Revolutionizing Children's Records: December 2008

REVIEWS & COMMENTS

"David Bonner's fascinating look at the nostalgic world of Young People's Records takes the reader far beyond memory lane and into the political and philosophical worlds of those who planned them, wrote them, and performed on them. The complicated history of a host of record labels that sprung from those children's discs, which Mr. Bonner recounts, adds to the tremendous value of his book. Anyone who grew up with these priceless records must read what's on these pages."—Peter Bay, Conductor, Austin Symphony Orchestra

"I grew up with Young People's Records. 'The Funniest Song In The World' featuring Groucho Marx and 'By Rocket To The Moon' with Raymond Scott helped mold the mind of the boy who became Dr. Demento. Here's the whole story of how those and hundreds of other YPR favorites were created by some of the most progressive thinkers and artists of their times, how they became a target for those in the McCarthy era and later those who sought to repress and confine the minds of young Americans, and how their spirit of joy in knowledge perseveres."—Dr Demento, Syndicated Radio Personality

SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR MORE REVIEWS & COMMENTS

Monday, December 15, 2008

Margaret Sanger

I recently learned that Margaret Sanger, the famous advocate of birth control and founder of what became the Planned Parenthood organization, subscribed her grandchildren to the Young People's Record Club. Two letters from Sanger to the Club are contained in Sanger's archived papers.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Canada Lee's other YPR connection

In addition to narrating "Jazz Band" for Young People's Records, Canada Lee also sublet office space from YPR at 40 W. 46th St., where the company was headquartered from 1946 to 1949.

Canada is most often remembered as a casualty of blacklisting during the Red Scare. His being blacklisted had nothing to do with his connection to Young People's Records, but there was a Young People's Records connection to his being blacklisted.

During the sensational 1950 espionage trial of Judith Coplon and Valentin Gubitchev, some secret FBI documents were made public, and one of them accused various celebrities of being Communists or "fellow travelers." Canada was one of those so accused.

The attorney who defended Gubitchev during that trial was the owner of Young People's Records, Abraham Pomerantz.

Not that there's any significance to that...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Memo

Just an artifact from the archive...

Monday, December 8, 2008

Pfeffer / Anderson

David Pfeffer and David Anderson were child actors in the 1950s, and performed on many CRG titles. If anyone has contact info for either of them, please email me at haymarketaffairs@sbcglobal.net

ABOUT THE BOOK

Young People's Records and Children's Record Guild were the first commercially significant record clubs in the world. By applying proven book club methods to the field of phonograph records, these two related companies attracted some hundred thousand subscribers at their peak and serviced perhaps a million members in their existence. Revolutionizing Children's Records: The Young People's Records and Children's Record Guild Series, 1946-1977 tells the history of YPR/CRG, explaining how these two labels intersected important developments in the histories of mass marketing, recording technology, educational philosophy, folk music, contemporary composition, and Cold War politics. David Bonner covers in detail the history of YPR/CRG, tracing its influences back to the beginnings of music education in the 19th Century and incorporating the impact of the American folk music revival on music educators.

The narrative follows the career paths of the company principals, such as its progressive founder Horace Grenell; the musicians who recorded for him, like American folk music revival pioneer Tom Glazer; and the record industry offshoots they created in the process. Bonner considers advances the club made in recording technology as the first record label devoted exclusively to "unbreakable" vinyl discs and provides a comprehensive summary of record club marketing, including the application of "music appreciation" to phonograph records. He also charts the commercial, critical, and political response to these endeavors, including an historical footnote to the "Red Scare" unavailable in existing Cold War literature. A complete and detailed discography listing every YPR and CRG recording, including all known writers and performers, concludes this excellent reference for scholars, nostalgists, and phonographic fanatics.

HOW TO GET THE BOOK

• Order from the publisher: Scarecrow Press

• You can sometimes find the book for cheaper on Amazon, Abebooks, Ebay, or elsewhere on the internet.

• It's also on the shelves of many university libraries, so if you want to borrow it instead of forking over a bunch of cash, just go to the nearest public library and ask them to do an interlibrary loan for you.

MORE REVIEWS AND COMMENTS

"...thoroughly researched examination..."

-Dirty Linen ("The foremost US-based magazine of folk and world music.")

August/September 2008

"One has only to look at the profitable marketing of such artists as Hannah Montana to realize that this history of selling records to children is timely.... This book will be a treat for anyone interested in the history of the music industry. Highly recommended."

-CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

July 2008

"...a wealth of back-stories and information that helps to fill a 60-year gap in the literature."

-ARSC Journal

Fall 2008

"...an understanding of the times from an unlikely, surprising, and fascinating perspective."

-Anita Brandon, Professor Emerita

Millersville University

"...fabulous book, which has already surprised me on many other topics.... I can't recommend it highly enough."

-David Lennick,

Reissue Producer

"I bought 'Revolutionizing Children's Records' as soon as it came out. As far as I'm concerned, sixty dollars was a small price to pay. I learned much from this research."

-Dave Samuelson,

Record Producer and Country Music historian

"I enjoyed [it] enormously.... The discussion about record clubs, among other topics, segues into the paper I'm giving at ARSC next month, 'The Other Record Industry,' which discusses records not in Schwann. It nailed down dates and parentages I hadn't uncovered."

-Steve Smolian,

Sound Recording Restorationist/Preservationist

"This book is superb, it is thorough, and it is scholarly. I wonder if I am the only one who would like to have a big reunion and sing and dance this stuff."

-Rich Hilbert

Professor of Sociology, Gustavus Adolphus College

"I think this is the most trivial, unimportant, and BORING project I've ever heard of!"
-Tom Glazer, at the start of our first interview

Revolutionizing Children's Records