PBS History Detectives in Grafton

[Kris10]

The PBS series History Detectives is taping a show in Grafton on Paramount Records!

Paramount recorded many early and influential blues artists right in Grafton! The History Detectives team is looking for masters rumored to have been thrown in the Milwaukee River.

A friend of mine, Angela Mack, has worked hard to raise awareness of Paramount and Grafton's place in blues history. Her site ParamountsHome.org is an online community dedicated to Paramount.

The first Grafton Blues Festival will be held September 23. More information on the festival is available at GraftonBlues.org.

I am looking forward to the blues festival, I think it's great that Wisconsin's place in blues history is finally getting some attention!

[Crys]

That's pretty cool! I used to work with a guy who lived in Grafton who kept saying that it "had a musical history" but when pressed he could never say what that was. Now I know

I think I might try to make that blues festival too. Grafton's not far away at all.

[j10asen]

The festival sounds great, The Lectures and workshops sound great. But why do they conflict? I hope I can make it.

Then there is the gnawing question I have if the following is true
"The story is that the New York Recording Laboratories - the Grafton-based music studio responsible for recording and pressing some of the most influential and earliest recordings of jazz, blues and gospel music for the Paramount Record label - dumped many of its master recordings into the river when it closed the doors of its headquarters near what is now the corner of Falls Road and 12th Avenue."

Why are they celebrating the destuction of creativity?

[Kris10]

Originally Posted by j10asen

Why are they celebrating the destuction of creativity?

At the time, I don't think anyone knew how valuable those recordings were. They probably just saw them as old junk to clear out when Paramount closed. I don't think History Detectives is trying to celebrate the destruction, rather, they are reminding us why historical preservation is so important.

[j10asen]

Originally Posted by Kris10

At the time, I don't think anyone knew how valuable those recordings were.
.

This so true , I was not implying that the history detectives were celebrating they are fact finding, Its the recording company that now sees the value in those old recordings.

Like the old cliche

"you don't know what got until it is gone" :cry:

what do you keep
what do you toss

what do you value
what do cut your loss

what will cary us on
what will be a burdon on

who decides what stay
who decides what goes

who decides what is
who decides what is not
is it a random answer
or is it not

what decision did you make today
were you it quick to toss it away

by:stoney rohde

[twirlygirl]

The more I have been finding out about this history in my backyard, I am amazed. Over 60 African American artists recorded here alone.....recording spirtuals, blues, and even firey sermons!

Over 1600 records were pressed here including early country, gospel, jazz, swing, ethnic, and blues music. Back then, the recording industry was segregated. Records recorded by African Americans were called "race records". Later, the term "R and B" was given to sound a little more "politically correct". This recording company distributed 25% of the nation's "race records" at the time.

Keep in mind, this was the mass entertainment of the day long before televisions and radios were in most homes.

This part of Wisconsin history has been swept under the rug for the most part as well as other parts of musical African American history in our area.......for example, Milwaukee's Bronzeville District. Wisconsin history isn't a lily white history. There were MANY African American contributions that deserve to be honored. Just because only rubble remains as far as the building goes, it's not an excuse to keep this hidden under a bushel.

The History Detectives show is scheduled to air sometime in August. Each year, they get over 1,000 submissions for story ideas. The Paramount story that I submitted to them was 1 of 27 to make it......this goes to show that this history has national appeal even if most of the locals didn't care about it for decades.

If you want to dive into the history, go to www.paramountshome.org where we have hundreds of articles and photos from people all over the world. You can also listen to an interview by some people who worked there in the day. Very fascinating.

There is one Paramount recording artist alive. Henry Townsend. Close to 97 years old, the Grafton Blues Association arranged for him to perform at the Paramount Blues Festival on September 23. This, too, will make national news. www.graftonblues.org

If you live in the area and want to get involved, go to www.paramountgig.org

twirlygirl

Come see me perform at Bucketworks tonight for a Nerve House event with all sorts of artistic people. 7 pm it starts.

http://www.bucketworks.org/Main/NerveHouse

[j10asen]

Thank you "twirlygirl
" for all the information and background. PLEASE keep us informed on the actual broadcast date, I hope I will be around for it and get the fest.

[keith]

So glad to have you here twirlygirl ~ your sites are amazing! Thanks for being here! Looking forward to more of you!

Regards,
Keith

[keith]

Originally Posted by Kris10

The PBS series History Detectives is taping a show in Grafton on Paramount Records!.......

Nice thread to start, Kris10! Brought a chronically creative cat to theBubbler!

Regards,
Keith

[twirlygirl]

If you are interested, you can listen to a 15-20 minute Milwaukee Public Radio interview that my husband and I did for "At 10" about Paramount

http://www.wuwm.com/view_at10.php?articleid=113

Our website, www.paramountshome.org was notified that it won the annual Wisconsin Historical Society website award.


angmack

[Kris10]

The episode of History Detectives featuring Paramount Records will be shown on September 4 at 8:00 pm on channel 10 in Milwaukee. If you're not in the Milwaukee area, be sure to check your local listings! Here is an overview on the Paramount segment:

Lost Musical Treasure - A man in Port Washington, Wisconsin, who owns a pair of metal "masters" that were used to press shellac records in the 1920s and 30s, has a hunch they could represent surviving fragments of a lost moment in American musical history. The contributor's great uncle was the master sound engineer for one of the more peculiar recording enterprises in the United States, Paramount Records. He worked for the Wisconsin Chair Company, which, among other things, manufactured phonograph cabinets. The company's salesmen were savvy about the broad spectrum of musical talent at the time and established a tandem recording label, ultimately bringing some of the best blues artists from the Mississippi Delta to Wisconsin to record in the factory.

[twirlygirl]

The following viewing times in the Milwaukee area are listed on the Milwaukee Public Television scheduling page:

(10) "Superman Sketch/Lost Musical Treasure/Rebel Whiske" 411W MO 09/04/06 08:00pm 00:56:46 (CC) ST
(10) "Superman Sketch/Lost Musical Treasure/Rebel Whiske" 411G MO 09/04/06 10:00pm 00:56:46 (CC) ST
(10) "Superman Sketch/Lost Musical Treasure/Rebel Whiske" 411 TU 09/05/06 04:00am 00:56:46 (CC) ST
(10) "Superman Sketch/Lost Musical Treasure/Rebel Whiske" 411G TH 09/07/06 09:00pm 00:56:46 (CC)

http://www.mptv.org/webalpha.txt

[Kris10]

Just a reminder that the Paramount episode of History Detectives airs next week. If you catch the show, please post your review here!

[Kris10]

Did you catch History Detectives last night?

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I was so disappointed that the masters weren't of blues! I cringed when I heard "It's Threeeeeee O'Clock in the Moooooorning!"

It was still a great piece, and hopefully brought national awareness to Grafton and Paramount. It makes me want to scour every yard sale in Grafton to see if I can find a long lost blues recording!

[j10asen]

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