Black Swan Records
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1921 in Harlem, New York, United States |
| Founder | Harry Pace |
| Fate | Acquired by Paramount Records in 1924; ceased issuing records under the Black Swan name shortly thereafter |
| Headquarters | Harlem, New York , United States |
| Products | Jazz and blues music recordings |
| Parent | Pace Phonograph Corporation (original), later acquired by Paramount Records; rights later owned by George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation |
Black Swan Records was a pioneering American jazz and blues record label established in 1921 in Harlem, New York. It holds the distinction of being the first widely distributed record label owned, managed, and marketed specifically to African Americans. Created by Harry Pace in collaboration with W.C. Handy, Black Swan Records sought to offer African American artists enhanced artistic control. The label experienced a revival during the 1990s with CD reissues of its classic jazz and blues catalog.
History
In March 1921, Harry Pace founded Pace Phonograph Corporation in Harlem, which became the parent company of Black Swan. This venture came after the end of Pace’s publishing partnership with W. C. Handy, known as Pace & Handy. Black Swan concentrated on classical music recordings and was intended as an investment vehicle for the Talented Tenth. Prominent individuals such as Jack Nail and James Weldon Johnson were members of its board, while The Crisis, edited by W.E.B. Du Bois and published by the NAACP, contributed profits to support the company.
Bert Williams was among the early financial backers and planned to record for Black Swan after his contract with Columbia Records expired; unfortunately, he passed away before this could occur.
By autumn 1922, Pace Phonograph Corporation was renamed Black Swan Phonograph Company. The name for both the company and its label paid homage to Elizabeth Greenfield, a renowned 19th-century opera singer dubbed the Black Swan.
Black Swan’s staff included former employees from Pace & Handy: Fletcher Henderson took on roles as recording manager, pianist, and bandleader; meanwhile, William Grant Still worked as an arranger before becoming musical director. Advertisements frequently appeared in The Crisis magazine.
Though Black Swan attained moderate success recording African American musicians, Harry Pace believed that major white-owned labels such as Columbia actively impeded its expansion. Despite marketing claims that all performers and staff were African American, some recordings featured white musicians supporting certain vocalists.
The company filed for bankruptcy in December 1923; shortly thereafter, in March 1924, Paramount Records acquired the Black Swan label. The Chicago Defender emphasized Black Swan’s significance: it revealed a substantial market for black artists to dominant white-owned labels; motivated these companies to publish music by African American performers; and introduced innovative marketing approaches targeting black audiences through black newspapers. Paramount soon ceased issuing records under the Black Swan name.
In the 1990s, the label was resurrected to reissue historic jazz and blues recordings originally released on both Black Swan and Paramount. These reissues were produced by George H. Buck Jr's Jazzology and GHB labels under the umbrella of the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation, which had acquired rights to Paramount’s back catalog (excluding the Paramount brand). Ownership rights to "Black Swan Records" also transferred to GHB.
Artists
- Bessie Allison, original performer in Shuffle Along
- C. Carroll Clark, baritone vocalist and first artist recorded by Black Swan
- Four Harmony Kings, vocal quartet ensemble
- Henry Creamer and J. Turner Layton, vaudeville performing duo
- Katie Crippen, vaudeville singer
- Kemper Harreld, violinist
- Lucille Hegamin, vocalist specializing in jazz and blues
- Revella Hughes, soprano featured on one of Black Swan’s initial releases
- Alberta Hunter, blues vocalist
- James P. Johnson, jazz pianist
- Nettie Moore, known for notable recordings including "Deep River" (1922)
- Hattie King Reavis, soprano singer
- Trixie Smith, blues singer ranked second in sales after Ethel Waters
- Florence Cole Talbert, first classical artist signed by Black Swan; soprano and music educator
- "Mamie Jones", a pseudonym used by singer Aileen Stanley, a white artist recording under this alias to fit the label’s emphasis on black performers
- Eva Taylor, blues vocalist
- Ethel Waters, singer of jazz, gospel, and blues; Black Swan’s top-selling artist with its earliest commercial successes
- Essie Whitman, vaudeville performer
See also
References
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