Paramount (Wisconsin) Album Discography

Paramount (Wisconsin/Chicago) Album Discography
By David Edwards and Mike Callahan
Last update: May 13, 2025

The Paramount Record Co. was started in 1917 as a division of the Wisconsin Chair Company in Grafton, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Chair Company manufactured cabinets for Edison Phonographs before going into the phonograph manufacturing business itself in 1915. In 1917, Paramount started manufacturing records in order to have records to sell in their retail stores.

In 1922, it began a series of "race" recordings. At this time "Race" was the name applied to recordings by and for black people. The first black artist Paramount recorded, at it's New York Recording Laboratory, was Alberta Hunter in mid-1922. Paramount, along with Gennett of Richmond, Indiana, and Okeh of New York, actively scouted the south for black artists for their labels. Paramount was responsible for recording a lot of pre-World War II blues, including the seminal Charlie Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson. The first recordings by Patton were actually made in the Richmond, Indiana studio of Gennett Records, because the recording studio Paramount was constructing in Grafton, Wisconsin in 1929 was not finished. Patton's recordings were released on Paramount, and are now some of the rarest and most expensive 78rpm recordings in the collector's market. In 1932, due to the severe depression, Wisconsin Chair closed down the Paramount label.

In the late 1940s, John Steiner and Hugh Davis, two record collectors/musicologists from Chicago who ran the S\D label, licensed and revived the Paramount label, but issued mostly jazz releases. In the early 1950s, a series of 10-inch red vinyl jazz albums was released; there was also a short calypso music series. Typical press runs for these albums were in the 300 range, making them very rare today, indeed. This incarnation of the Paramount label evidently closed down for good in the late 1950s. For much more detailed information on John Steiner's work with Paramount, see the well-researched writeup by Robert Pruter, Robert Campbell, et. al.

The Paramount Records in this discography had no relation to Paramount Pictures or Paramount Pictures' 1960s-1970s record label of the same name, nor did it have any connection with the Paramount Theater Chain's record label, ABC-Paramount.

The label used for CJS-101 through CJS-104, and also RS-201 (far left), was a reproduction of the old Paramount label 78s produced by Wisconsin Chair in the 1920s-30s. It was black with silver print with the Paramount eagle logo at the top, and "ELECTRICALLY RECORDED" under the label name. At CJS-105, the design changed (near left) to a black label with a ring about a half-inch inside the label edge. Outside the ring was "Chicago Jazz Series" at the top and "Paramount" at the bottom.

The label for CJS-106 (far left) had the same design as the label for CJS-105, but was a pale green with black print (a white label for CJS-106, like the label for CJS-110 below, is also known). CJS-108 and CJS-112 both had a green label with this design, but it was a dark green (near left).

The label for CJS-107 (far left) had a slightly different design. It was white with black print with "Paramount" at the top outside the ring, and "Jazz and Blues Classics" at the bottom outside the ring. This same design was used for CJS-113 and CJS-114, only in black with silver print (near left).

CJS-110 (far left) had a white label with black print with the same design as 105, 106, 108 and 109. S\D 1001 had the usual S\D label (near left). S\D was another of John Steiner's labels; the back cover of S\D 1001 mentions Paramount Records and lists Steiner's apartment in Chicago as the address for the labels.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Paramount Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2000, 2025 by Mike Callahan.

PARAMOUNT (WIS) ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY

Cover	Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] Contents
	Paramount CJS-100 Series (10-inch LPs, all issued on red vinyl):
	(No Logo) 1/2 - Informal Session At Squirrel's - Sons Of Bix's [2/51] 2-10" albums in a plain brown envelope. Recording date probably about July 4, 1950. Reissued in 1967 on MIS Records 3 (cover at left). Paramount 1: Whistle While You Work/Jazz Me Blues/Glory Cloud/What Is This Thing Called Love/I Cried For You/Blue Skies/China Boy; Paramount 2: Lord I Give You My Children/Darkness On The Delta/I Know That You Know/Rockabye Baby/Gum #1 and #2/Till We Meet Again
	CJS-101 - Yancey Special - Jimmy Yancey [1/52] Recorded December 23, 1950. The Yancey Special/Jimmy's Good Night Blues/Keep A Knockin'//Assembly Call Boogie/Everlasting Blues/Barber Shop Rag
	CJS-102 - The Wild Horns - Wild Bill Davison & Kid Punch Miller [1951] Shine - Kid Punch Miller/Harris Blues - Kid Punch Miller/Chinatown - Kid Punch Miller/High Society - Kid Punch Miller//Chubb-Steinberg Orchestra - The Bill Davison Story/Benny Meroff Band - The Bill Davison Story/Milwaukee Groups - The Bill Davison Story/Chateau Band - The Bill Davison Story
	CJS-103 - Kansas City Frank Melrose - Frank Melrose [1951] Market Street Jive/Piano Breakdown/New Whoopee Stomp/Distant Moan//Whoopee Stomp/Cosmics/Rock My Soul
	CJS-104 - Second Session At Squirrels - Son Of Bix's [Squirrel Ashcraft & Various Musicians] [1952] Recorded July 2-4, 1951. Bill's Guitar/Squeeze Me/Talk Of the Town/Fidgety Feet//McKenzie-Berigan Excerpts/Baby Won't You Please/Riverboat Shuffle/Clarinet Marmelade
	CJS-105 - Panorama - Bud Freeman & The Chicagoans [1953] Blue Lou (Bill Dohler, alto sax)/Ontario Barrelhouse/Blop Boose/Ribald Rhythm//Man I Love/Took Advantage Of Me/Blue Lou/Taking A Chance
	CJS-106 - The Dublin Date - Doc Evans' Greatest Jazz Band [1953] Label title is Doc Evans Jazzmen. Sposin'/Parker House Roll/Walkin' My Baby/Hindustan//Doc's Ology/Lulu's Back In Town/One Sweet Letter/Can't Believe
	CJS-107 - Playing Jazz Favorites - Johnny Wiggs' New Orleanians Featuring Ray Burke [1953] Heebie Jeebies/Pallet On The Floor/Pretty Baby/Tulip Stomp//Congo/Memories, Etc./Buddy Bolden/Mama's Baby Boy
	CJS-108 - The 3rd Squirrel - Sons Of Bix' Third Summer Festival [1954] Recorded July, 1952. Man I Love (Guitars)/TD's DT's/Accidental Occidental/Kenyon's Boys//Baby Please!/Pennies From Heaven/"Somebody" On 6 Instruments/Coquette
	CJS-109 - Traditional Piano Stylist (First Solos By One Of The Greatest Jazz Pianists Of Our Day) - Cass Simpson [1954] Tea For Two/It Don't Mean A Thing/Blues Variations/Variations On Variations//Moonglow/Song Of The Wanderer/Little Joe/Lost In A Fog
	CJS-110 - The 4th Festival - Son Of Bix' Fourth Summer Festival [1955] Recorded July, 1953. Emmaline/Just You Just Me/Farewell Blues/If I Had You/Blue Room//Da Da Strain/Virginia & The Nash Rambler/Sheik/After You've Gone
	CJS-111 - [not issued] Possibly planned as A 5th Festival at Squirrel's.
	CJS-112 - Powerhouse Piano - Tom Harris & Charlie Castner [1955] Yancey Goes Honky Tonk/Death And Transfiguration Stomp/St. Lou Boo Woo//Double In Mind/Whistlin' Blues/The Big Steady Rider
	CJS-113 - The Trios - Art Hodes Trios [1955] Labels give catalog number in error as CJS-112. Side 1 (Art Hodes, Darnell Howard & Baby Dodds): Slow And Easy Mama Every Night/I Know That You Know/Baby Food/Sweet Georgia Brown; Side 2 (Art Hodes, Volly DeFaut & Jasper Taylor): Someday Sweetheart/Washboard Stomp/Tishomingo/Copenhagen
	CJS-114 - Armand Hug Plays Armand Piron - Armand Hug [1955] Recorded October, 1953. Bouncing Around/Day By Day/Kiss Me, Sweet/Mama Goes Where Papa Goes//Sister Kate/Pretty Purple Rose Of Cairo/I Can't Beat Doing What Your Doing To Me/Mama's Gone,Goodbye
	RS-200 Series (10-inch LPs):
	RS-201 - The New York Style - Red Nichols and the New York Originators [1952] Red wax; reissue of three 1926-27 78s. Sidewalk Blues/Stockholm Stomp/Static Stomp//I Ain't Got Nobody/Third Rail/Shake That Thing
	600 Calypso Series (Some of these albums may be 12-inch albums):
	600 - Panama Varieties - Various Artists [1956?] 10-inch album.
	601 - Trinidad Calypso - Various Artists [1956?] 10-inch album.
	602 - Calypso - Lord Burgess [1956?] 10-inch album.
	603
	604 - Music From Oil Drums - Various Artists [1956?] 10-inch album.
	605
	606
	607 - Dominican Republic Meringues - Various Artists [1956?] 10-inch album.
	608 - Tropicana Calypso - Various Artists [1956?] 10-inch album.
	609
	610 - Cool Calypsos - Various Artists [1957?] This may be a 12-inch album.
	611 - Steel Bands-Music from Oil Drums - Various Artists [1957?]
	S\D 1000 Series (10-inch LP, red vinyl):
	SD-1001 - Wiggs-Burke Big 4 - Johnny Wiggs & Raymond Burke's Big 4 [1955] John Steiner released this album on his S-D label, but it was Paramount related. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home/Old Grey Bonnet/Black Snake Blues/Bucktown Bounce//How Come You Do Me Like You Do/Harmonica Blues/Darktown Strutters Ball/Singin' The Blues

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		The label used for CJS-101 through CJS-104, and also RS-201 (far left), was a reproduction of the old Paramount label 78s produced by Wisconsin Chair in the 1920s-30s. It was black with silver print with the Paramount eagle logo at the top, and "ELECTRICALLY RECORDED" under the label name. At CJS-105, the design changed (near left) to a black label with a ring about a half-inch inside the label edge. Outside the ring was "Chicago Jazz Series" at the top and "Paramount" at the bottom.
		The label for CJS-106 (far left) had the same design as the label for CJS-105, but was a pale green with black print (a white label for CJS-106, like the label for CJS-110 below, is also known). CJS-108 and CJS-112 both had a green label with this design, but it was a dark green (near left).
		The label for CJS-107 (far left) had a slightly different design. It was white with black print with "Paramount" at the top outside the ring, and "Jazz and Blues Classics" at the bottom outside the ring. This same design was used for CJS-113 and CJS-114, only in black with silver print (near left).
		CJS-110 (far left) had a white label with black print with the same design as 105, 106, 108 and 109. S\D 1001 had the usual S\D label (near left). S\D was another of John Steiner's labels; the back cover of S\D 1001 mentions Paramount Records and lists Steiner's apartment in Chicago as the address for the labels.