Catalogue

Bohemian-born Bohumir Kryl made sounds with the cornet that audiences had never heard before and that no one had dared to try to record until he came along. He had the outsized ego to make sure he would not soon be forgotten, making his interpretations of the classic repertoire into standards along the way. World-Famous Wizard of the Cornet features 28 selections, recorded between 1901 and 1918, that showcase Kryl’s unique technical gifts. A 32-page full-color booklet is included that tells Kryl’s life story from his earliest days as a circus acrobat and sculptor. A must-have for musicians.

Before Phil and Don Everly, before Simon and Garfunkel, long before Hall and Oates . . . the most popular recording duo over the first quarter of the 20th century was the team of Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan. Dubbed “America’s Favorite Entertainers” as they crisscrossed America in the late 1910s and early 1920s promoting Edison’s superior talking machines, Collins and Harlan came face to face with the thousands of ordinary people who bought the records that became the comical soundtrack of a generation. They represented the best and the worst of popular culture: advancing the career of Jewish émigré Irving Berlin and Black songwriters such as Chris Smith, W.C. Handy, and Shelton Brooks, while also perpetuating racist stereotypes. The issues, as usual, are thorny, but Archeophone tackles them with care and honesty. GRAMMY-recognized authors Ryan Barna and Richard Martin present the clear-eyed but accurate case of these two rough-and-ready unlikely partners who also became friends and took the phonograph by storm. Over 29 tracks, we lead you from 1902 to 1924, depicting a story that has never been told in LP form until now. Fantastic sound, too—you won’t believe how great these records sound!

24 hits from 1920, the year that national Prohibition and women’s suffrage took effect. Top artists include Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra, Van and Schenck, John Steel, Selvin’s Novelty Orchestra, Nora Bayes, and Art Hickman’s Orchestra. 24-page color booklet features detailed notes on the songs, an historical essay, and rare graphics.