Herwin Records

Herwin Records was an American record label established in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri, by brothers Herbert and Edwin Schiele. Its name was formed from parts of their first names: “HER” from Herbert and “WIN” from Edwin. Rather than operating primarily through conventional record shops, the label used a mail-order model and promoted its releases in farming magazines, a distribution approach suited to rural customers and to the broad circulation of inexpensive recordings during the 1920s. The original Herwin catalogue focused on budget-priced discs in musical areas that included jazz, blues, and old-time music. The label’s records were pressed by outside manufacturers, notably Gennett and Paramount, reflecting the common structure of the period in which smaller labels commissioned production from established pressing and distribution organizations. Herwin’s catalogue included recordings associated with artists such as Charley Patton, Chubby Parker, and Ernest Stoneman. These releases placed the label within the commercial network that helped circulate African American blues, early jazz, and rural or traditional repertories to a wider listening public. The first Herwin operation ended in 1930 after the label was acquired by the Wisconsin Chair Company, the owner of Paramount. The acquisition connected Herwin’s catalogue and business to a larger record-industry organization, but the original mail-order label did not continue as an independent operation. Its historical importance rests less on corporate longevity than on its role in distributing inexpensive recordings and on the surviving interest in its early catalogue, particularly among collectors and researchers of prewar American music. A separate Herwin Records was established in 1971 by Bernard Klatzko, a record collector. This later operation was oriented toward reissuing rare early-jazz discs rather than continuing the original company’s 1920s mail-order business. The later label therefore revived the Herwin name in a specialist archival and collector context. Reference material identifies postwar Herwin releases and an illustrated discography associated with Klatzko’s activities, but does not establish a current corporate structure, present-day ownership, or active operating status. Herwin Records is consequently best understood as a historical label name with a later reissue-era continuation or revival rather than as a clearly documented contemporary record company.

Herwin Records began in 1925 when brothers Herbert and Edwin Schiele founded a record label in St. Louis, Missouri. The label’s name combined elements of their first names. Its business model was based on mail-order sales, with advertisements placed in farming magazines to reach customers beyond the established urban record-retail network. This approach was particularly relevant to a period when recorded music was becoming a mass consumer product and when inexpensive discs could be marketed to geographically dispersed households. The label issued budget recordings in several commercially important repertories, including jazz, blues, and old-time music. Its records were pressed by Gennett and Paramount, two established names in the American recording industry. Herwin’s catalogue included artists such as Charley Patton, Chubby Parker, and Ernest Stoneman. These associations indicate the label’s participation in the circulation of both African American musical traditions and rural or traditional performance styles during the 1920s. The label’s significance is therefore tied to distribution and preservation as well as to its commercial identity: it helped place recordings from varied musical communities into an affordable mail-order catalogue. The original Herwin operation ended in 1930 when it was purchased by the Wisconsin Chair Company, which owned Paramount. The transaction brought Herwin under the control of a larger company but did not preserve the original label as an independent long-term business. Herwin’s early records subsequently became part of the historical record of small and budget-oriented American labels active during the prewar era. In 1971, record collector Bernard Klatzko started a second Herwin Records. This later label was not described as a continuation of the Schiele brothers’ original mail-order company in operational terms; instead, it concentrated on reissuing rare early-jazz discs. The revival reflected the growing collector and archival market for early American recordings. Later Herwin material is associated with postwar releases and an illustrated discography documenting the reissue activity. The available reference material does not identify a present headquarters, current owner, modern distribution operation, or definitive date of closure for the later label. Herwin Records is therefore documented as a historical American label founded in 1925, acquired in 1930, and revived under a different founder in 1971 for specialist early-jazz reissues. Its legacy lies in the combination of accessible mail-order distribution, early jazz and blues cataloguing, and later collector-oriented preservation.

• 1971

  Herwin name is revived for reissues

  [1]Herwin Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Collector Bernard Klatzko starts a second Herwin Records focused on reissuing rare early-jazz discs.

• 1930

  Original label is acquired

  [1]Herwin Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Wisconsin Chair Company, owner of Paramount, buys Herwin Records, ending the original independent operation.

• 1925

  Herwin Records is founded

  [1]Herwin Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Brothers Herbert and Edwin Schiele establish Herwin Records in St. Louis, Missouri. The label name is derived from parts of their first names.

• 1925

  Mail-order catalogue launches

  [1]Herwin Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Herwin markets budget records by mail, advertising in farming magazines and offering jazz, blues, and old-time music to a geographically broad customer base.

Historically, Herwin Records positioned itself as an inexpensive, accessible mail-order label serving listeners interested in jazz, blues, and old-time music. The later Herwin operation adopted a specialist reissue position aimed at collectors of early jazz and rare historical recordings.

• Recorded music · 1925

  Original Herwin budget records

  The original label’s core products were inexpensive discs sold through the mail. Herwin’s catalogue covered jazz, blues, and old-time music, and the records were pressed by outside manufacturers including Gennett and Paramount. The mail-order format and magazine advertising helped the label reach listeners outside the main urban retail markets.

• Reissue recordings · 1971

  Early jazz reissues

  The second Herwin Records, established by Bernard Klatzko in 1971, issued reprints of rare early-jazz discs. These releases served a collector and archival audience interested in historically significant recordings that were difficult to obtain through ordinary contemporary retail channels.

• 1971

  Collector-oriented revivalStrategy

  Background

  Interest in rare early American recordings provided a basis for a new label using the historic Herwin name.

  Action taken

  Bernard Klatzko established a second Herwin Records focused on reissuing rare early-jazz discs.

  Aftermath

  The Herwin name continued in a specialist postwar reissue context, with releases documented through an illustrated discography.

  Source

• 1930

  Sale to the Wisconsin Chair CompanyM&A

  Background

  The original Herwin label operated as a small mail-order record business while Paramount was controlled by the Wisconsin Chair Company.

  Action taken

  The Wisconsin Chair Company acquired Herwin Records. The buyer also owned Paramount, one of the companies involved in pressing Herwin records.

  Aftermath

  The original Herwin operation ended as an independent label. The reference material does not specify the detailed treatment of its catalogue after the acquisition.

  Source

1. 1Herwin Recordsen.wikipedia.org