182:, after receiving financial help from James Starr and Richard Jackson, both residents of Richmond. When Trayser retired six years later, the company was renamed Chase Piano Company, Starr became president and Jackson secretary-treasurer. In the 1880s Chase moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to establish his own piano factory, leaving the Richmond operation to be renamed James Starr and Company, with James Starr as president and his brother Benjamin the manager.
27:
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Starr along with its assets. In 1952, the Starr name along with its factory was sold to the J. Solotken
Company, a scrap metal and paper salvager from Indianapolis. In 1953, the J. Solotken Company auctioned the Starr factory assets, including machinery, office equipment and other company supplies. Most of the buildings except the record pressing building were left abandoned through the 1960s and early 1970s before being sold off.
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189:, pursued a merger with Starr in 1892 which took place during the following year. Lumsden and Gennett owned half the company after that. After Lumsden died and James Starr retired, Gennett became president. By 1900, control of the company had passed from the Starr family to the Gennett: Henry (president) and his sons Harry (vice president), Clarence (treasurer), and Fred (secretary).
260:, California while Jesse French chain stores carried Starr pianos in their South and Southwest stores. The company had a showroom inside the Nashville Jesse French Piano Building at 240-242 Fifth Street North. An Indianapolis store was located at 138 and 140 Pennsylvania Street in the heart of Indy's piano district. The store carried Starr, Richmond and Remington pianos and retailed
400:
414:. The company was able to survive the beginning of the Depression in part by transition into a general manufacturer, making radio cabinets and refrigerator parts alongside their pianos. By 1935 Starr declared bankruptcy. Though they reincorporated as a smaller company soon after, they weren't able build themselves back up.
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by manufacturing goods for the war effort. By 1949, Starr's piano production dropped dramatically, with the refrigerator portion of the company breaking off and forming a separate company. Since making refrigerator parts was a serious aspect of keeping Starr afloat, the
Gennett family decided to sell
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earliest commercial recordings. At the height of the Starr's manufacturing, they made 25,000 pianos, 15,000 phonographs, and over 4 million records annually. Through the mid 1920s, Starr introduced their own line of electrical recorded records and
Isosonic phonographs to compete against Victor's line
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In the 1890s, pianos were so popular in
America that one hundred companies were making them. Between 1893 and 1949 Starr produced nearly a dozen brands, including Trayser, Duchess, Richmond, Remington, and Royal, and bought other piano companies like Krell in 1927. In 1915, 250 companies were making
307:. In late 1914 or early 1915, Starr began issuing records pressed from Phono-Cut masters, under a label named Remington. Although the records failed to sell well commercially, it justified Starr to beef up its record production and build their own recording studio. In 1916 Starr began selling
335:.) Wanting to sell their records outside Starr piano dealers, the Gennetts felt the label was too closely tied to Starr phonographs. Beginning in late 1917, into early 1918, the label's name was changed to Gennett to allow non-Starr piano dealers to sell their records.
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By 1929 the Great
Depression impacted the record industry greatly. Starr canceled their phonograph line that year and the Gennett label the following but kept some of the budget labels through the early 1930s. The remaining Starr record pressing building was leased to
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379:. However, their early electrically recorded records were plagued with problems, hurting sales. Though they were able to improve the processes quickly, the damage was done, and sales dropped through the late 1920s.
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patents started expiring on the disc phonographs in the mid 1910s, American businesses saw this as an opportunity to invest in a rapidly growing market. Joining with other piano makers making phonographs like
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filed it, and had the patent invalidated. With the patent invalidation going into full effect in 1921, nearly all record makers abandoned vertical cut records, with the exception of
299:, Starr introduced their own line of phonographs in late 1915. The Starr phonograph had a slight success at first for a minor brand, due in part to winning an award at the 1915
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and
Cecillian self-player's manufactured by the Farrand Organ Company of Detroit. On December 27, 1920, the Indianapolis retail store moved to 49-53 Monument Circle next to the
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One of the retailers that sold Starr pianos was the Jesse French Piano & Organ
Company in St. Louis. Two employees of that company, John Lumsden and his son-in-law
496:
Pianos and their makers: a comprehensive history of the development of the piano from the monochord to the concert grand player piano ; 300 illustrations
498:(Unabridged republication of the work originally published in 1911 by the Covina Publishing Company ed.). New York: Dover Publications. pp. 348–9.
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from the late 1800s to the middle 1900s. Founded by James Starr, the company also made phonographs and records and was the parent company of the jazz label
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In 1977 most of the factory was demolished. A conservation effort in the 1980s was able to save part of the building as a historic landmark. Today the
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The company went into serious decline after the 1940s. The
Gennett family, still having controlling shares, kept the business operating through
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By 1919, the Victor patents on lateral recording were starting to expire, with the remaining patent held in question. Starr, alongside the
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155:. The company is known for manufacturing pianos under the brand names of Starr, Trayser, Duchess, Richmond, Remington, and Royal.
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A natural history of the piano: the instrument, the music, the musicians - from Mozart to modern jazz, and everything in between
407:
With the stock market crash, Starr was only one of a handful of independent piano makers that wasn't absorbed into the massive
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is used as a park and event venue along with the
Gennett Walk of Fame, noting some of the famous artists who recorded there.
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patents still in effect on the lateral recording method, other companies were forced to make vertical cut records, including
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303:. The Gennett brothers toyed with the idea of getting into the record industry, purchasing the masters to the defunct
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354:. Through the early 1920s, Gennett's new lateral cut records became a popular jazz label, recording artists such as
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342:, challenged Victor's patent in court. The judge agreed that Victor was using the patent before
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and Milo J. Chase started the
Trayser Piano Forte Company in a building near the Ohio River in
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Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy : Gennett Records and the Rise of America's Musical Grassroots
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473:(Revised and expanded ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 2–11.
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221:(the Minum), a four-foot tall model designed for apartments (the Princess), and
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391:(along with some smaller labels) before being auctioned off in the 1970s.
178:, with Chase as the president and manager. In 1872, the company moved to
733:. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. pp. 118, 176–77.
642:. Indianapolis, IN: The Indianapolis Journal Newspaper. pp. 369–70.
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653:"Announcement: We Open for Business Tomorrow in our New Location".
615:. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 19–21.
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244:, Ohio. By 1915, Starr had retail stores in major cities such
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pianos, 75 percent from 25 companies that including Starr,
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Homer Rodeheaver and the Rise of the Gospel Music Industry
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Starr Piano Company Warehouse and Administration Building
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914:Piano manufacturing companies of the United States
757:Dahan, Charlie B.; Gennett, Linda Gennett (2016).
613:Images of America: Gennett Records and Starr Piano
201:. For its craftsmanship, Starr won awards at the
217:(1915). Starr sold fifty styles that included a
209:(1904), Tennessee Centennial Exposition (1907),
763:. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. p. 6.
8:
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909:Manufacturing companies established in 1893
311:records alongside their phonographs called
841:. Antique Phonograph Society. p. 211.
573:. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 175.
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894:American companies disestablished in 1952
718:. Antique Phonograph Society. p. 17.
698:. Antique Phonograph Society. p. 14.
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729:Mungons, Kevin and Douglas Yeo (2021).
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215:Panama–Pacific International Exposition
167:Starr Showroom, Richmond, Indiana, 1906
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835:Starr Phonographs and Gennett Records
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712:Starr Phonographs and Gennett Records
692:Starr Phonographs and Gennett Records
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639:The Journal Handbook of Indianapolis
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899:Defunct companies based in Indiana
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889:1952 disestablishments in Indiana
812:"Starr Piano and Gennett records"
403:The remains of the Starr factory
228:By 1904, Starr had showrooms in
147:was an American manufacturer of
760:Gennett Records and Starr Piano
611:Gennett Irmsher, Linda (2016).
270:Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
211:Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition
884:1893 establishments in Indiana
853:"Gennett Records Walk of Fame"
340:General Phonograph Corporation
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593:: CS1 maint: date and year (
469:Kennedy, Richard Lee (2012).
301:Panama–California Exposition
138:Pianos, Phonographs, Records
96:Purchased by J. Solotken Co.
64:James M. Starr & Company
16:American piano manufacturer
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669:"Gold Metal For Starr Co"
657:. 26 Dec 1920. p. 8.
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919:Re-established companies
569:Isacoff, Stuart (2011).
364:New Orleans Rhythm Kings
305:Phono-Cut Record Company
904:Gennett Records artists
832:Wakeman, R. J. (2018).
709:Wakeman, R. J. (2018).
689:Wakeman, R. J. (2018).
276:Phonographs and records
145:The Starr Piano Company
494:Dolge, Alfred (1972).
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266:Hilbert Circle Theatre
207:St. Louis World's Fair
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676:Talking Machine World
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377:Orthophonic Victrolas
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810:Gennett Foundation.
412:American Corporation
370:, including some of
203:Chicago's World Fair
678:. 1916. p. 28.
636:Hyman, Max (1902).
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20:Starr Piano Company
549:Antique Piano Shop
524:Antique Piano Shop
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368:King Oliver's band
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56:Piano Manufacturer
924:Richmond, Indiana
740:978-0-252-08583-3
655:Indianapolis Star
580:978-0-307-26637-8
505:978-0-486-22856-3
356:Jelly Roll Morton
250:Chicago, Illinois
246:Detroit, Michigan
180:Richmond, Indiana
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860:. Retrieved
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815:. Retrieved
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793:. Retrieved
791:. 5 May 1958
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419:World War II
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309:vertical cut
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262:Knabe pianos
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176:Ripley, Ohio
170:
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101:Headquarters
43:Company type
795:26 February
785:"Billboard"
258:Los Angeles
114:Area served
80:James Starr
61:Predecessor
878:Categories
789:google.com
433:References
387:and later
288:phonograph
124:Key people
589:cite book
325:Paramount
254:San Diego
242:Cleveland
199:Wurlitzer
409:Aeolian-
333:Vocalion
321:Columbia
268:and the
135:Products
53:Industry
545:"Krell"
520:"Starr"
395:Closure
297:Aeolian
293:Kimball
252:; and
195:Baldwin
159:History
153:Gennett
85:Defunct
77:Founder
69:Founded
862:12 Feb
817:12 Feb
767:
737:
619:
577:
554:2 June
529:2 June
502:
477:
366:, and
348:Edison
331:, and
317:Victor
240:, and
238:Toledo
230:Dayton
197:, and
149:pianos
839:(PDF)
716:(PDF)
696:(PDF)
672:(PDF)
352:Pathé
234:Piqua
864:2024
819:2024
797:2015
765:ISBN
735:ISBN
617:ISBN
595:link
575:ISBN
556:2021
531:2021
500:ISBN
475:ISBN
350:and
329:Okeh
319:and
295:and
256:and
93:Fate
88:1952
72:1872
375:of
272:.
880::
855:.
787:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
