Music Trade Review

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60
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
FEBRUARY 23,
1924
THE TALKING MACHINE TRADE
Al Jolson Signs Contract to Record
Exclusively for the Brunswick Go,
New Manager in Wanamaker
Phonograph Department
Famous Blackface Comedian to Make Records for the Brunswick Co. for Release on March 1—
Accompaniments Will Be by Isham Jones' Orchestra—Brunswick Planning Dealer Publicity
Hugh C. Ernst, Well-known Talking Machine
Man, Takes Charge of That Department at
the Wanamaker Store, New York
/ ^ H 1C AGO, ILL., Feb. 16.—The news that the
Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co., of this city,
had closed a contract with Al Jolson, America's
most famous blackface comedian and musical
comedy star, prematurely leaked out at a recent
Chicago performance of "Bombo," in which he
was performing. It was planned to release this
news about March 1 when the first Brunswick
Jolson records would be ready in quantities to
Al Jolson, With and Without "Make-up"
supply the dealers throughout the country, but
Jolson's enthusiasm over his new records
prompted him to make an informal announce-
ment to his audience one evening at the Apollo
Theatre and the news spread quickly through-
out the country.
To magnify the importance of Al Jolson's
first Brunswick records his accompaniments are
by Isham Jones' Orchestra, exclusive Brunswick
artists and famous throughout the country as
one of the leading exponents of modern dance
music. The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. is
certain that the combination of Jolson-Jones
and Brunswick will create country-wide interest
and tremendous sales, but the company intends
that its representatives should fully cash in on
the.addition of this famous blackface comedian
to Brunswick lists, and a forceful advertising
campaign has been prepared. This will include
an announcement folder for the record buyer,
window posters, double-page Saturday Evening
J'ost and newspaper advertisements and full-
page advertisements in the Theatre Magazine.
There will also be a large supply of dealer
window streamers, announcements, postcards to
be sent to customers and prospective customers
by the retailer, large newspaper advertisements
to be inserted by the Brunswick Co., newspaper
advertisements for the dealers' insertions, rec-
ord supplements, store hangers, etc.
For his Brunswick recordings Al Jolson has
chosen the best of the popular airs, which sup-
port his talent and bring out the finest of his
characteristic humor and pathos. Al Jolson
needs no introduction to theatregoers, music
lovers and phonograph owners throughout this
country, as for many years past he has been
a foremost factor in the theatrical and musical
worlds. His success as a blackface comedian
and musical comedy star has been phenomenal
and his reputation and prestige have traveled
the world over. The Brunswick Co. is to be
congratulated upon adding Al Jolson to its list
of exclusive artists, and his first records will be
awaited with keen interest by the entire trade.
Canadian Columbia Demand Garber-Davis Orchestra
In Excess of the Supply
Scores in Philadelphia
E. A. McMurtry, Canadian Columbia Manager,
on New York Visit, Gives Cheering Message
of Growing Popularity of New Products
Prize Cup Presented to Jan Garber Because of
Enthusiasm of Attendance for Orchestra's
Playing
"The demand for the new Columbia product
was far in excess of our ability to supply it,"
said E. A. McMurtry, Canadian manager of the
Columbia Phonograph Co., on a recent visit to
the company's executive offices in New York.
"The new product has been received enthusias-
tically everywhere, and those dealers who were
in a position to advertise and push sales in be-
half of this merchandise reaped a generous har-
vest in sales and profits. The outlook for the
new year is very gratifying and our New Proc-
ess records are beginning to register splendidly,
particularly since the introduction of the dem-
onstration record.
"Our Canadian program for 1924 is an ambi-
tious one, but, with the co-operation of our
dealers, we expect to carry it out successfully.
Exceptional advertising, excellent service, com-
bined with our new product, are the things we
are strongly banking on to make 1924 a banner
business year."
PHILADELPHIA, PA., February 16.—Jan Garlter
and his Garbcr-Davis Orchestra, Victor Artists,
played for the eighteenth annual ball of the
Alpha Phi at the Hotel Pennsylvania last night
and received substantial acknowledgment from
the 3,000 dancers that it has something out of
the ordinary in the way of dance music.
As has been the custom for the past eighteen
years, the committee offered a silver loving
cup for the most beautiful lady who attended
the ball. When it came time to decide who
was to be presented with the cup the dancers
were at the height of their enthusiasm and
calling for encore after encore. They were evi-
dently not in the mood for the delay which
would be caused by the contest. When an an-
nouncement was made that the cup was about
to be presented someone cried out: "Give it to
Jan Garber and His Band." The cry was taken
up from all sides of the hall and soon, with
the unanimous approval of the big crowd, the
orchestra was in possession of the cup.
The next day the committee returned it to
the jeweler, where the engraved words "To the
Most Beautiful Lady—" were blocked out and
the words "To the Most Wonderful Orchestra"
engraved in.
Garber and his band will be at the Hippo-
drome, New York City, for a special one week's
engagement beginning March 10.
F. Fallis Becomes Manager
TOLEDO, O., February 5.—Frank Fallis has been
appointed manager of the Victrola rooms of the
La Salle & Koch Co., this city, succeeding F. O.
Edwards, who has gone with the Cheney Sales
Co., Cleveland, O. Mr. Fallis was formerly con-
nected with firms in Indianapolis, Ind.
Hugh C. Ernst, long a well-known figure in
the talking machine trade in the metropolitan
district, has been appointed manager of tin.
Hugh C. Ernst
talking machine department of the New York
John Wanamaker store, succeeding Lambe;t
Friedl, who resigned recently to take up other
important activities in the industry with the
Adler Mfg. Co.
Mr. Ernst, who assumed his new duties on
February 15, has been for the past two years
manager of the various orchestra interests of
Paul Whiteman, and prior to that was for five
years connected in an important capacity with
the New York Talking Machine Co., Victor
wholesalers, where he developed a thorough
knowledge of and a large acquaintanceship in
the trade, both wholesale and retail. Prior to
entering the talking machine field, Mr. Ernst
had enjoyed some years of broad experience
in sales and organization work with various
prominent concerns and brought with him into
the present field a knowledge of salesmansh.p
that has stood him in good stead.
Bessie Smith Scores Success
ATLANTA, GA., February IS. —Bessie Smith,
singer of blues and exclusive Columbia artist,
appeared in this city recently al the "81 The-
atre, where she scored a decided success. Miss
Smith attracted capacity audiences at every per-;,
formance and all of her songs were received'
enthusiastically, particularly "My Sweetie Went
Away." The theatre was decorated with various
forms of advertising material featuring Miss
Smith and during her stay here she broadcasted
from WSB, the Atlanta Journal's radio station.
On Friday night a midnight frolic was spon-
sored by the "81 Theatre" for white people
only and several hundred persons attended this
frolic.
Songwriters' Contest Prizes
The Columbia Phonograph Co. is offering a
Columbia console as one of the prizes in the
amateur songwriters' contest being conducted
by Paul Specht and His Alamac Hotel Orches-
tra, exclusive Columbia artists, through the
WJZ and W r JY radio stations. The contest
closes March 1 and the prize is' well "wortrr
striving for, as it is a Columbia console model
540, with a three-spring motor, non-set auto-
matic stop, and the cabinet finished in brown
mahogany or walnut.