Crown Records (1930s label)

Crown Records was a New York based dime store label started in 1930 and survived the depression until 1933. Known as the label offering "Two Hits for Two Bits", they sold for 25 cents.

USA Crown Records 78rpm disc from the early 1930s

It's not known who originally started the company, but they were known to have offices and recording studios in the McGraw-Hill building on 42nd Street in New York City. Adrian Schubert was the recording director. From the start, Crown set out to provide well performed versions of the hit songs of the day. For the most part, Crown used publisher's basic 'stock arrangements': they were only mildly interested in hot, jazzy versions of the songs of the day.

Studio assembled groups like Adrian Schubert, Milt Shaw, Jack Albin, Lou Gold, Buddy Blue (Smith Ballew), The High Steppers, Frank Novak and others recorded for Crown. Ben Pollack's band also recorded for Crown using the name "Gil Rodin". There were a number of country-styled records recorded by Carson Robison, Frankie Marvin, as well as Frank & James McGravy. There were a few performing orchestras who recorded for Crown towards the end of their existence, such as Gus Steck's Chanticleer Orchestra.

The most collectable Crown's are probably those made by Pollack (using the name "Gil Rodin"), the 5 records made by legendary Fletcher Henderson, the couple of records made by Jack Teagarden, as well as a sizable group of hot sides recorded by Gene Kardos's orchestra under the name of "Joel Shaw". There was one very rare commercial side recorded by Benny Carter's band, as well.

Crown issued a handful of "longer playing" 78s, featuring nearly 5 minutes of music at the same 25c price.

Despite Crown Records being recorded at their own studios, pressings were done by Victor. (Victor also started attempting their own 'budget' series of labels. After the demise of the short-lived 1931 Timely Tunes label, Victor started their Bluebird and Electradisk labels, originally as an 8" record. An early group of 10" Electradisk records (on their 2500 series) look more like Crown masters than Victor masters, leading collectors to speculate that these early Electradisk's were probably recorded at Crown's studios (based on appearance of the record and the typeface of the matrix numbers).

Crown Records seemed to sell fairly well (competing with Hit of the Week, Columbia's line of 'cheap' labels (Harmony, Velvet Tone and Clarion), as well as the ARC group of dime store labels (Melotone, Perfect, Romeo, Oriole, etc.). Although Crown records turn up in the east, they are much less commonly found in the midwest and south, leading to the assumption that they did not have a full nationwide network of dealers.

Some selected Crown sides were leased to Broadway and Homestead in the US, to the Imperial label, and Edison Bell Winner in the UK, and to Angelus, Lyric Records and Summit in Australia.

Crown also produced a very rare label called "Gem". All known Gem's were exactly the same as the issue on Crown (for example, Joel Shaw's Crown 3414 of "Yeah Man" b/w "Jazz Pie" was also issued on Gem 3414). No one seems to know who the Gem's were sold by, but the few copies that have turned up were in the New York/New Jersey area.

The last known Crown master was recorded on August 8, 1933.

In 1939-40, many Crown sides were issued on Varsity, all from dubbed masters.

References

• "The American Record Label Book" by Brian Rust (Arlington House Publishers, 1978)
• "Two Hits For Two Bits - Crown Record and Master Listing" by Robert R. Olson & Bill Korst (Joyce Publications, 1993).