New subject: Query: Dates of old square dance records

16 Jul 2016

Jim Saxe wrote:

<<Does anyone know of a guide for determining the dates of issue
of old square(/contra/folk) dance records? Most such records
have no date printed on the label. And even where publication
dates are given on the label or packaging, they typically won't
be included in listings of the records in printed or online
catalogs.

It has occurred to me that one might go through the archives of
_Sets in Order_ and/or _American Squares_

http://newsquaremusic.com/ASDindexUNH.html
http://newsquaremusic.com/sioindex.html

(many thanks, btw, to Gardner Patton for digitizing these, to
the publishers for granting permission, and to the University
of Denver and the University of New Hampshire for hosting),
looking at, say, the last issue published in each year and
noting the catalog numbers of records reviewed or advertised,
especially those indicated as being new. This information
might provide a rough timeline from which one could guess the
approximate issue dates of other records made by the same
companies.

It has also occurred to me that someone might already have
compiled such a timeline, whether based on magazine ads or
on other sources of information. *** Do any of you know of
such a thing?

I am of course aware that various complications might come up...>>

Jim, I had to laugh at the timing of your query. A few hours before you posted it, I was
online reading the early mimeographed issues of American Squares (AS), to which I had
never had access before, and noticing that they contain more precise information about
record release dates than most other sources I've seen. Editor Charley Thomas, who
wrote the AS record reviews during his tenure there, frequently mentions that a particular
album is "just out" or writes that he's looking forward to receiving it.
Reading this digitized treasure trove made me think, for the umpteenth time, how nice it
would be if such a database existed.

Back in the pre-Jurassic era when I was newly interested in all things squaredancical, I
began a list (in hard copy - no home computers in those days) of all the records I
encountered. It included label, number, title, and I think artist(s), but not release
date. From time to time I've contemplated starting a computerized discography, but (1)
I thought someone might have beaten me to it, and (2) I had no idea whether anyone but me
would find any value in it. It would necessarily be a labor of love, and I have higher
priorities at the moment (such as writing Volume Two of my caller's textbook, dealing
with squares in depth, which I hope will earn me a dollar or two). It could conceivably be
crowdsourced, but we'd need to be clear on how we'd defend the date we assigned to
a recording, if it wasn't taken from a producer's catalog.

I'd love to have a complete discography, with caller's name, musicians if known,
key, tempo, playing time, arrangement (AABB? Tags? Number of choruses?), source for date,
a field for comments on the music or dance figures, and links to audio clips of tracks we
think are historically significant or particularly nice. But who would host it, and who
would take overall responsibility for it? I have some of the knowledge and skills, but not
the time or the access to computer resources. I'd certainly be interested in
collaborating on such a project. (There is an excellent online Gilbert & Sullivan
Discography, a one-man labor of love, but it excludes most 78 and 45 rpm singles and EPs.
Even if it were to include them, I believe there are only hundreds of G&S recordings,
whereas square dance releases run to many, many thousands.)

If Jim or anyone else is wondering about the dates of specific recordings, feel free to
ask on this list. I have a lot of knowledge rattling around in my head, gleaned from
reading and re-reading old magazines and collecting records. Stig Malmo, probably the
world's most assiduous collector of square dance ephemera, probably knows a lot that I
don't. Don Ward has connections in the recording world and is another good source of
specialized information. The other "core consultants" to the Square Dance
History Project (Bob Dalsemer, Larry Edelman, Phil Jamison, Bill Litchman, Jim Mayo) each
know a lot about their specialty. Phil Jamison in particular has made an in-depth study of
called records that pre-date the mid-20th-century revival; his finds date from 1924 to
1933. Phil has made audio files of these records available on his website
(www.philjamison.com<http://www.philjamison.com>) in connection with his masterful
book _Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics_. He set out to write a history of Southern Appalachian
dance, but in the process he gives a thoughtful and fairly comprehensive overview of the
entire arc of country-dance history in the U.S.

If anyone on this list is new to the world of square dance records, let me say that
it's sizable and largely undocumented. As mentioned above, there have been thousands
of releases, mostly singles. In both the pre-revival and revival eras, every major
recording company issued square dance albums and/or singles, as did many smaller companies
specializing in country music. Many of these records were made by some of the top country
bands of their day, under their own names or pseudonyms. In addition, since the late
1940s, companies devoted to square dance recordings have come and gone; typically two to
three dozen have existed at any one time. Some such companies were one- or two-hit (or
-flop) wonders, but some have lasted for decades, issuing hundreds of titles. The whole
field is ripe for research.

Tony Parkes
Billerica, Mass.

Re: Query: Dates of old square dance records