Music recorded in August 1924
August 1924 was a month of simultaneous restructuring of the postwar order and expansion of mass society. The London Reparations Conference saw progress in accepting the Dawes Plan, and the framework for German reparations and European financial stabilization became concrete. An anti-Soviet uprising occurred in Georgia at the end of the month, making the strengthening of Soviet control even more apparent. The Mongolian People's Party shifted further to the left at its third congress in August, leaning even more towards the Soviet Union in its direction of new nation-building. In the United States, the cases of Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. (1904–1971) and Richard Albert Loeb (1905–1936) were widely reported, sparking a broad social debate on the death penalty and rehabilitation. At the end of the month, Paavo Nurmi (1897–1973) broke the world record in the 10,000 meters, which became a major topic of discussion in international sports coverage.
Confirmed recordings this month: 0
Summary of information regarding the August 1924 recording.
In the recording industry in August 1924, multiple companies created new matrix lists during the month, indicating a broader range of recording subjects, including old-time music, blues, religious music, foreign language recordings, and Mexican repertoire. In particular, on August 19, 1924, Victor Talking Machine Company, Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc., General Phonograph Corporation's Okeh Records, and Starr Piano Co.'s Gennett Records all recorded on the same day, demonstrating that recording activities were actively taking place across companies even during the summer. The activity of The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company at the beginning of the month and Thomas A. Edison, Inc. at the end of the month can also be observed, showing that the recording industry, just before the transition to electrical recording, was still making new recordings for a diverse range of markets.
Victor
On August 19, 1924, the Victor Talking Machine Company recorded a collection of old-time instrumental music, including "Cumberland Gap," "Sallie Goodin," and "Cripple Creek," by Fiddlin' Powers & Family. On the 18th and 19th of the same month, they also recorded popular song duets by Billy Murray (1877–1954) and Aileen Stanley (1893–1982), as well as dance music by George Olsen and his Music, confirming that they were processing regional music, popular songs, and dance music simultaneously.
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse/1924-08-19
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/100314
Columbia
On August 19, 1924, Columbia Phonograph Company, Inc. recorded Bessie Brown's "Mississippi Delta Blues" and "Pork Chop Blues," Clara Smith's (1894–1935) "Deep Blue Sea Blues" and "Texas Moaner Blues," and Stovepipe No. 1's (1890–date of death unknown) religious music and blues, all in one day. The fact that they handled both blues singers and solo accompaniment singers on the same day indicates that the company was expanding its repertoire in both blues and religious music by August 1924.
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse/1924-08-19
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stovepipe_No._1
OK
On August 19, 1924, Okeh Records, a subsidiary of General Phonograph Corporation, recorded the duets "La Nervosella" and "La Sciasciona" by Grace Narciso (dates unknown) and Tito Vuolo (1893–1962), and "Broadway" and "Strofette Americanizzate" by Gennaro Amato (dates unknown). The fact that they processed Italian-language repertoire together on the same day, rather than focusing on English-language recordings, suggests that the company was still maintaining recordings for the national market in August 1924.
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/date/browse/1924-08-19
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/objects/detail/253540/OKeh_9165
Jennette
On August 19, 1924, Gennett Records, a subsidiary of Starr Piano Co., recorded "Gardenia," "El Zorzal," and "Me Quieres?" by Wood's Mexican Orchestra, and "Hortensia," "La Bombonera," "La Princesita," and "!Perdon!" by Orquesta Texana. The fact that multiple Mexican and Tejano instrumental recordings were made on the same day confirms that the company was catering not only to the mainstream English-speaking market but also to the Spanish-speaking market.
Brunswick
The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company has a confirmed recording of "Red Hot Mama" by the Ray Miller Orchestra from August 5, 1924. This is an example of the company continuing to record new music for dance bands in early August, indicating that its supply to the urban entertainment market did not dry up even during the summer.
- https://www.78discography.com/BRN2500.htm
- https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/objects/detail/292590/Brunswick_Australia_2681
Edison
A new recording from Thomas A. Edison, Inc. can also be confirmed for August 27, 1924. The records for that day show "You're Gonna Wake Up Some Mornin' but Pappa Will Be Gone" as the matrix for Edison's 10-inch record, indicating that the company was still making new commercial recordings at the end of the month. Even during a time when discs were becoming more dominant, the company remained active in the field of recording.
