Autograph Records
| Autograph Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Marsh Laboratories |
| Founded | 1920s |
| Founder | Orlando R. Marsh |
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
Autograph Records was an American record label in the 1920s owned by Marsh Laboratories of Chicago, Illinois, which was owned by Orlando R. Marsh, an electrical engineer.
Marsh made recordings by his own experimental methods. Autograph was the first U.S. record label to release recordings made electrically with microphones, as opposed to the acoustical or mechanical method that was more commonly used. According to author Brian Rust, Marsh's first electrical records were made in 1924.
It was reported in Time on April 28, 1923 that a device invented by Marsh was successfully used to make a recording of organ music, until then considered impossible. The article stated that Pietro Yon from New York City played his organ composition "Jesu Bambino" in Marsh's Chicago laboratory, and that the reproduction was described as excellent. The article went on to say that this accomplishment appeared to open a new area for the phonograph.
Brian Rust also reported that there was a note in the Talking Machine Journal for October 1924 indicating that "Orlando B. Marsh" had just moved to 78 East Jackson Boulevard. Marsh Laboratories became established on the seventh floor of the Lyon & Healy Building. This location attracted customers. Lyon & Healy sold sheet music, records, and musical instruments.
Autograph is best known for some of the fine jazz by artists in Chicago which was recorded on the label. The most famous of all are the duets by King Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton. Autograph's bestselling records, however, were the series of pipe organ solos by Jesse Crawford. Marsh's electrical process was the first to be able to capture an approximation of the range of the organ, but it lacked bass in the tone mix.
About the time that the Autograph records of Crawford were made, Jesse Crawford accepted an offer to be organist at the Paramount Theatre in New York City. Once there, the Victor became interested in having Crawford make recordings for them, first by the acoustical process. Later, Victor recorded Crawford by the Western Electric-licensed process first used by them in 1925.
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