Early British Disc Record Labels 1898-1926
Miscellany
78rpm Club
The 78rpm Club website is a wonderful resource for research into 78 recording companies. It has great galleries of 78 labels, articles, and a links page to many obscure websites. As to its mission: “The 78 Club collects and preserves everything concerning the fragile sound carriers. This site shall be informative and diverting. May the groove be with you.”
“The ambition of this site is to list every ‘make’ of disc record marketed in the U.K. in the early mechanical (acoustic) recording era, and tell you a little about it. Nearly 300 labels are listed, illustrated by well over 1,000 images. The majority of the research work on these early record companies has already been done by the late Frank Andrews, the doyen of British discographers. References to his writings are given.”
Excavated Shellac
This is the most impressive website devoted to old time music, worldwide, and to the influence of 78 rpm records on culture. Excavated Shellac has articles with plenty of “eye candy” in the form of pictures of 78 record labels and sleeves from almost 140 countries, cultural groups, and types of world music. It’s easy to get lost! Curated by Jonathan Ward. Ward has worked with Dust-to-Digital on a number of CD compilations. Their most recent collaboration is an all-digital release called “Excavated Shellac”, a borrowing of ideas.
Elisabeth Jobin Tin Collection
There is something fascinating about needle tins that held the steel needles needed by early record players for 78rpm discs of shellac. Owners were advised to change those needles after every play, meaning the public went through billions off needles. Hence, thousands of companies worldwide got into selling needles. Left behind were beautiful little needle tins, of all shapes, sizes, and designs, each displaying miniature commercial artwork and graphics. This is an incredible website devoted to those tins. Eye candy, galore!
Michael Kinnear’s Website
The late Michael Kinnear who passed away in 2019, was a music researcher and discographer who specialized in studying early Indian and Persian recorded music. Fortunately Kinnear’s website, Bajakhana, is still up and updated by his wife. Because of his passion for this music he made it his life study, and his website reflects this. It includes information about his many books, interesting articles on musicians, photos of early musicians, information on 78 labels, musical links, and more.
Tim’s Phonographs and Old Records
Tim Grayck has put together a website that is a primer on the wonderful world of collecting 78 rpm records. Information, articles, and referrals can answer the questions of 78 collectors, both beginner and advanced alike. The material here could keep you busy for weeks.
John Tefteller
Tefteller is a larger-than-life figure among 78 collectors, not only for amassing an incredible collection of pre-war blues records, but also in persevering in tracking down lost blues 78s which were so rare they were only believed to exist in myth. In addition, he has turned his collection of pre-war blues photos, record flyers, and ephemera into an incredible annual wall calendar that truly takes you back, as well as forward in time. The calendar is published through Tefteller’s company, Blues Images. Each calendar comes with a CD of meticulously restored Blues songs to match the calendar advertisements. In addition to his calendars, Tefteller hosts 78 record auctions.
