Race Records
The original Mamie Smith recording was in 1920, of “Crazy Blues.” General Phonograph Corp, OKeH’s manufacturer used Smith’s success as the press to cultivate the new market. Portraits of Smith and lists of her records were used as the advertisements in newspapers including the Chicago Defender, the Atlanta Independent, New York Colored News, and others popular with the African-American community (even though Smith's records were part of OKeh's regular 4000 series). Okeh had further prominence in the demographic, as African-American artists such as Sara Martin, Eva Taylor, Shelton Brooks, Esther Bigeou, and Handy’s Orchestra recorded exclusively for the label. OKeh started a special 8000 series devoted exclusively to "Race" artists. The success of this series led OKeh to start recording where the music was actually being performed, known as “remote” or “location” recording.
The 8000 series, which began in 1921 lasted until late 1934, the final number being 8966.
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