Sunshine Records | Florida's First Record Label
Channel: C Porter
Date: 2023-05-30

In all the stories I’ve had the pleasure to tell you about over the years, they’ve always been from places so impossibly far from me. People, bands, and businesses that if they ever messed around with MY part of the world, it would only be indirectly. All the hotspots for music and records in the early 20th century was in and around New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and other places. There were other places too that had their own true labels, sure. But Southlanders like me didn't really have much to identify with. There was at least ONE label that existed for us, right here in my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. After years of knowing we had our own recordings here, I decided it was time for me to learn and tell it's story.

0:00 Intro
2:08 General Phonograph Corporation.
4:48 Florida by 1924.
10:48 1925. Recording in St. Petersburg.
18:19 Sunshine Phonograph & Record Co.
21:10 Scott Record. 
27:05 Epilogue.
36:32 The Sunshine City Today.
40:11 Sunshine & Scott Record Today.
45:50 Credits

This video ended up taking a lot longer than I wanted it to, I had hoped it would've came out last month at least. Better late than never though.

Full transcript of Ralph Peer outlining recording process:

Method Outlined
"R. S. Peer, director of record production, who is making the arrangements, outlined the procedure that will follow. ["] When the players come in, they will be allowed to take any position they want. They will see nothing but a curtain with four horns sticking out of it. These for horns are attached to a central recording machine behind the curtain.["]
"Why the curtain? Experience has taught us that it is impossible to keep the players watching the directors if they can see the recording machine," said Mr. Peer.
"On this machine is a wax record and sapphire needle. The selection is played by the band, causing soundwaves to hit the diaphram of the recording machine [Sic.], which causes the stylus to vibrate, which in turn causes the sapphire to make a zigzag path around the record.
Record Replayed
"When this is done, the record is played. It is played for the benefit of Charles L. Hibbard, the recording engineer, the man who stands in importance next to the president of our company. He is one of the five experts in his field in the country. He listens intently to the record and though it may sound fine to the rest of us, it may not to him. He will know by it just what is to be featured, just which instrument needs to come closer to the horns. 'That choice is made after Mr. Hibbard decided which instruments should predominate, for the predominating instrument is the one which is brought closest to the horns.
"After this has been done, the first impression on the wax record is shaved off, leaving the surface smooth, and the piece is played again. This process continues until Mr. Hibbard is satisfied with the result. Then the selection is played once more for the wax record, but the record is not played. It has become something too precious to bother. It is what is called the master record, for it has on it the impression which is to be transferred to the celluloid discs which eventually are to reach the public. The process of making records from the master record requires seven days." 
-Ralph Peer, to the St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL. January 14th, 1925. Pages 1-2.

Map background used: "Clason's Guide Map Of The United States" Clason Map Co Denver, Colorado. October 7th, 1919. Library Of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701p.ct001838/?r=0.24,0.259,0.213,0.087,0 .

Thanks again to Doge Records for voice acting: https://youtube.com/@dogerecords5312

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