QRS Records
Releases on this page encompass four distinct ventures. Only the last two of these involved original recordings.
The first incarnation of the Q.R.S. label was produced in 1919 by the Emerson Phonograph Company Inc. for the Q.R.S. Company of Chicago, a major manufacturer of piano rolls. The initials stood for "Quality & Real Service". Emerson-produced records were 9" pressings from its own masters and cite a universal-cut patent.
The second version of the label was produced in the early 1920s. These were made by Starr Piano Company and were standard 10" lateral pressings that duplicated couplings and catalog numbers of Starr's Gennett Records. This label was discontinued in 1923.
The third version of the Q.R.S. label was launched in summer 1928 and was aimed primarily at the race and country music markets. This record division was directed by Art Satherley, the former recording manager of The New York Recording Laboratories. Satherly recorded masters for Q.R.S.'s exclusive use at the new Gennett Records studio in Long Island City, New York. Satherley commissioned original recordings for the label's exclusive use, and these were supplemented with material licensed from Paramount and Plaza Music Company. Artists of great merit recorded for Q.R.S. in the late 1920s, including Clifford Gibson, Earl Hines, King Oliver and Clarence Williams. However, sales of both race (R-7000 series) and country (R-9000 series) records were poor and the records are quite rare today. A supplement dated October 1929 lists the whole Q.R.S. catalog from this third era, indicating that all records produced during Satherley's tenure were released prior to the end of 1929. Many of these sides were subsequently reissued on Paramount and affiliated labels (eg. Broadway (9)) between November 1929 and August 1930.
The Q.R.S. label was revived briefly in early 1930 by the Cova Recording Corp., following the corporate reorganization of The Q.R.S. Company resulting from its merger with the De Vry Corporation. This fourth and final version of the label featured budget-priced pop material of mediocre quality. Masters were supplied by the Stanley Recording Studio. The artist roster at this time included the usual New York studio free-lancers, such as Irving Kaufman, Frank Luther and Tommy Weir. This version of the label lasted less than one year.
The first incarnation of the Q.R.S. label was produced in 1919 by the Emerson Phonograph Company Inc. for the Q.R.S. Company of Chicago, a major manufacturer of piano rolls. The initials stood for "Quality & Real Service". Emerson-produced records were 9" pressings from its own masters and cite a universal-cut patent.
The second version of the label was produced in the early 1920s. These were made by Starr Piano Company and were standard 10" lateral pressings that duplicated couplings and catalog numbers of Starr's Gennett Records. This label was discontinued in 1923.
The third version of the Q.R.S. label was launched in summer 1928 and was aimed primarily at the race and country music markets. This record division was directed by Art Satherley, the former recording manager of The New York Recording Laboratories. Satherly recorded masters for Q.R.S.'s exclusive use at the new Gennett Records studio in Long Island City, New York. Satherley commissioned original recordings for the label's exclusive use, and these were supplemented with material licensed from Paramount and Plaza Music Company. Artists of great merit recorded for Q.R.S. in the late 1920s, including Clifford Gibson, Earl Hines, King Oliver and Clarence Williams. However, sales of both race (R-7000 series) and country (R-9000 series) records were poor and the records are quite rare today. A supplement dated October 1929 lists the whole Q.R.S. catalog from this third era, indicating that all records produced during Satherley's tenure were released prior to the end of 1929. Many of these sides were subsequently reissued on Paramount and affiliated labels (eg. Broadway (9)) between November 1929 and August 1930.
The Q.R.S. label was revived briefly in early 1930 by the Cova Recording Corp., following the corporate reorganization of The Q.R.S. Company resulting from its merger with the De Vry Corporation. This fourth and final version of the label featured budget-priced pop material of mediocre quality. Masters were supplied by the Stanley Recording Studio. The artist roster at this time included the usual New York studio free-lancers, such as Irving Kaufman, Frank Luther and Tommy Weir. This version of the label lasted less than one year.