Velvet Tone Records was an American record label that was founded by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in 1925 and shut down in 1932.
Velvet Tone contained material identical to that of Columbia's two other low price labels,
Harmony Records
Harmony Records was a record label owned by Columbia Records that debuted in 1925.
History
Harmony Records began for low-priced 78 rpm records in the 1920s and 1930s. It was revived for budget albums of reissued tracks in 1957. The revived labe ...
and
Diva Records
Diva Records was an American record label from 1925 to 1932 that sold records through W. T. Grant retail stores. It was a division of Columbia Records.
Artists on the label included Irving Kaufman, Annette Hanshaw, The Golden Gate Orchestr ...
(and after Diva was discontinued, Clarion Records).
[Allan Sutton: Directory of American Disc Record Brands and Manufacturers, 1891–1943 (Westport & London, 1994)]
Popular culture
* In Frank Capra's 1946 film, ''
It's a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...
'', Mary can be seen playing a record with a "Velvet Tone" label on the phonograph. A close examination reveals that it is "
Buffalo Gals
"Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White". The song was widely popular throughout the United States, where minstrels often ...
" performed by "Arthur Black and His Orchestra". However, the label's design is inconsistent with actual Velvet Tone labels. The prop record is a nod towards the film's assistant director, Arthur Black.
See also
*
List of record labels
File:Alvinoreyguitarboogie.jpg
File:AmMusicBunk78.jpg
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Lists of record labels cover record labels, brands or trademarks associated with marketing of music recordings and music videos. The lists are organized alphabetically, b ...
References
External links
Velvet Tone Recordson the Internet Archive'
Great 78 Project
American record labels
Record labels established in 1925
Record labels disestablished in 1932
Jazz record labels
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