PARAMOUNT'S RISE AND FALL - ROOTS AND HISTORY OF PARAMOUNT RECORD by ALEX VAN DER TUUK (MAINSPRING PRESS)

New Revised & Expanded Edition

Paramount’s Rise and Fall

The Roots and History
of Paramount Records

By Alex van der Tuuk
  

"Invaluable...It's exciting to have this essential book available again" — Samuel Charters, author of The Country Blues

"Fans who missed out on the first edition should take their opportunities to buy this one" — ARSC Journal

"A superbly written and beautifully produced book" — Mark Berresford, Vintage Jazz Mart

"An absorbing account" — Paul Oliver, author of Blues Fell this Morning

How did a Midwestern chair manufacturer come to dominate the new "race record" field in the 1920s? The fascinating story unfolds in this newly revised and expanded edition of Alex van der Tuuk's classic Paramount history. You'll find two new sections and many additional photos, along with substantial updates to the original text — all in an affordable, high-quality paperback edition.

Paramount introduced Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Skip James, and other blues greats to the world — but there's much more to the story than its legendary jazz and blues records. Alex van der Tuuk reveals the full history of the people and companies behind the label in a landmark work that blends musical, business, and local history in a unique way.

Even if you're fortunate enough to own a first edition (already a collectors' item), we think you'll enjoy this new expanded version just as much. And if you missed the original, here's an opportunity to get acquainted with one of the landmark works in recorded-sound history.

292 total pages • 150 illustrations
6" x 9" quality paperback

$39
Free U.S. Shipping

Foreign Shipping:
$16 (Canada — Airmail)
$21 (Other Foreign — Airmail)

CONTENTS:

Forewords by Samuel Charters, Bob Koester, Gayle Dean Wardlow, and Janet L. Erickson
Preface and Acknowledgements
Grafton Revisited
(NEW — An illustrated history of the Paramount studio and pressing-plant complex)
Chapter 1: The Wisconsin Chair Company
Chapter 2: Another Sideline — Phonographs and Records
Chapter 3: Jazz, Blues and Vaudeville
Chapter 4: "Agents Wanted": Selling a Record
Chapter 5: "Special Agent Blues"
Chapter 6: The Grafton Recordings
Chapter 7: Rebuilding a Company
Chapter 8: Paramount's Swan Song
(NEW — A detailed account of post-NYRL attempts to revive Paramount, including an examination of current ownership of the Paramount recordings and trademarks)
Selected References
Title and Subject Indexes
  

“Mainspring Press is the benchmark publisher for well-researched,
literate recorded-sound scholarship.”
   — ARSC Journal (Association for Recorded Sound Collections)

“Mainspring Press has a reputation for commitment to serious discographical
research and superb quality book production.”
— Vintage Jazz Mart

“Significant contributions to discographic research.”
— Notes (Music Library Association)

Visit Mainspring Press online for free articles on vintage cylinders and 78 records

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