Velvet Tone Records
Label of a Velvet Tone Record, c. 1928, featuring Rudy Vallee
Velvet Tone Records was a United States based record label, active from 1925 through 1932. It was produced by Columbia Records and contained material identical to that of Columbia's two other low price labels, Harmony Records and Diva Records (and after Diva was discontinued, Clarion Records).[1]
Audio fidelity is about average for the era (though most issues were still made by the then out-dated acoustic recording process, through 1929. The disks were state of the art Columbia patented laminated shellac pressings. A clean copy plays with much less noise and distortion than more expensive non laminated shellacs such as Victor and Brunswick.
Popular culture
- In Frank Capra's 1946 film, It's a Wonderful Life, Mary can be seen playing a record with a "Velvet Tone" label on the phonograph. A close examination reveals that it is "Buffalo Gals" performed by "Arthur Black and His Orchestra". However, the label's design is inconsistent with actual Velvet Tone labels. The prop record is a nod towards the film's assistant director, Arthur Black.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Allan Sutton: Directory of American Disc Record Brands and Manufacturers, 1891-1943 (Westport & London, 1994)
- ↑ "The Essential It's A Wonderful Life: A Scene-by-Scene Guide to the Classic Film".