UNITY

Kurt Nauck sent me my winning lot from his last Vintage Record Auction - a blue transparent flexible UNITY from ca. 1927-1928.

Most of you will know my passion for these very rare unbreakable 1920s recordings - Now I have, except for my Hit of the week - Durium collection of flexible card board records from the 1930s, about 35 Goodson's, Filmophones and Phonycords. All very rare collectors items. I've collected some of these rare items at my Flexible Records Project sites. Most of these records are so rare that the only way to collect it is collecting the colourfull images.

Isn't it cute? I found an image of a UNITY label some years ago somewhere on the internet, probably at eBay and posted it on my Flexible Records sites. Now I have that same record (same label - same titles - same copy) in my own hands.

One of those rare label, nearly mythically, is the Flexo label, an US flexible record from the 1920s. When I tried to get info about this record and asked great US record collectors about it, most told me that they never had seen one.
So ... I wanted to have a Flexo in my hands , smell it, taste ( ! ) it.

Somewhere in 1925 the Warner Record Company produced the New Flexo records. Strange, as there is no Old Flexo or even an early Flexo record known. (the Flexo records we know were released late 1920s - early 1930s). Later the company changed its name Warner Records to Wabine company and stayed in Kansas City until 1927 or 1928. They made regular New Flexo recordings from dance bands like Johnnie Cambell's. They also made custom records like the recordings for the Unity School of Christianity. These records were not labeled as New Flexo but as UNITY.


So .... at last I can have a Flexo in my hands, smell it, taste it .....

This is the discographical information:

MacDOWELL SISTERS "Sweethearts of the Air" Hawaiian Instruments Accomp. : Edith MacDowell hg, Grace MacDowell uk
Recorded ca. 1927-1928
256 IN THE GARDEN (C. Austin Miles) 402-A
258 GOD IS LOVE ( Clara H. Scott) 402-B


That's all information I have at the moment. Of course I'm anxious to learn, who where the MacDowell Sisters, probably a group of women vocalists known from a radio program. I found that they made records for Edison Diamond Discs and for Pathé, all in the Hawaiian styles.

Thanks to Curtis A. Beckwitch who sent me an image of the two MacDowell Sisters.

Thanks to Han Enderman who sent me an image of a slightly different UNITY 402-A label in a FLEXO cover.

Thanks to Malcolm Rockwell the names of these two charming ladies are known: Edith and Grace MacDowell ( Grace prob. plays the hawaiian guitar and Edith the ukulele.)