Puritan Records
American record label active from 1917 to 1929, later revived independently for roots and bluegrass releases.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Puritan Records was an American phonograph-record label established in 1917 during the early expansion of the United States record and phonograph industry. The imprint originated with United Phonographs Corporation, an enterprise organized by Frederick Dennett, whose Wisconsin Chair Company had previously manufactured phonograph cabinets for Edison. United Phonographs advertised Puritan phonographs and records by March 1917, while related pressing and record-manufacturing activities were developed through Wisconsin Chair facilities and the New York Recording Laboratories. The label’s corporate identity changed during its first years. In 1919, recording executive Art Satherley established a New York studio for New York Recording Laboratories, allowing Wisconsin Chair to participate more directly in record production. The company also launched Paramount Records, and Puritan subsequently operated largely as a companion or parallel imprint. Although the exact chronology of some early releases is difficult to reconstruct, Puritan and Paramount often issued related material in corresponding series. Puritan’s catalogue was oriented principally toward mainstream popular music, dance selections, light music, and some classical material rather than the country and African American blues repertoire for which Paramount later became especially celebrated. Puritan used several manufacturing and distribution arrangements. Records were pressed at the Wisconsin Chair operation in Grafton, Wisconsin, and for a period were also manufactured by the Bridgeport Die and Machine Company in Connecticut. The collapse of Bridgeport Die and Machine in 1925 and the court-ordered dissolution of New York Recording Laboratories on January 1, 1926 disrupted the label’s original production network. Puritan nevertheless continued releasing records until 1929, drawing on masters from outside companies, including Regal Records, and maintaining a popular-music program after Paramount had increasingly concentrated on country music and blues recorded in Chicago and elsewhere. Its releases included performances associated with orchestras and popular entertainers active in the New York recording scene, including ensembles led by Ben Selvin, Joseph Samuels, Nathan Glantz, Eddie Davis, and Harry Yerkes. Some Puritan material also appeared on other labels, particularly Banner and related imprints, making the label relevant to discographical research as well as to collectors of historical records. Puritan pressings are generally scarce. Their sound quality varies by manufacturer: Wisconsin pressings are regarded as more durable but can be noisy, while Bridgeport pressings may sound better but are more fragile. The original label ceased operation in 1929. In 1972, record collector Dave Samuelson licensed the Puritan name for an unrelated independent label focused on American roots and bluegrass music. That revival initially operated from Evanston, Illinois, moved to Battle Ground, Indiana, in 1975, and ended in 1981. The later venture reused visual elements associated with the 1920s imprint but had no corporate or operational continuity with the historical Puritan label. Today, Puritan is chiefly remembered as a scarce period imprint connected to Wisconsin Chair, New York Recording Laboratories, and Paramount, and as a source of evidence for the distribution and cataloguing practices of the early American record industry.
History
Puritan Records emerged from the phonograph manufacturing interests of the Wisconsin Chair Company. Frederick Dennett, who had supplied phonograph cabinets to Edison, organized United Phonographs Corporation in late 1916 after selling one of his manufacturing plants to Edison. United Phonographs operated from the Lake Side Craft Shops in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and began advertising Puritan phonographs and records in March 1917. The earliest Puritan records were vertical-cut discs. Their provenance is uncertain because Wisconsin Chair is not known to have operated a recording studio before 1919, suggesting that some early masters may have originated with other vertical-cut companies. Wisconsin Chair could, however, press records at its Grafton facility. The manufacturing operation was formally incorporated as New York Recording Laboratories in June 1917, although the Puritan label, its phonographs, and the associated Colonial Phonograph Company were organized as subsidiary divisions of Wisconsin Chair. A major transition occurred in 1919, when Art Satherley established a New York studio for New York Recording Laboratories. This marked Wisconsin Chair’s more direct entry into recording and coincided with the development of Paramount Records. Puritan and Paramount releases were often issued in parallel, though the relationship between their numbering and release dates was complicated by multiple pressing plants, reissues, and outside distribution arrangements. Dennett died in 1920. In 1922, successors at United Phonographs Corporation withdrew from the phonograph business, and the Puritan imprint transferred to Wisconsin Chair. During the following years, Puritan records were pressed both by New York Recording Laboratories in Grafton and by Bridgeport Die and Machine Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. New York Recording Laboratories masters were also distributed through other labels serviced by Bridgeport, including Banner, Triangle, Broadway, and Paramount-related imprints. Bridgeport Die and Machine entered bankruptcy in 1925, and New York Recording Laboratories was dissolved by court order on January 1, 1926. Puritan continued nevertheless, using masters obtained from companies such as Regal Records. Its catalogue remained centered on mainstream popular songs and dance records, frequently reflecting the output of Paramount’s New York operations. This orientation continued even as Paramount itself increasingly focused on country and blues recordings made around Chicago and by Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana. Puritan’s visual identity and catalogue numbering changed over time. Early vertical-cut labels used a multicolored design featuring a woman listening to a phonograph. Later lateral-cut issues retained the image but added decorative borders, followed by simpler gold-and-blue and gold-and-black designs. Bridgeport pressings used a distinct black label with gold and white printing and a profile image of a traditionally styled Puritan figure. Numbering included separate series for classical, light-music, and popular releases, with the 11000 popular series continuing until the end of the original label’s activity. The highest known number in that series is 11819, issued in 1929. The original Puritan label ended in 1929. Its records are now scarce and valued primarily for their historical, collecting, and discographical significance. The imprint did not carry the country and Downhome blues catalogue that made Paramount famous, although some releases associated with performers such as Lucille Hegamin, King Oliver, Ford Dabney, W. C. Handy, and early Fletcher Henderson or Duke Ellington are of interest to collectors. In 1972, collector Dave Samuelson licensed the Puritan name for a separate independent label devoted to American roots and bluegrass music. The revived operation began in Evanston, Illinois, moved to Battle Ground, Indiana, in 1975, and ceased in 1981. Although it reused elements of the earlier label’s typeface and visual design, it was not a continuation of the original Wisconsin Chair enterprise.
- 1981
Revival label ceased operations
[1]The independent roots and bluegrass venture using the Puritan name ended operations.
- 1975
Revival label moved to Indiana
[1]The independently operated revival moved from Evanston, Illinois, to Battle Ground, Indiana.
- 1972
Puritan name revived independently
[1]Dave Samuelson licensed the name for an unrelated independent label specializing in American roots and bluegrass music.
- 1929
Original Puritan label ended
[1]Puritan’s original recording-label operation ceased after issuing popular and dance selections through the 11000 series.
- 1926
New York Recording Laboratories dissolved
[1]New York Recording Laboratories was dissolved by court order on January 1, 1926, but Puritan continued releasing records through other arrangements.
- 1925
Bridgeport Die and Machine entered bankruptcy
[1]The bankruptcy of Bridgeport Die and Machine disrupted one of the pressing and servicing channels used for Puritan and related labels.
- 1922
Puritan transferred to Wisconsin Chair
[1]United Phonographs Corporation’s successors left the phonograph business, after which the Puritan imprint transferred to Wisconsin Chair Company.
- 1920
Frederick Dennett died
[1]Dennett’s death marked a leadership transition for the United Phonographs and Wisconsin Chair interests behind Puritan.
- 1919
New York recording studio established
[1]Art Satherley established a New York studio for New York Recording Laboratories, strengthening Wisconsin Chair’s position in record production and coinciding with the emergence of Paramount Records.
- 1917
Puritan records advertised
[1]United Phonographs began advertising Puritan phonographs and records. Wisconsin Chair’s record-pressing activities were developed at Grafton, Wisconsin, and New York Recording Laboratories was incorporated during the year.
Products and positioning
A lower-profile American companion imprint associated with Wisconsin Chair and Paramount, focused mainly on popular and dance music rather than Paramount’s later country and blues specialization.
Phonograph records · 1917
Puritan vertical-cut records
The earliest Puritan releases used vertical-cut technology and are now particularly scarce. Their exact source history is not fully resolved, since Wisconsin Chair had not yet established a clearly documented recording studio at the beginning of the label’s life. Early examples used a multicolored label with an image of a woman listening to a phonograph.
Classical records · 1919
Puritan 6000 series
The 6000 series formed Puritan’s classical line during the lateral-cut period. It was one of several concurrent numbering systems introduced around 1919, but the classical program did not continue beyond approximately 1923.
Light-music records · 1919
Puritan 9000 series
The 9000 series was used for light music and was broadly related to releases in Paramount’s 33000 series. It represented Puritan’s middle catalogue stream between the classical and popular lines.
Popular and dance records · 1919
Puritan 11000 series
The 11000 series was Puritan’s principal popular-music line and generally corresponded to Paramount’s 20000 series. It featured mainstream songs and dance-orchestra performances, with releases continuing until the end of the original label’s activity. The highest known popular-series number is 11819.
Roots and bluegrass records · 1972
Puritan revival label
The name was licensed in 1972 for an independent label devoted to American roots and bluegrass music. It reused design elements from the historical Puritan imprint but was unrelated to the Wisconsin Chair-era business.
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