What's the deal on the Hootenanny label?
David A. Pearlman
I just got ahold of a number of 78s on the Hootenanny label. Artists include
The Weavers, Ernie Lieberman, Laura Duncan, Betty Sanders, Martha
Schlamme, etc. What's the deal on this label. I know the Weavers
were on a major label in the early '50's and again in the mid '50s
(after fighting back from the blacklist). Was this where they
landed in the interim? (The Weavers cuts are "The Hammer Song" b/w
"Banks of Marble".
Any info?
Thanks,
dap
Irwin Silber
Hootenanny Records was established in the late 1950s by People's Artists
-- the organization which also established Sing Out! earlier that same
year. During 1951 and 1952, Hootenanny Records produced a set of eight
78 rpm records. (One of these was wha t I think was the first recording
of We Shall Overcome which was sung by Laura Duncan and the Jewish Young
Folksingers conducted by Bob DeCormier.) This was the twilight of the 78
rpm years when 78s still dominated the market but LPs were just
beginning to appear. The people who directed and ran Hootenanny Records
were Ernie Lieberman, Betty Sanders and myself. The Weavers recording
of The Hammer Song and Banks of Marble was made in 1950 and was our
first release. I believe they recorded the songs bef ore they signed on
with Decca or else they worked out an arrangement that would allow them
to do these two songs which, at the time, were not considered
commercially viable. Pete Seeger or Fred Hellerman may have a better
recollection. By the end of 195 2, it was no longer feasible to produce
78s. Hootenanny Records did produce one more disc, a 12" LP called
"Hootenanny Tonight." This was, I believe, the first live recording to
appear on an LP of a live folk concert. In the early 1960s, "Hootenanny
To night" was reissued by Folkways (FN 2511). Folkways also put out a
record called Sing Out! Hootenanny (FN 2513) which contained various
recordings made by People's Artists from 1950-1955 including many of the
original Hootenanny Records 78s. Recently, a number of these were
included in the Bear Family CD set of political music. The
political-musical heart of Hootenanny Records was with a quartet
People's Artists put together as a core group for our "live"
Hootenannies and for various special projects w e undertook for other
organizations. It consisted of Laura Duncan, Ernie Lieberman, Betty
Sanders and Osborne Smith.
Irwin Silber
d...@vpharm.com
In article <APC&1'0'7c92df6a'4...@igc.apc.org>,
Wow...Fantastic...A reply directly from the source!!! Great...
Well, perhaps you can answer a couple of more questions:
I have six of the Hootenanny 78rpm releases (including the "We Shall Overcome"
release you mention), which means I'm missing two. What's odd is that the
Hootenanny releases I have have three different labels. One has black
print on white labels. Some (most) have black print on yellow labels. And
one has a custom label with a guitar illustration across the label. What's
more, this one with the custom label has release number 100. The Weavers
release, which you note above was the first Hootenanny release, was
H-101 (and the other ones I have are H-103, 104, 105, and 107). My question
is: Was the Weavers really the first release? Or was 100 (Ernie
Lieberman: Song on My Hands b/w Hope Foye & Ernie Lieberman: Spring Song)
actually the first?
Do you have any idea of what kind of press runs these 78s had? Should I
be treating them like gold, or are they just fun (and replacable if I had
to) nostalgia?
Since you were obviously around at that time and active in the folk movement,
perhaps you can help me with a few other folk 78s that I have from around
the same era:
A couple by Goodson & Vale on the "Charter" label (one backed by Travelin'
by Pete Seger).
Some odd Russian folk song 78s that were apparently issued at the 1939
World's Fair (special labels). These indicate (in English) that they were made
in Russia. (Kind of cool).
Various 78 rpm albums by Paul Robeson, Josh White, Earl Robinson, etc.
Were these common in the era?
3 78s by the Almanac Singers on the Almanac label. These are not in an
album, but appear that they might have come from an album (they are release
numbers 1101, 1102, 1103)?
Any info appreciated!
dap
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading
PAULSBANJO
Hi Dave
The "Almanac Singers" may be available but I would say to treat the
others "Like Gold" as they dont seem to be the stuff of "reissues"
Paul