1920: the Putnam Theatre in Brooklyn ran a newspaper ad for Mamie Smith and Her Jazz Hounds, proclaiming her an “Attraction Extraordinary.” A few weeks earlier Okeh released Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” and it sold extremely well. Thanks in part to Gennett’s victory in the early patent case (Victor Talking Machine Co. v. Starr Piano), an injunction to stop to smaller labels from using lateral cut 78s was denied. Thus Okeh could release this, the “first race record” to an eager audience who possessed the right equipment. Without the injunction, Okeh faced an uphill battle trying to release this on the unpopular vertical / ‘hill and dale’ disk.
1929: Bert Stock and His Orchestra recorded “Turn on the Heat” in NYC. It appeared on Gennett 7059, Champion 15886, and Supertone 9585. The recording featured Doc Mayer (v), Joe Barone and George McKee (c), Delmar “Dick” Evans (tb), Hap Swanson and Lee Loveland (as/cl), Bert Stock and Edward Walker (p), Billy Yates (g), Hank August (bs), Billy Yates (bjo), and Doc Meyers (d/xyl). The Champion issue sold 2,746 copies in 1930.
Gennett Records Discography 