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Onyx Records, Inc., was a small, independent American record label based in Manhattan, New York, co-founded in 1972 by Joe Fields^[1]^[2] (né Joseph Nancy Fields; born 1929) and Don Schlitten (né Donald Nina Schlitten; born 1932)^[3] and managed by Gentry McCreary. Its address was at 160 West 71st Street on the Upper West Side. Onyx flourished from its founding through 1978, re-issuing recordings, including those of:

Art Tatum, Hot Lips Page, Don Byas, and Charlie Parker

Its initial releases were selections from the Jerry Newman Collection (né Jerome Robert Newman; 1918–1970), who made the recordings in Harlem in 1941 while a student at Columbia University.^[4]

Onyx was famous for the Onyx club and

Charlie Parker recordings, Early Bird, recordings at at St. Nick's Pub in Harlem.

Onyx also received acclaim from Dan Morgenstern for its release of radio broadcast transcriptions from KFBI Wichita featuring the Jay McShann Band with Charlie Parker.Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page).

Background[edit]

Founding of Onyx

Onyx was a New York corporation formed on July 15, 1971 under the name of Avatar Productions, Inc. The name was changed to Onyx Records, Inc., in 1973. Onyx was owned equally by Joe Fields and Don Schlitten. Onyx was in the business of securing rights in "classic" jazz master recordings and manufacturing and distributing phono records derived from such master recordings.

Newman's collection

Newman,^[a] while a student at Columbia in 1941, lugged his acetate disc recording machine — a portable Wilcox-Gay Recordio "disc cutter" — to jazz clubs in Harlem, including Minton's Playhouse on 118th Street and Clark Monroe’s Uptown House on 134th Street, both of which were incubators of jazz of the day. Newman's collection became the backbone for Onyx Recording, Inc.

Art Tatum at Minton's in 1941, issued by Onyx after being declined by Columbia, on the LP God Is In The House.^{[Discography 1]} At the 16th Annual Grammy Awards held in March 1974, the album won two Grammys, one for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and one for Best Liner Notes, written by Morgenstern

Newman's recordings have been issued as unauthorized records, variously over the years, but none were done so with the permission or participation of the artists or their estates.^[5] The commercial value of the recordings were nil; and those who acquired them viewed the market as one of historic preservation.

Re-release of broadcast transcriptions of KFBI radio, Wichita

The Jay McShann Band recorded two sessions – one on November 30, 1940, and one on December 2, 1940 — at the studio of KFBI radio, Wichita, for broadcast transcriptions. The band members were:

Charlie Parker (1920–1955) (alto sax),

Buddy Anderson (1919–1997) (trumpet),

Orville "Piggy" Minor (1917–1999) (trumpet),

Bud Gould (né James Frederick Gould; 1917–2002) (trombone, violin),

William James Scott ("Scotty", grew-up in Kansas City) (tenor sax) †

Jay McShann (2016–2006) (piano),

Gene Ramey (1913–1984) (bass), and

Gus Johnson (2013–2000) (drums)

† Replaced for the second sessions by Bob Mabane (né Robert Lee Mcbane, Jr.; 1914–1991) (tenor sax),

Principals[edit]

Don Schlitten, president, was an RCA producer who, at the time, had been producing RCA Vintage Series
Gentry McCreary, general manager
Fields was also the sole shareholder of Blanchris, Inc., the parent company of Muse Records (co-founded by both Fields and Schlitten). Muse was primarily in the business of recording and distributing contemporary jazz records.

Selected artists[edit]

Other labels with a similar name[edit]

Onyx Records, an American rockabilly label from the late 1950s, owned by Jerry Winston. The label was known for having recorded The Velours.
Onyx International Records, a gospel label

Chocolate Williams research[edit]

Chocolate Williams and His Chocolateers: Herbie Nichols was a Chocolateer; Chocolate Williams wrote: "Three Nickles and a Dime" (1944); Chocolate Williams and His Chocolateers - Not a vocal group, but they released a couple of nice sides on New York's Hi-Lo label in 1952

Billy Taylor told Bill Milkowski of JazzTimes in 1991 that Chocolate Williams played at Minton’s a lot, and that was how he got on a 1952 session they were hearing together, a Herb Nichols joint.

Candidates

Charles Williams, 36 W 138th St, Harlem, born 1909, Louisiana (musician / club) (1930 Census)
Rudolph Williams, 2158-2160 7th Ave, Harlem, born 1909, North Carolina (musician / band)

Note — Johnny Williams (bass 1908–1998)

Chocolate Williams and His Chocolateers

HL 311: "Lady Ginger Snap," w&m by Ernie Washington (né Ernest Franklin Washington; 1926–1979) & Paul Bascomb Hi-Lo 1402 (Williams, vocal)
HL 312: "Good Story Blues," by Williams & Darr, Hi-Lo 1402 (Williams, vocal) on YouTube
HL 313: "Who's Blues?" by Nathaniel Pierce Blish, Jr. (1901–1992) Hi-Lo 1403
HL 314: "'S Wonderful," by Gershwin Hi-Lo 1403
HL 314: "'S Wonderful," by Gershwin (alt)
HL 315: "Nichols and Dimes," by James Johnson?
HL 315: "Nichols and Dimes," by James Johnson? (alt)
HL 316: "Walkin' Wig" (unissued)
"Blues Too Much," by Ozzie Cadena
"Cherokee"

Note: It is doubtful if HL316 "Walkin' Wig" actually existed. It is probably a proposed retitling of "Good Story Blues." Source: Liner notes to Savoy (G)WL70829 by Michael Cuscuna; OCLC 19683543

"Good Story Blues" lyrics:

Don't want no woman

That uses a straight comb

Don't want no woman

That uses a straight comb

She's ornery and evil

Can't keep a happy home

Looks in the mirror

Get mad when she sees her hair

Looks in the mirror

Get mad when she sees her hair

References[edit]

Notes

^ Bill Fox (aka Bill Mink, Bill Wolf/Wolfe), Jerry Newman, and Seymour Weiss (né Seymour Michael Wyse; born 1923 in London) founded the Esoteric Record Corporation in 1949 in New York. In 1957 the label was renamed Counterpoint; and after being first sold to Eichler Records Corporation in 1960, and then to Everest Record Group in 1963, to Counterpoint / Esoteric Records. Earlier, in 1948, Newman and Wyse founded Greenwich Music Shop. In 1964, Fox moved to Vanguard Records, to become the production coordinator. Fox had been Newman's business partner with the Greenwich Music Shop

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Discography references

^ God is in the house, Art Tatum, Onyx Records, ORI 205 (LP) (1972); OCLC 3197822, 473711960

Art Tatum (1909–1956) (piano), Frankie Newton (1906–1954) (trumpet), Chocolate Williams (bass); Ebenezer Paul (1919–1947) (bass)
    Liner notes: Dan Morgenstern     1940: November 11
    1941: May 7, July 26–27, September 16
    Minton's, Harlem
    Re-issued: HighNote HCD 7030 (CD) (1998); OCLC 41634272