Showing 1 - 25 of 137
Artist: Os Namorados
An early bossa nova group arranged and led by João Donato, Os Namorados weren't around for very long, though they did introduce the bossa nova beat on their 1953 song "Eu Quero Um Samba." Formed from the ashes of two other Brazilian samba groups (Os Modernistas and Namorados da Lua), Os Namorados recorded only one self-titled EP, released on 78... [+] Read More
Artist: Cairo Club Orchestra
The hot jazz, blues, and swing of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s has been brought to Australia by the Melbourne-based Cairo Club Orchestra. Led by trumpet player and musicologist Peter Milley, the group remains committed to recapturing the musical magic of the past. Comprised of members of the American Society of Twenties Orchestras, the Cairo Club... [+] Read More
Artist: Siti Binti Saad
Saad was a legendary taraab singer who could sing in Swahili, Arabic, and Hindustani, making her a favorite from Africa to India. She was discovered as an amateur vocal accompanist and became the first East African to make commercial recordings. Between 1928 and 1939, she was so successful that recording studios were built on the island of... [+] Read More
Artist: Robert Armstrong
A love for comics and 78 rpm records combined to envelop Armstrong in the Cheap Suit Serenaders. Armstrong was active in the San Francisco Bay area underground comics scene, producing such comics as Mickey Rat and The Couch Potatoes. Finding that fellow cartoonist Robert Crumb also liked music from the '20s and '30s, Armstrong pulled in old... [+] Read More
Artist: Hal Aloma
Hal Aloma is one of the most versatile and popular Hawaiian artists. First signed because of his amazing abilities as "King of the Steel Guitar," the very young Aloma led his own orchestra and recorded albums of 78 rpm records. Later, he recorded several LPs on the Dot label. These are not difficult to find, and most feature his singing as well... [+] Read More
Artist: Marika Ninou
Marika Ninou was one of the leading Greek vocalists during the early-'50s. Her 78 rpm recordings provided a voice for the compositions of Vasilis Tsitsanis, Manolis Hiotis, Yannis Papaioanou, Yorgos Mitsakis, and Apostolas Kaldaras.
A native of Causasus, Ninou came to Athens in 1948, performing an acrobatic act with her husband and son. Her... [+] Read More
Artist: Michael Coleman
Michael Coleman (1891-1945) of Killavil, Sligo county, Ireland, is one of the seminal figures in Irish and Irish-American traditional music. He came to the United States in 1914 and became a successful performer of Irish music in vaudeville and variety theaters across America. He settled in New York City, where Irish music was in great demand by... [+] Read More
Artist: Connolly & Len Obrien
The trio of Tipperary accordionist Paddy O'Brien, fiddler Seamus Connolly, and pianist Charlie Lennon joined forces in 1973 to record The Banks of the Shannon, a landmark date in the history of traditional Irish music. O'Brien was perhaps the best known individually -- a series of 78 rpm discs he recorded in 1954 spotlighted his unique style of... [+] Read More
Artist: Ishman Bracey
Ishman Bracey (certain 78 rpm record labels are incorrectly spelled "Ishmon," and this has carried over in some sources) was an early figure in Mississippi Delta blues and an associate of singer Tommy Johnson. Bracey learned guitar from "Mississippi" Ruben Lacy, and starting in the 1910s he played local dances, juke joints, fish fries and other... [+] Read More
Artist: Lana Bittencourt
Lana Bittencourt, a very versatile singer, recorded samba-canção, bossa nova (starting as of 1960), old Brazilian rock, fossa, seresta, international songs in several different languages, and, continuing to perform until today, also interprets songs by Cazuza and other contemporary Brazilian rock composers. She had success with "Se Alguém... [+] Read More
Artist: Bosom Blues Band
Charlottesville, VA, psych-blues outfit the Bosom Blues Band was led by singer/guitarist Larry McCullough, a local folkie who in 1966 was coaxed into joining the Soothsayers, a local combo influenced by the British beat boom and featuring guitarists Allen Gay and Duck Baker, bassist Harold Grieg, and drummer Dickie Parrish. As McCullough... [+] Read More
Artist: Art Satherly
Talent scout, producer, and A&R legend Art Satherley was born Arthur Edward Satherley on October 19, 1889, in Bristol, England. He came to America in his early twenties, initially settling in Wisconsin, where he worked in a factory that made cabinets for Edison phonographs. Satherley's first real job in the record industry was promoting 78 rpm... [+] Read More
Artist: John Carty
Born in London under the watchful eyes of Irish parents, fiddler John Carty has established himself among the elite in traditional music, and as a staunch supporter of its preservation. Carty developed his love for fiddle, banjo, and flute -- all of which he has mastered -- through his multi-instrumentalist father, who was a member of the... [+] Read More
Artist: Blue Plate Special
The retro-swing band Blue Plate Special formed in Los Angeles in 1994; at the time of releasing their debut single "Now Serving" early the following year, the group's line-up consisted of vocalist/guitarist Kevin Wright, pianist Ken Charlson, trumpeter Phil Topping, saxophonists Joe Martin and Derek Carver, bassist Todd Clark and drummer Adam... [+] Read More
Artist: Claudette Soares
Claudette Soares debuted in radio at age ten on the Clube do Guri show (Rádio Tamoio). After a short while she worked for several radio stations and was given the title Princezinha do Baião (The Little Princess of Baião) for her duet performances with the King of Baião, LuÃs Gonzaga. She recorded the first 78 rpm in 1954 (dedicated to the... [+] Read More
Artist: The Cheap Suit Serenaders
Comics and 78 rpm records were the twin poles around which the Cheap Suit Serenaders coalesced. Robert Crumb was (and is) one of the most famous underground cartoonists of all time, having nearly invented the genre. Robert Armstrong was also active in the San Francisco Bay area underground comics scene, producing such comics as Mickey Rat and... [+] Read More
Artist: Ben Abney
"Peg Leg" Ben Abney was one of less than a half-dozen blues pianists from Charlotte, NC, to make records during the 78 rpm era. Abney's total recorded output consists of six sides made in Charlotte on June 22, 1936. If his birth date as listed in the Social Security Death Index is to be trusted, then Abney was 52 at the time of these sessions,... [+] Read More
Artist: The Downhomers
The Downhomers -- sometimes spelled "Down Homers" or "Down-Homers" -- were an Indiana-based country & western group founded in the early to mid-'40s, who were notable for two members: yodelling lead singer Kenny Roberts and his successor, Bill Haley. Based for a time in Fort Wayne, IN, the group's membership included Roberts on vocals and... [+] Read More
Artist: Roberto Silva
With Ciro Monteiro, Roberto Silva was one of the developers of the richly syncopated melodic division of samba singing launched by LuÃs Reis and Vassourinha. Some of his biggest hits are "Maria Tereza" (Altamiro Carrilho), "Normélia", "Mandei Fazer um Patuá" (both by Raimundo Olavo/Norberto Martins), "Perdi Você" (Raimundo Olavo/Silva... [+] Read More
Artist: João Donato
João Donato started his recording career at 15, already a challenging task in an association with a great master, Altamiro Carrilho. He also recorded with Bud Schank, Ron Carter, Airto Moreira, Elmir Deodato, Randy Brecker, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Astrud Gilberto, Cal Tjader, and several others, along with many important... [+] Read More
Artist: Crooked Jades
Music historians on the trail of Kentucky mountain music might think that San Francisco would be the last place to look for any kind of old-time sounds. The city by the bay is about as far from Appalachia as you can get, and equally far from the concept of bluegrass. Yet San Francisco is exactly where some of today's finest old-time and... [+] Read More
Artist: Carlos Gonzaga
Carlos Gonzaga is widely known as one of the most important singers of ballads in the late '50s in Brazil. He started his career much earlier though, in the '40s, interpreting a wide range of styles, from bolero, samba, calypso, and tango to fox trot. In 1946 he launched songwriter Fred Jorge, recording his "Velha Paineira" (RCA Victor). In 1957... [+] Read More
Artist: Alcides Gerardi
Having recorded 194 78 rpm albums and six LP's, Alcides Gerardi had success between 1945 and 1967, especially as a bolero singer. His biggest hits are the samba "Antonico" (Ismael Silva), later re-recorded by Gal Costa and Elza Soares; "Tudo Foi Ilusão" (Laert Santos/Arcilino Tavares); "Brotinho Maluco" (AnÃbal Cruz); "Castelo de Areia"... [+] Read More
Artist: Trio Nagô
Having as its main course a repertory of Northeastern and folk songs, the Trio Nagô had its biggest hits with the baião "Mulatinha Sarará" (Walter Tourinho/IsaÃas Ferreira) and the toada "Aquarela Cearense" (Valdemar Ressurreição); the latter being re-recorded by the trio in 1954 as a samba, again with much success. The Nagô also had... [+] Read More
Artist: Elisinha Coelho
Elisinha Coelho was the launcher of "No Rancho Fundo" (Ary Barroso), having been -- with Silvinha Melo, Orlando Silva, Nuno Roland, MarÃlia Batista, and Aracy de Almeida -- one of the first singers on Rádio Nacional specialized in Brazilian music. Having performed many times at the Cassino da Urca (Rio de Janeiro), in some occasions in duo... [+] Read More
