I really do have a (long overdue) post coming up about media geographies and the magic of A/V clubs in the 1980s, but I wanted to take a quick moment to plug a new book by Stephen Propes, a longtime Long Beach resident and a very helpful collaborator during my thesis research on vinyl record history. OLD SCHOOL: 77 Years of Southern California R&B & Vocal Group Harmony Records 1934 – 2011 may be the most comprehensive compendium ever written by Steve (or anyone else) on this style of music in Southern California. It is available on Amazon, where I found the following abstract:

A never before published chronological compendium of musicians and/or groups, titles, original record labels, local and select out-of-town radio and record store chart positions…combined with the stories of the records, either from those involved or from original research…and in notable cases, an idea of the value of these discs. Popular music in Southern California has a surprisingly short history prior to World War II. Though a recording scene existed in the early 1920s, for all intents and purposes, the aggressive recording, pressing and marketing of phonograph records in the L.A. area didn’t really take hold until the 1930s, and in fact, many of these 1930s releases were party records with double-entendre themes. However, the post WWII era was a different matter. With the emergence of some L.A.-based pop and race music stars, generally with radio, nightclub or motion picture connections in the early 1940s, the serious business of recording for the mass market began in earnest. The development of rhythm and blues and soul in any major market has never been fully documented in the way this book portrays over 1,400 record releases by over 850 groups or artists described here. Many of the records featured in this work hit either the local or national popularity charts, or both, however not all records made a visit to those lists of best sellers. Some of the artists described within had spectacular multi-decade careers, but many of them were of the one-off or best case, one hit variety. Though the work concentrates on rhythm and blues and soul music, there are other genres, such as novelty, jazz, gospel and pop sprinkled in when the story supports inclusion.