[78-L] Jack Jenney on Columbia 78

[Rodger Holtin]

Several years ago I picked up a bunch of radio station 78s mid-40s early 50s including a few ETs and a batch of DJ issues.  These have prompted several questions, but I start with the earliest item in the lot.
 
It is Jack Jenney and His Orchestra, Stardust b/w I Walk Alone.  These date from late 1939, and were issued on Vocalion/OKeh.  This was a short-lived band, only nine issued records (18 sides) but this issue is obviously much later.  It has the usual late 1940’s Columbia Special Record for Radio Stations white label – flat-topped DJ w/ bow tie, stripped shirt etc.  This is pressed from what appears to be original masters (both –A, by the way), complete with the W prefix, identical to the same vintage Vocalion/OKehs I have.  Nice record (well, Stardust is, anyway), great smooth shellac, in decent shape – a keeper.
 
The puzzle is that I find no corresponding issues on commercial Columbia 78, in fact I find no Jenney sides ever issued on Columbia at all.  These two were not originally paired on VO/OK and the “catalog number,” if you will, on this DJ disc is 3-G, obviously not a regular issue number but only a special-use number – so why was this made?  Can’t imagine it was for music service use – those would have been only ET format, right?  Was there a Jack Jenney memorial album planned and scrapped – or issued on some other label?  There are others of similar design in this batch, but they are all masters of much later vintage, tunes new in late ’47 early ’48.  Anybody know or offer a good guess why this was pressed?

Rodger

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