Paramount Records Education and History

Paramount Records Education and History "They made history the moment the needle hit the wax." -- Angie Mack, Paramount Records Educator Contact music educator [email protected]

From 1929 to 1932, some of America's best recordings were made. Pre World War 2 blues artists such as Charlie (Charley) Patton, Skip James, Son House, Willie Brown, Meade Lux Lewis, Geeshie Wiley, Ishman Bracey, Charlie Jackson, Blind Blake, Henry Sims, Louis Johnson, Robert Peeples, JD Short, Henry Townsend, King Solomon Hill, "Jabo" Williams and many more recorded in the predominately caucasion

community called Grafton, WI. PBS History Detectives aired a segment about Paramount Records called "Lost Musical Treasure".

05/15/2026

Purchase a signed CD copy of Angie Mack Creative EP Raggedy Angie released in February 2026.

05/15/2026

Gus Cannon

“Gustavus "Gus" Cannon (1883 or 1884 – 1979) was an American blues musician who helped to popularize jug bands (such as his own Cannon's Jug Stompers) in the 1920s and 1930s.

At the age of 12 he taught himself to play a banjo that he made from a frying pan and a raccoon skin. Soon after, guitarist Alec Lee taught Cannon his first folk blues, "Po' Boy, Long Ways from Home", and showed him how to use a knife blade as a slide, a technique that Cannon adapted to his banjo playing.

Cannon began recording as Banjo Joe for Paramount Records in 1927. After the success of the Memphis Jug Band's first records, he quickly assembled a jug band, Cannon's Jug Stompers.

The group was first recorded at the Memphis Auditorium for Victor Records in January 1928. Although their last recordings were made in 1930, Cannon's Jug Stompers were one of Beale Street's most popular jug bands through the 1930s.

Cannon made a few recordings for Folkways Records in 1956. During the blues revival of the 1960s, he made some appearances at colleges and coffee houses with Furry Lewis and Bukka White, and recorded an album for Stax Records in 1963.” -Elderly Instruments

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05/15/2026

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A hydraulic arm failure at a Grafton dam has caused the Milwaukee River to drop dramatically upstream, leaving large mud flats where water once flowed and raising concerns among neighbors. Read more at the link in the comments.

Paramount Records: How Grafton left a legacy on blues music
02/12/2026

Paramount Records: How Grafton left a legacy on blues music

“This history shaped American culture."

Grafton’s History as a Blues Recording Hub | Milwaukee Magazine
02/12/2026

Grafton’s History as a Blues Recording Hub | Milwaukee Magazine

Do you know Grafton’s history as a blues recording hub? Paramount Records opened in 1917 and recorded some of blue’s most legendary artists.

02/09/2026
02/09/2026

Enrich your next Wisconsin vacation with visits to these 5 African American historical and cultural sites. Walking tours, museums, settlements and more.

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Grafton, WI

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