The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

“On This Day in the History of Recorded Sound…”

May 8, 1864: Born: Russell Hunting, prolific recording artist, first Phonoscope Editor, manager of several recording companies, and later Pathé’s chief recording director.

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Also sort of an industrial spy for Louis Sterling of the British Columbia Graphophone Company.

Sent him copies of Bell Lab electrical test pressings. Pathé was doing this work for Bell Labs.

Mr. Johnson of Victor was suffering from “melancholia“ when all of this happened. Victor lost out on the exclusive rights to the Bell Labs process.

Sterling and Hunting must have been very good friends since the old days, both very enterprising and extrovert persons, very special. Seems that when Hunting tested the Bell Labs records and discovered their incredible new sound, first thing he thought was that his friend should hear these, as head of the Columbia UK, and do something to get this new recording system. He was very excited as these records would rend the others useless as soon as the public knew them... Kind of 'or you do something to get this, or we all will be soon out of work'... This story is romantically narrated this way in 'From tinfoil to stereo' or similar book. I love this story, the urgency of these men, their need and passion, their power, and the bold moves they made. Must have been a very interesting era.