OKEH (LABEL)

An American record first produced by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Supply Co., Inc., of New York. Heinemann had resigned in December 1915 from his post as managing director of Carl Lindström AG, and set up this new firm; it had a factory in Elyria, Ohio, and an office in Chicago. In May 1916 he was

selling talking machines with the tradename Vanophone. By October 1917 the company declared itself to be the world’s largest manufacturer of talking machine supplies. Okeh records were on sale in May 1918, 10-inch, vertical-cut discs for $.75 each. The label was written in various ways, commencing as “OkeH” then going to all capitals with the middle letters smaller. By 1921 the form was Okeh, with only the initial capitalized; “OKeh” is also seen. The name supposedly came from Otto Heinemann’s initials combined with an Indian word meaning “It is so.” Material on the label included outstanding jazz and blues items, and folk music of various nations. “Ja Da” (#1155) and “Ole Miss” (#1156), issued in 1919, are described by Rust as “the only genuine New Orleans jazz on records at the time other than the music of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band.” Jimmy Durante led a group named the New Orleans Jazz Band. Mamie Smith made her first record for Okeh in 1920, “You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” (#4113), leading to the Okeh race series that started in 1921. Louis Armstrong’s earliest discs under his own name were Okeh. Later there were great popular artists of all kinds, including Duke Ellington, Smith Ballew, and Vernon Dalhart. A complete Okeh catalog appeared in October 1918. The price of records went up to $0.85 by December 1918. During 1919 about 25 new records came out each month. Agents in London were appointed in April 1919, and Okeh records were sold there from 1920. After 1 Oct 1919 the Heinemann company came to be known as the General Phonograph Corp., with Heinemann as president and general manager. The first lateral-cut Okeh records were advertised in December 1919. The General Phonograph Corp. of Canada, Ltd., was organized in Toronto. General announced in November 1920 that it had secured access to the recorded repertoire of Carl Lindström AG, including the catalogs of Beka, Dacapo,

Favorite, Fonotipia, Lyrophon, Odeon, and Parlophone. These were to become the Okeh “Foreign Records” series. American Odeon Corp. issued its last two lists in November 1921, of Odeon and Fonotipia releases; from January 1922 General issued Odeon and Fonotipia with their label names. Okeh material was used in Britain by the Parlophone Co., Ltd. from 1923. Some Okeh masters were used by Parlophone to press Ariel Grand Records for the mail order house of John G. Graves, Ltd. A new “red label” record using the “Truetone process”—evidently electric-was announced in February 1926, and the word Truetone appeared on labels. Columbia Phonograph Co. acquired Okeh in October 1926 and Heinemann was made president of a new Columbia subsidiary, the Okeh Phonograph Corp., in November 1926. Many label designs followed, in numerous colors,but the same jazz and swing repertoire continued. From 1935 to 1940 there was no Okeh label, but then CBS revived the Columbia label and Columbia changed its old subsidiary Vocalion into a new Okeh. It carried pop, jazz, gospel, country, sacred, and R&B material. Okeh remains in the CBS group, now owned by Sony. In Britain Parlophone has been the Okeh outlet. [Rust 1989.]

FRANK ANDREWS

Folk-pop producer/arranger Okun was born in Brooklyn. A child prodigy pianist, Okun seemed destined for a career as a classical performer until a case of nephritis left him bedridden and unable to play when he was 16 years old. Two years later, he decided to pursue a career in music education, studying at NYU and Oberlin. A fan of traditional folk music, Okun began composing orchestral arrangements of songs to perform around the country. He also recorded as a singer-guitarist for several small folk labels, including Stinson and Riverside. In 1957, Okun was hired by Harry Belafonte to play piano for his summer tour; he subsequently became a full-time employee, conducting and arranging for Belafonte as well as performing as a pianist and backup vocalist for the singer’s many performances. This led to work as an arranger for Vanguard Records, for artists like Leon Bibb and Paul Robeson. A key figure on the Greenwich Village folk scene, Okun heard a new group called the Chad Mitchell Trio performing one night and got them a record deal, producing their first albums. In 1960 Okun left Belafonte’s employment and went out on his own. He was quickly hired by folk promoter Albert Grossman to work with a new act he was forming to be called Peter, Paul, and Mary. Okun trained the group and made all of their arrangements, leading to a series of number one successes through the 1960s. Through his connection with the Chad Mitchell Trio, he brought to Peter, Paul, and Mary the work of a young songwriter named John Deutschendorf, who had replaced Mitchell as the lead singer in 1965. The song “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was a major hit under the songwriter’s new name (suggested by Okun), John Denver. Okun got Denver a solo contract with RCA and produced all of his initial hits including “Take Me Home Country Roads,” “Annie’s Song,” and “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Okun’s last production work was in the 1980s in partnership with Plácido Domingo. He provided full orchestral arrangements for Domingo’s performances of pop songs and standards, leading

to several successful albums beginning with Perhaps Love. Besides his production work, Okun founded Cherry Lane Music in 1960, now a major music publisher.