Bell Records

Bell Records was an American budget record label associated with the W. T. Grant Company, a chain of variety and department stores. The label began around 1920 and was initially produced for Grant by the Arto Company. When Arto went bankrupt in 1923, the Bell Record Company was organized to take over production and management of the label.

Bell was designed as an inexpensive alternative to the major record labels and featured a broad selection of popular music, including dance orchestras, vocal groups, novelty recordings, jazz, blues, and other contemporary material. Its catalog included performers such as the Peerless Quartet, Arthur Fields, and various studio and pseudonymous orchestras. Bell also drew upon masters from several recording companies rather than relying on a single recording source.

During its existence, Bell records were produced and pressed by several companies, including Arto, Independent Recording Laboratories, the Scranton Button Company, Emerson, and the Starr Piano Company. From 1926, the Consolidated Record Corporation produced Bell recordings under contract, with Charles Hasin overseeing production. This arrangement followed Consolidated’s earlier work for Emerson and other labels.

In late 1927, W. T. Grant introduced the Columbia-produced Diva label and dropped Bell. The Bell Record Company subsequently became independent of Grant, and production was transferred to the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana, which manufactured the final Bell records. The label disappeared by the end of 1928.

Bell Records is an interesting example of the budget-label market of the 1920s, when department stores and discount retailers used inexpensive records to bring recorded music to a wider audience. Its varied sources and multiple pressing arrangements also illustrate the complex network of independent recording and manufacturing companies that existed alongside the major record labels during the 78-rpm era.

Bell Records Discography

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