Music recorded in June 1923
June 1923 was a month of simultaneous political restructuring and the demonstration of new technologies. In New York State, the Mullan-Gage Act, the state's prohibition law, was repealed on June 1, shifting the focus of prohibition enforcement from the states to the federal government. In the Kingdom of Bulgaria, a coup d'état on June 8-9 overthrew the government of Aleksandar Stamboliyski (1879-1923), drastically changing the political landscape. In China, the Third National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held from June 12-20, adopting a united front policy with the Kuomintang. In Britain, Mabel Philipson (1886–1951) began her term in the House of Commons in June, marking a significant milestone in the history of female parliamentarians. On June 17, Mount Etna erupted violently on the island of Sicily in the Kingdom of Italy, causing damage to the eastern region. Furthermore, on June 27, the U.S. Army Air Service successfully conducted an aerial refueling experiment, opening a new chapter in the development of long-range flight technology.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information regarding the June 1923 recording.
In June 1923, the recording industry saw simultaneous progress in urban new release sales, on-location recordings in rural areas, and preparations for radio broadcasts. Columbia Graphophone Co. reported strong sales of new format records, while Victor Talking Machine Co. continued to supply new releases for June. Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. showed signs of controlling broadcast appearances, and Otto Heineman Phonograph Supply Co.'s OKeh Records made progress with on-location recordings in the South. Recordings have been confirmed at the end of the month by Gennett Records, operated by Starr Piano Co., and there are also signs of sales and broadcasting preparations underway by Vocalion, operated by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. and The Aeolian Company.
Columbia
A June 15, 1923 issue of an industry magazine reported that Columbia Graphophone Co. was experiencing strong sales of its new format records, indicating that the company maintained a strong position in the market for new releases that month. An advertisement dated June 20 shows new releases including recordings by Paul Specht (1895–1954) and Bessie Smith (1894–1937), and a recording list from the end of June also shows several Columbia releases dated the same month.
- https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Talking-Machine/20s/Talking-Machine-1923-06.pdf
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbia_Records_June_20,_1923_advertisement.jpg
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse?Matrix_sort=MasterSize.desc&date=1923-06-30
Victor
A newspaper advertisement dated June 15th from Victor Talking Machine Co. reads "New Victor Records On Sale Today," confirming the supply of new releases in June. The company's matrix also appears in the recording list dated June 22nd, indicating that sales and recordings continued throughout the month.
- https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=VPTNL19230615.1.2
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse?Matrix_sort=Company.desc&date=1923-06-22
Brunswick
The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co., as seen in the June 1923 issue of an industry magazine headline, stated that company permission was required for its artists to appear on broadcast, demonstrating the concrete control over appearances in the radio era. The company's matrix is also visible in the recording list dated June 22nd, indicating that broadcast compliance and continued recording were happening concurrently during that month.
- https://mainspringpress.org/2025/08/08/radio-and-the-recording-industry-part-1-radio-vs-phonograph-1922-1926/
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse?Matrix_sort=Company.desc&date=1923-06-22
OK
OKeh Records, operated by Otto Heineman Phonograph Supply Co., confirms that Ralph Sylvester Peer (1892–1960) conducted on-location recordings in Atlanta in mid-June 1923. A list dated June 30 also shows several OKeh recordings from the same month, indicating that the company was expanding its on-location recording activities outside of New York at that time.
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/115769/Peer_Ralph_Sylvester?Matrix_page=7
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse?Matrix_sort=MasterSize.desc&date=1923-06-30
Jennette
At Gennett Records, a subsidiary of Starr Piano Co., a recording list dated June 30, 1923, shows a matrix of entries such as 8427–8430, indicating that recording activities continued towards the end of the month. This end-of-month document confirms that the company had not stopped making new recordings as of June.
Edison
In the June 15, 1923 issue of a trade magazine, Thomas A. Edison, Inc. prominently featured a sales pitch emphasizing the reproducibility of the New Edison. The same month's magazine also included an article mentioning support for the company's affiliated artists' television appearances, indicating their activities in both sales and broadcasting.
- https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Talking-Machine/20s/Talking-Machine-1923-06.pdf
- https://mainspringpress.org/2025/08/08/radio-and-the-recording-industry-part-1-radio-vs-phonograph-1922-1926/
Vocalion
The Aeolian Company's Vocalion label has a record in the Library of Congress catalog titled "Vocalion Red Records, June 1923," indicating that a red-label record from June remains. In addition, a headline in an industry magazine from the same month contains an article about broadcast recital arrangements, suggesting that the company was also working towards radio coverage.
- https://findingaids.loc.gov/repositories/11/resources/869
- https://mainspringpress.org/2025/08/08/radio-and-the-recording-industry-part-1-radio-vs-phonograph-1922-1926/
