Park Foundation Music App

Home > Labels

Black Swan Records (2)

Profile

USA Shellac, 10", 78 RPM releases. Harry Pace launched the Black Swan label in 1921, and Pace Phonograph Corporation was the first successful black-owned and operated record company. The label was named after Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, a 19th-century black performer who had been billed as "The Black Swan". Pace retained [a307323] as recording director and chief accompanist and [a897487] as musical director of his company. Black Swan issued many blues records by [a307217], [a456907] and [a265678], as well as religious, standard, classical and operatic series. Despite a diverse catalog and aggressive promotion, Black Swan encountered distribution problems and declining sales forced Pace to sell his rights to [l464821], manufacturers of [l93131], in 1924. Label was revived for reissues as [l534172]