The Starr Piano Company located in Richmond Indiana was one of the United States’ largest manufacturers of pianos. In the early 1900s pianos were the primary source of entertainment for families. In 1915 when the demand for discs began to rise the company launched their recording division under the Gennett label. The studio was a single-story shed in the back of the piano factory with straw in the walls to block the sound of passing trains. This tucked-away hidden gem would end up attracting some big names and cementing itself in Indiana history.
Making History
While the rest of the world was caught up in prohibition, rural Indiana was caught up in the sound of jazz. Richmond was eventually nicknamed the “Cradle of Recorded Jazz”. In 1923 Gennett Records signed King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. These recordings were the first ever for a well-established black New Orleans band. Gennett would later lead the industry in recording top black jazz artists. They didn’t stop there. Jelly Roll Morton produced the first interracial recording in American history at Gennett. Bloomington Indiana’s own Hoagy Carmichael would record his most famous song “Stardust" in the studio in 1927. In April of 1923, Gennett was the first to record a young Louis Armstrong who would later become one of the most influential people in jazz.
Changing Times
The Great Depression took its toll on the record label in the 1930s. By 1934 they ended all recording and sold thousands of metal discs for scrap money to make payroll for Starr Piano employees. World War II called for the rationing of shellac— a key ingredient in making records. Smaller labels sold shellac to larger and newer labels to keep themselves afloat. Gennett sold dwindling numbers of records until the business faded away completely in 1948.
Preserving a Piece of Musical History
In September of 2007, the Starr-Gennett Foundation created a walk of fame to honor the most important artist of the recording studio. The Gennett Walk of Fame can be found along South 1st Street in Richmond Indiana. The original site of the Starr Piano Company. It is connected to the Whitewater Gorge Trail and the Cardinal Greenway Trail. Both of these trails are part of the American Discovery Trail. The Walk of Fame features more than 30 beautiful mosaic records displaying the famous artists who recorded at Gennett.
One of the original factory buildings was recently restored and repurposed into the “Starr-Gennett Pavilion”. The Starr-Gennett Foundation is involved in the community and regularly hosts musical events for people to enjoy.
A Walk Worth Taking
The story of The Starr Piano Company and Gennett Records is a defining piece of Hoosier history. They challenged the issue of race and prejudice in the 1920s, making a significant contribution to music and the state of Indiana. So put in some earbuds, play some old hot jazz, and walk through history with the Gennett Records River Walk.
