Previous Vocal Group Record of the Week
#787 (5/11/13 - 5/24/13)

CELEBRATING THE 16TH ANNIVERSARY OF
"RECORD OF THE WEEK" (5/10/97 - 5/10/13)

SPOTLIGHT ON THE HUB LABEL

THIS WEEK'S SELECTIONS PROVIDED BY
DAVE SAVIET

"Once And For All"/
"Bye Bye Baby Blues"
by The Ravens
on Hub 3033-B/A
released in 1946

"Two Wings"/
"Trouble Not The Woman"
by The Sunset Jubilee Singers
on Hub 3020-B/A
released in 1946

"Waitin' For The Train To Come In"/
"If I Didn't Have You"
by Celestine Stewart And The Charmers
on Hub 3006-A/B
released in 1945



Above: Hub Records ad from The Billboard dated 1/5/46. Notice that there was a "5000" series, but for what purpose... Marva Louis/Cooleridge Davis also had a release on #3010. Also notice that the song "If I Didn't Have You" appears twice. It was composed by Joe Thomas, a sax player who was The Ravens' vocal coach at the time.

Other artists to record for Hub include Manhattan Paul, Oran "Hot Lips" Page, Billy Ford, The Sunset Jubilee Singers, The Evangelist Singers, Ruble Blakey, Marie Bryant, Mable Scott, The Ravens, and The Gallisters (Galli Sisters).

Hub Records, located in New York City, existed from late 1945 to mid 1948. It was formed by Ben Bart and Harry Lenestka. Later, Jack Pearl joined the firm's management. Hub was distributed by Apollo Records.

Afro-American Newspaper (May 5, 1945): ....Ben Bart reported leaving Gale Agency on May 15 to join Harry Lenetska (who recently resigned). The pair with Ralph Cooper are forming Hub Records and Universal Attractions. A recording company and booking agency....

The Billboard (December 1, 1951): ....Ben Bart, who in addition to his Universal Attractions agency business was at one time in the record business with the Hub label, last week sold 28 masters he owned featuring alto saxist Tab Smith in two units to King and Mercury Records. Smith currently has become a hot disk entity via his "Because Of You" waxing on the United label....



[The above photo provided by Marv Goldberg.]
Above: Rare photo of Ben Bart, with James Brown, whom he managed.


Above Left: Column from The Billboard dated 5/19/45. "Taft" Smith is actually Tab Smith, who had the first release on the Hub label (#3000).

Above Right: Label image of Hub 3006 released in December 1945. It was Celestine Stewart And The Charmers' only release on Hub.



Above Left: Label image of Hub 3020 released in 1946. The Sunset Jubilee Singers also had earlier releases on Hub (#3004, 3005) as The Jubilee Singers. This group also backed Sister Marie Knight on the Haven label, as The Sunset Four, in 1946.

Above Right: Column from The Billboard dated 5/26/45.



Above Top: The original Ravens in 1946. (Top) Leonard Puzey (2nd tenor), Jimmy Ricks (bass), (Bottom) Ollie Jones (1st tenor), Warren Suttles (baritone).

Above Bottom: Clipping from The Billboard dated 10/2/48. Ben Bart was The Ravens' manager.

Click HERE for an article about The Ravens by Marv Goldberg.
(Will open in a separate window)





Above: Label image of Hub 3033 released circa October 1946. It was also released on a maroon label. This is the third of three records by The Ravens on the Hub label, all from 1946.

[From Marv Goldberg:
It wasn't terribly clear in the "old days" what went on with Hub and King. We now know that songs were re-recorded when Maithe (Marshall) joined the group (replacing Ollie Jones). As far as "Once And For All," Leonard Puzey is leading it, but Ollie Jones is in the background.

Here's the scoop:
In June 1948, since it was winding down operations, Hub Records sold some of its Ravens masters to King Records. (Presumably Ben Bart's split-up with Harry Lenetzka meant that Bart had less time to devote to a record company.) A blurb in the June 26 Billboard said that King had purchased six Ravens Hub masters, four of which had not been previously issued. (Remember that all six of the original 1946 Hub tunes with Ollie Jones had been re-recorded when Maithe Marshall joined in early 1947.) King bought two sides that had been released on Hub: "Once And For All" and "Bye Bye Baby Blues," and four sides that been re-recorded: "Out Of A Dream," "Honey," "My Sugar Is So Refined," and "Lullaby." (These weren't the only masters King bought. For example Hub 3045, by the Galli Sisters, was also reissued on King.)

With the Ravens as popular as they were on National, King tried to stretch the Hub masters as far as they'd go. The first release, in August 1948, was a two-sider ("Bye Bye Baby Blues"/"Once And For All" - these were the original Hub cuts). This time "Bye Bye Baby Blues" was snapped up by Ravens fans, pushing it to #8 on the R&B charts. All subsequent releases featured the Ravens on one side and the instrumental stylings of the 3 Clouds or the Herman Chittison Trio on the other. The rest of the releases were: "Out Of A Dream" (the re-recorded version, with Maithe) in November 1948, "Honey" (also a re-recorded version) in January 1949, and "My Sugar Is So Refined" (another re-recorded version: Leonard's was the first voice heard on the Hub cut; Ricks starts off on King) in May 1949. ("Lullaby" was sold too, but King never released it for some reason.)]


Listen to this week's selections On Hub Records:
[Audio restoration by Dave Saviet.]

     A. Stream RealAudio (DO NOT USE...LISTEN USING DOWNLOAD REALAUDIO)...
 
          The Ravens - Hub 3033:
          1. Once And For All
          2. Bye Bye Baby Blues

          The Sunset Jubilee Singers - Hub 3020:
          3. Two Wings
          4. Trouble Not The Woman

          C. Stewart And The Charmers - Hub 3006:
          5. Waitin' For The Train To Come In
          6. If I Didn't Have You
 
          ALL SIX played in sequence

     B. Download RealAudio...
 
          The Ravens - Hub 3033:
          1. Once And For All
          2. Bye Bye Baby Blues

          The Sunset Jubilee Singers - Hub 3020:
          3. Two Wings
          4. Trouble Not The Woman

          C. Stewart And The Charmers - Hub 3006:
          5. Waitin' For The Train To Come In
          6. If I Didn't Have You

     C. Stream/Download Media Player...
 
          The Ravens - Hub 3033:
          1. Once And For All
          2. Bye Bye Baby Blues

          The Sunset Jubilee Singers - Hub 3020:
          3. Two Wings
          4. Trouble Not The Woman

          C. Stewart And The Charmers - Hub 3006:
          5. Waitin' For The Train To Come In
          6. If I Didn't Have You


(Sunset Jubilee Singers)







     [To download audio files, right-click on link and then select "Save (Link) Target As..."]


Back


This site is non-commercial. All information displayed is provided to further the general public's knowledge of RnB vocal group harmony.