Vintage Record Label of the Week - Grey Gull
It has been awhile since I've shared a weekly Vintage Record label. It certainly is not for a lack of them! This week we have to share the Grey Gull record label.
The Grey Gull label was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1920 by Jules and Jack Levy, two brothers who had previously been involved in the manufacturing of phonograph records. The label was originally known as the Boston Talking Machine Company and primarily produced records for use in nickelodeons and other coin-operated machines. However, by the late 1920s, the company had shifted its focus to producing records for home use.
Grey Gull's records were notable for their low cost and high quality. The company used a unique method of recording that allowed them to fit more music onto each record than their competitors, which made their records more attractive to buyers. Grey Gull's records were also known for their unique and varied catalog, which included everything from popular songs to classical music, as well as recordings of speeches, sermons, and other spoken word performances.
Grey Gull was an early achiever of "Electrical Transcribing," or electrical recording, which they began in the 1926/1927 timeframe. Prior to the development of this process, most recordings were made using the acoustic recording method, which involved using a horn to capture the sound of the performer and etching the resulting vibrations onto a wax disc. However, this method had its limitations, as the sound quality was often poor and there was a lot of surface noise on the finished record. They had accomplished this very shortly after Victor and Columbia had done the same.
Grey Gull's success was not without its challenges, however. Like many other record labels of the time, Grey Gull struggled to adapt to the changing musical tastes of the 1930s. By the mid-1930s, the company was struggling financially, and it eventually went bankrupt in 1935.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, Grey Gull left a lasting impact on the music industry. The label's catalog includes recordings by some of the most famous musicians of the time, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bing Crosby, as well as lesser-known performers who might have been overlooked by other record labels. Grey Gull's unique approach to recording and production helped to shape the sound of recorded music and paved the way for many of the innovations that would follow in the years to come.
Grey Gull Songs in the Blind Skeleton Collection
| Song | Artist | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sheik | Joseph Knechts WaldorfAstoria Orchestra | 1921 | GreyGull |
| Its You | Joseph Knechts WaldorfAstoria Orchestra | 1921 | GreyGull |
| Sing Me That Beautiful Traumerei | Ben Litchfield | 1925 | GreyGull |
| If I Had A Girl Like You | Joe Sargent | 1925 | GreyGull |
| Summertime in the Old Tin Can | Arthur Fields | 1926 | GreyGull |
| The Little Old Ford and the Big Rolls Royce | Arthur Fields | 1926 | GreyGull |
| My Lord What A Morning | Harry A Delmore | 1927 | GreyGull |
| By and By | Harry A Delmore | 1927 | GreyGull |
Previous Record Labels:
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(c) Victor Wiebe
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