The following is a note with photos from George Blau regarding electrical recording in 1925:  Art Gillham "The Whispering Pianist" making an electrical recording ca. 1925 |
I had a friend who recorded for Columbia from 1924-1931. Art Gillham, "TheWhispering Pianist", is usually credited with making the first electricalrecording which was commercially released: February 25, 1925 master 140125,"You May Be Lonesome", Columbia 328-D. (High Fidelity Magazine, January,1977, p 95; also see Brian Rust, The Columbia Masters Discography1924-1934). Art was interviewed in 1961, a few weeks before his death onJune 6, 1961, and stated Columbia paid him a bonus of $1000.00 forexperimenting with the electrical recording process because of hisexperience in using microphones on radio broadcasts. He began appearing onradio in 1923 and was a performer of the November 4, 1924 election nightbroadcast from New York's WEAF which was carried on an 18 station "hookup".Also on that broadcast were Will Rogers, Wendell Hall, Carson Robison, TheShannon Four and the Joseph Knecht Orchestra. He appeared on approximately300 radio stations before network broadcasting. Label of the first Columbia electrical recording. |
Brian Rust shows Columbia's first try at electrical recording was inNovember, 1924, but no records issued. The next electrical recordingsession was on February 25, 1925 when Art Gillham recorded 5 electricalmasters. He recorded another electrical master on February 26, 1925 andanother on February 27, 1925. On February 27, 1925 Columbia began using theWestern Electric electrical process for most recordings from that dateforward.
I do not know the release date of Columbia records 326-D, 328-D and 343-D(which contain the fives masters from February 25, 1925). The High Fidelityarticle states the first electrical recording released was in April, 1925by Victor of an excerpt of University of Pennsylvania's Mask & Wig Club.Brian Rust's The Victor Master Book, Vol 2 (1925-1936) shows the Mask andWig Club's recording of "Joan of Arkansas" to be Victor's first electricalrecording (master 32160) made on March 16, 1925 and issued on Victor 19626.
George Blau September 16, 1999.
Return to Electrical Recording | Recording Technology History Notes | this page revised Sep. 24, 1999
