GENERAL TAVERN TUNES
Produced by the Consolidated Record. Co., 1600 Broadway, New York City. Owned by Hazard Reeves of Reeves Sound Studios, Gordon Mercer of Musicraft and John H. Green. General was a very eclectic label which produced a lot of special projects like Spivy's Exclusive album. It finally decided tosome money making records with jukebox appeal. General began re-releasing comedy, blues and risqué records as budget Tavern Tunes after 1940. Billboard Mar. 2, 1940 announced them as "Produced exclusively for the music machine trade." The Tavern Tunesnot necessarily risque, sloppy drunks also liked barbershop quartets to sing along with. Green enlisted in the Army at the end of 1942 and Reeves went into war-related work. Eli Oberstein purchased the old Reeves studio in 1944. Some risqué items including alternate takes were released on black labels without any company identification, perhaps by Oberstein. (See the titles section) The General catalog was purchased by Commodore in 1946, and at least one TAVERN TUNES was issued in 1947 although there is no paperwork for it in files provided by Milt Gabler to GRP. Blue label with silver print.
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