The Gennett Walk of Fame: Joe King Oliver
The Starr-Gennett Music Heritage Site
South 1st Street, Richmond, Indiana
LABEL HISTORY
Gennett Records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett. Earlier, the company had produced recordings under the Starr Records label.
Gennett set up recording studios in New York City and later, in 1921, set up a second studio on the grounds of the piano factory in Richmond, Indiana under the supervision of Ezra C.A. Wickemeyer.
Gennett is best remembered for the wealth of early jazz talent recorded on the label, including sessions by Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, "King" Joe Oliver's band with the young Louis Armstrong, Lois Deppe's Serenaders with the young Earl Hines, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, The Red Onion Jazz Babies,The State Street Ramblers, Zach Whyte and his Chocolate Beau Brummels, Alphonse Trent and his Orchestra and many others. Gennett also recorded early blues artists such as Thomas A. Dorsey, Sam Collins, Jaybird Coleman, and Big Boy Cleveland and early "hillbilly" or country music performers such as Vernon Dalhart, Bradley Kincaid, Ernest Stoneman, Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, and Gene Autry. Many early religious recordings were made by Homer Rodeheaver, early shape note singers and others.
The Gennett Company was hit severely by the Great Depression in 1930, and massively cut back on record recording and production until it was halted altogether in 1934. At this time the only product Gennett Records produced under its own name was a series of recorded sound effects for use by radio stations. In 1935 the Starr Piano Company sold some Gennett masters, and the Gennett and Champion trademarks to Decca Records.
The Starr record plant soldiered on under the supervision of Harry Gennett through the remainder of the decade by offering contract pressing services. For a time the Starr Piano Company was the principal manufacturer of Decca records, but much of this business dried up after Decca purchased its own pressing plant in 1938. In the years remaining before World War II, Gennett did contract pressing for a number of New York-based jazz and folk music labels, including Joe Davis, Keynote and Asch.
After Decca opened a new pressing plant in Pinckneyville, Illinois in 1956, the old Gennett plant in Richmond, Indiana was sold to Mercury Records in 1958. Mercury operated the historic plant until 1969 when it moved to a nearby modern plant later operated by Cinram.
The Gennett company produced the Gennett, Starr, Champion, Superior, and Van Speaking labels, and also produced some Supertone, Silvertone, and Challenge records under contract. The firm pressed most Autograph, Rainbow, Hitch, KKK, Our Song, and Vaughn records under contract.
GENNETT WALK OF FAME
In September 2007, the Starr-Gennett Foundation began to recognize the most important Gennett artists on a Walk of Fame near the site of Gennett's Richmond, Indiana recording studio.
The Gennett Walk of Fame is located along South 1st Street in Richmond at the site of the Starr Piano Company and embedded in the Whitewater Gorge Trail, which connects to the longer Cardinal Greenway Trail. Both trails are part of the American Discovery Trail, the only coast-to-coast, non-motorized recreational trail.
Markers are three-dimensional, cast bronze and colored tile mosaic emblems in the form of 78 rpm phonograph records. Each marker features the classic Gennett label design and an artistic mosaic rendering of the represented musician. A smaller bronze plaque is installed next to each record to recognize the accomplishments of the inductee. The Foundation estimates that the Walk of Fame eventually will contain up to 80 markers.
The Foundation convened its National Advisory Board for the first time in January, 2006, to select the first 10 inductees for the Gennett Records Walk of Fame. The Advisory Board selects inductees from these categories: classic jazz, old-time country, blues, gospel (African-American and Southern), American popular song, ethnic, historic/spoken, and classical, giving preference to classic jazz, old-time country, blues, gospel, and American popular song.
The Advisory Board's consensus selection for the first inductee in the Gennett Walk of Fame was Louis Armstrong. The following is a list of the first ten inductees:
Louis Armstrong
Bix Beiderbecke
Jelly Roll Morton
Hoagy Carmichael
Gene Autry
Vernon Dalhart
Big Bill Broonzy
Georgia Tom
Joe "King" Oliver
Lawrence Welk
A second set of ten nominees was inducted in 2008:
Homer Rodeheaver
Fats Waller
Duke Ellington
Uncle Dave Macon
Coleman Hawkins
Charley Patton
Sidney Bechet
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Fletcher Henderson
Guy Lombardo
2009 Inductees:
Artie Shaw
Wendell Hall
Bradley Kincaid
Ernest Stoneman & Hattie Frost Stoneman
New Orleans Rhythm Kings
2010 Inductees:
Alberta Hunter
Lonnie Johnson
Pace Jubilee Singers
2011 Inductees:
Roosevelt Sykes
Bailey's Lucky Seven
2012 Inductees:
Scrapper Blackwell
Jelly Roll Morton
2013 Inductee:
William Jennings Bryan
The Gennett Walk of Fame: Joe King Oliver
The Starr-Gennett Music Heritage Site
South 1st Street, Richmond, Indiana
LABEL HISTORY
Gennett Records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett. Earlier, the company had produced recordings under the Starr Records label.
Gennett set up recording studios in New York City and later, in 1921, set up a second studio on the grounds of the piano factory in Richmond, Indiana under the supervision of Ezra C.A. Wickemeyer.
Gennett is best remembered for the wealth of early jazz talent recorded on the label, including sessions by Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, "King" Joe Oliver's band with the young Louis Armstrong, Lois Deppe's Serenaders with the young Earl Hines, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, The Red Onion Jazz Babies,The State Street Ramblers, Zach Whyte and his Chocolate Beau Brummels, Alphonse Trent and his Orchestra and many others. Gennett also recorded early blues artists such as Thomas A. Dorsey, Sam Collins, Jaybird Coleman, and Big Boy Cleveland and early "hillbilly" or country music performers such as Vernon Dalhart, Bradley Kincaid, Ernest Stoneman, Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, and Gene Autry. Many early religious recordings were made by Homer Rodeheaver, early shape note singers and others.
The Gennett Company was hit severely by the Great Depression in 1930, and massively cut back on record recording and production until it was halted altogether in 1934. At this time the only product Gennett Records produced under its own name was a series of recorded sound effects for use by radio stations. In 1935 the Starr Piano Company sold some Gennett masters, and the Gennett and Champion trademarks to Decca Records.
The Starr record plant soldiered on under the supervision of Harry Gennett through the remainder of the decade by offering contract pressing services. For a time the Starr Piano Company was the principal manufacturer of Decca records, but much of this business dried up after Decca purchased its own pressing plant in 1938. In the years remaining before World War II, Gennett did contract pressing for a number of New York-based jazz and folk music labels, including Joe Davis, Keynote and Asch.
After Decca opened a new pressing plant in Pinckneyville, Illinois in 1956, the old Gennett plant in Richmond, Indiana was sold to Mercury Records in 1958. Mercury operated the historic plant until 1969 when it moved to a nearby modern plant later operated by Cinram.
The Gennett company produced the Gennett, Starr, Champion, Superior, and Van Speaking labels, and also produced some Supertone, Silvertone, and Challenge records under contract. The firm pressed most Autograph, Rainbow, Hitch, KKK, Our Song, and Vaughn records under contract.
GENNETT WALK OF FAME
In September 2007, the Starr-Gennett Foundation began to recognize the most important Gennett artists on a Walk of Fame near the site of Gennett's Richmond, Indiana recording studio.
The Gennett Walk of Fame is located along South 1st Street in Richmond at the site of the Starr Piano Company and embedded in the Whitewater Gorge Trail, which connects to the longer Cardinal Greenway Trail. Both trails are part of the American Discovery Trail, the only coast-to-coast, non-motorized recreational trail.
Markers are three-dimensional, cast bronze and colored tile mosaic emblems in the form of 78 rpm phonograph records. Each marker features the classic Gennett label design and an artistic mosaic rendering of the represented musician. A smaller bronze plaque is installed next to each record to recognize the accomplishments of the inductee. The Foundation estimates that the Walk of Fame eventually will contain up to 80 markers.
The Foundation convened its National Advisory Board for the first time in January, 2006, to select the first 10 inductees for the Gennett Records Walk of Fame. The Advisory Board selects inductees from these categories: classic jazz, old-time country, blues, gospel (African-American and Southern), American popular song, ethnic, historic/spoken, and classical, giving preference to classic jazz, old-time country, blues, gospel, and American popular song.
The Advisory Board's consensus selection for the first inductee in the Gennett Walk of Fame was Louis Armstrong. The following is a list of the first ten inductees:
Louis Armstrong
Bix Beiderbecke
Jelly Roll Morton
Hoagy Carmichael
Gene Autry
Vernon Dalhart
Big Bill Broonzy
Georgia Tom
Joe "King" Oliver
Lawrence Welk
A second set of ten nominees was inducted in 2008:
Homer Rodeheaver
Fats Waller
Duke Ellington
Uncle Dave Macon
Coleman Hawkins
Charley Patton
Sidney Bechet
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Fletcher Henderson
Guy Lombardo
2009 Inductees:
Artie Shaw
Wendell Hall
Bradley Kincaid
Ernest Stoneman & Hattie Frost Stoneman
New Orleans Rhythm Kings
2010 Inductees:
Alberta Hunter
Lonnie Johnson
Pace Jubilee Singers
2011 Inductees:
Roosevelt Sykes
Bailey's Lucky Seven
2012 Inductees:
Scrapper Blackwell
Jelly Roll Morton
2013 Inductee:
William Jennings Bryan