Editing Oxford Records

{{Infobox record label <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Music -->
| name        = Oxford Records
| image       = OxfordDiscRecord.jpg
| image_size  = <!-- size -->
| caption = Oxford label c. 1908 from Zonophone
| parent      = <!-- parent company, such as "[[Warner Music Group]]" -->
| founded     = {{start date|1906}}
| founder     = <!-- name of founders, separate with commas or <br /> -->
| fate        = <!-- explain the reason of the closing-->
| defunct     = {{end date|1916}}
| status      = Defunct
| distributor = <!-- distributors, separate with commas or <br /> -->
| genre       = [[Jazz]], [[ragtime]], pop
| country     = United States
| location    = <!-- headquarters city and state -->
}}

'''Oxford Records''' was a [[record label]] active in the [[United States|United States of America]] from roughly 1906 until 1916. The label was produced for [[Sears, Roebuck and Company|Sears]] by several labels, including [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] and [[Indestructible Record Company|Albany Indestructible Cylinders]] for cylinders and [[Leeds Talk-O-Phone|Leeds & Catlin]], [[Zonophone Records|Zon-O-Phone]], and Columbia for discs. No recording activity was undertaken by Sears. All discs were single-sided.<ref name=sutton>{{cite book |title= American Record Labels and Companies - An Encyclopedia (1891-1943)|first1= Allan|last1= Sutton|first2= Kurt|last2= Nauck|publisher= Mainspring Press|location= Denver, Colorado|year= 2000|isbn= 0-9671819-0-9|pages= 155–156}}</ref><ref name=Sutton-SRCRL-MP>{{cite web|last=Sutton|first=Allan|title=The Sears, Roebuck & Company Record Labels (1905-1950)|url=http://www.mainspringpress.com/sears-labels.html|publisher=Mainspring Press|accessdate=2 September 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125073816/http://mainspringpress.com/sears-labels.html|archivedate=25 November 2010}}</ref>

==History==
[[Image:OXFORD RECORD DISC-1.JPG|right|thumb|Oxford disc 388 from Columbia]]
In 1906, Sears introduced the Oxford disc to replace the earlier [[Harvard Records|Harvard]] brand.<ref name=sutton /> These discs in the 11000 and 16000 series, were produced by Leeds & Catlin.<ref name=sutton /> The 1908 Sears catalog introduced 7-inch discs listed at 21 cents that were pressed by Columbia and numbered in the 7000 series.<ref name=sutton /> In 1909 10-inch discs from Zonophone, retailing at 30 cents, were introduced.<ref name=sutton /> Fall 1911 saw Sears return to Columbia for pressings.<ref name=osr>{{cite book |title= Oxford and Silvertone Records 1911 - 1918|first1= Martin F.|last1= Bryan|first2= William R.|last2=Bryant|publisher= New Amberola Phonograph Co.|location= [[St. Johnsbury, Vermont]]|year= 1975}}</ref> These later discs are the most commonly found.<ref name=sutton /> The brand was phased out in 1916 for the new [[Silvertone Records (1916)|Silvertone]] brand,<ref name=sutton /> although records with the Oxford label were still being shipped in late 1917.<ref name=osr /> Recordings appearing on the Oxford label could be recorded anywhere from 1901 to 1916.<ref name=odpox1>{{cite web |url= http://www.78discography.com/Oxford1.htm|title=Oxford numerical listing discography: 1 - 1000|last1= Settlemier|first1= Tyrone|last2= Williams|first2= Fred|last3= McDaniel|first3= Mark|date= September 10, 2012|work= Online Discographical Project|publisher= |accessdate=November 19, 2012}}</ref> The take number is important to dating the recording, particularly for Columbia pressings. [[Cal Stewart]]'s "I'm Old But I'm Awfully Tough" (Oxford 22)<ref name=odpox1 /> first appeared on Columbia in 1901, but the issued take number of was probably recorded much later.<ref name=osr />

==Repertoire==
Oxford discs contain the same material as released by the producing company. For the most part the titles released were popular items that were deemed likely to sell over a long period of time. A few sides from Columbia's ethnic matrix series were also released.<ref name=odpox5000>{{cite web |url= http://www.78discography.com/Oxford5000.htm|title=Oxford 5000 series numerical listing discography|last1= Settlemier|first1= Tyrone|last2= Williams|first2= Fred|date= September 14, 2012|work= Online Discographical Project|publisher= |accessdate=November 19, 2012}}</ref> Artists are usually generic (i.e. "band", "banjo solo" "baritone") for the earlier pressings. These were the studio ensembles of the recording company and musicians commonly used by all record companies of the time such as [[Vess Ossman]] and [[Arthur Collins (singer)|Arthur Collins]].<ref name=odpox1 /> Later Columbia pressings often gave artist credit when such artist was not under exclusive contract to Columbia at the time.

==Notable artists appearing on Oxford==
* [[Irving Berlin]]<ref name=odpox3000>{{cite web |url= http://www.78discography.com/Oxford3000.htm|title=Oxford 78rpm numerical listing discography: 3000 - 5000|last1= Settlemier|first1= Tyrone|last2= McDaniel|first2= Mark|date= August 22, 2012|work= Online Discographical Project|publisher= |accessdate=November 19, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Henry Burr]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Arthur Collins (singer)|Arthur Collins]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Collins & Harlan]]<ref name=odpox1000>{{cite web |url= http://www.78discography.com/Oxford1000.htm|title=Oxford 78rpm numerical listing discography: 1000 - 2000|last1= Settlemier|first1= Tyrone|last2= Williams|first2= Fred|last3= McDaniel|first3= Mark|date= September 1, 2012|work= Online Discographical Project|publisher= |accessdate=November 19, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Edward M. Favor]]<ref name=odpox5000 />
* [[George J. Gaskin]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Byron G. Harlan]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Ada Jones]]<ref name=odpox1000 />
* [[Bohumir Kryl]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Harry Macdonough]]<ref name=odpox1000 />
* [[Billy Murray (singer)|Billy Murray]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Vess Ossman]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Charles A. Prince]]<ref name=odpox3000 />
* [[Peerless Quartet]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Stephen Porter (singer)|Steve Porter]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Len Spencer]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Frank C. Stanley]]<ref name=odpox1000 />
* [[Cal Stewart]]<ref name=odpox1 />
* [[Walter Van Brunt]]<ref name=odpox3000 />
* [[Bert Williams]]<ref name=odpox3000 />

==See also==
* [[List of record labels]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Record labels established in 1906]]
[[Category:Defunct record labels of the United States]]
[[Category:Cylinder record producers]]
[[Category:Record labels disestablished in 1916]]
[[Category:Record labels owned by Sears, Roebuck and Company]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1906]]