I can't figure out if certain artists only appeared on 1 label or several.
>> Was the numbering system shared between the labels? Is there any rhyme or reason to all those labels?
>>> Thanks,
>>> Philip Fukuda
>>