Harry Pace
Encyclopedia
'Harry Herbert Pace was an African-American music publisher and insurance
executive, and the founder of Black Swan Records
.
He was born in Covington, Georgia
. His father, Charles Pace, died when he was a baby so he was raised by his mother, Nancy Francis Pace. Pace finished elementary school at age twelve and seven years later graduated valedictorian
of his class in Atlanta University. Pace worked in printing, banking and insurance industries in Atlanta, Georgia
and Memphis, Tennessee
.
After receiving another degree in 1903, Pace went into the printing business with W. E. B. Du Bois in Memphis. Two years later they put together the short-lived magazine The Moon Illustrated Weekly.
In 1912, Pace met and collaborated with W. C. Handy
, who took a liking to Pace; they wrote songs together. In Memphis Pace also met and married his wife, Ethylene Bibb. Pace and Handy the founded the Pace and Handy Music Company, which brought Pace to New York City. Around 1920, the company began working with composers William Grant Still
and Fletcher Henderson
. Although the company did well, Pace did not like Handy’s business methods and resigned.
In 1921 Pace formed the Pace Phonographic Corporation, which issued records on the Black Swan label. It was the first record company owned and operated by an African-American. The label was named for singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who was called “the Black Swan.”They had offices in the Gaiety Theatre office building
in Times Square
.
For his record company, Pace brought in Henderson as recording manager and Still as arranger. His first releases featured performances of light classical music, blues, spirituals, and instrumental solos. Black Swan’s first hit was a recording of “Down Home Blues” and “Oh, Daddy,” sung by Ethel Waters
. Although Pace recorded many outstanding artists, the business failed, and Pace was forced to declare bankruptcy in December 1923. A few months later he sold Black Swan to Paramount Records
.
In 1925, Pace founded the Northeastern Life Insurance Company in Newark, New Jersey
, which became the largest African-American-owned business in the North during the 1930s. Pace then moved to Chicago
to attend the Chicago-Kent College of Law
; he received his degree in 1933. He opened a law firm in downtown Chicago in 1942.
Pace died in 1943 in Chicago.
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
executive, and the founder of Black Swan Records
Black Swan Records
Black Swan Records was a United States record label founded in 1921 in Harlem, New York. It was the first widely distributed label to be owned and operated by, and marketed to, African Americans....
.
He was born in Covington, Georgia
Covington, Georgia
Covington is a city in Newton County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 13,118. The city is the county seat of Newton County...
. His father, Charles Pace, died when he was a baby so he was raised by his mother, Nancy Francis Pace. Pace finished elementary school at age twelve and seven years later graduated valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class in Atlanta University. Pace worked in printing, banking and insurance industries in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
After receiving another degree in 1903, Pace went into the printing business with W. E. B. Du Bois in Memphis. Two years later they put together the short-lived magazine The Moon Illustrated Weekly.
In 1912, Pace met and collaborated with W. C. Handy
W. C. Handy
William Christopher Handy was a blues composer and musician. He was widely known as the "Father of the Blues"....
, who took a liking to Pace; they wrote songs together. In Memphis Pace also met and married his wife, Ethylene Bibb. Pace and Handy the founded the Pace and Handy Music Company, which brought Pace to New York City. Around 1920, the company began working with composers William Grant Still
William Grant Still
William Grant Still was an African-American classical composer who wrote more than 150 compositions. He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, the first to have an opera performed by a major...
and Fletcher Henderson
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. His was one of the most prolific black orchestras and his influence was vast...
. Although the company did well, Pace did not like Handy’s business methods and resigned.
In 1921 Pace formed the Pace Phonographic Corporation, which issued records on the Black Swan label. It was the first record company owned and operated by an African-American. The label was named for singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who was called “the Black Swan.”They had offices in the Gaiety Theatre office building
Gaiety Theatre (New York)
The Gaiety Theatre was a Broadway theatre at 1547 Broadway in New York City from 1909 until 1982, when it was torn down.An office building above the theatre has been called the Black Tin Alley.It was designed by Herts & Tallant and owned by George M. Cohan...
in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
.
For his record company, Pace brought in Henderson as recording manager and Still as arranger. His first releases featured performances of light classical music, blues, spirituals, and instrumental solos. Black Swan’s first hit was a recording of “Down Home Blues” and “Oh, Daddy,” sung by Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters was an American blues, jazz and gospel vocalist and actress. She frequently performed jazz, big band, and pop music, on the Broadway stage and in concerts, although she began her career in the 1920s singing blues.Her best-known recordings includes, "Dinah", "Birmingham Bertha",...
. Although Pace recorded many outstanding artists, the business failed, and Pace was forced to declare bankruptcy in December 1923. A few months later he sold Black Swan to Paramount Records
Paramount Records
Paramount Records was an American record label, best known for its recordings of African-American jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson.-Early years:...
.
In 1925, Pace founded the Northeastern Life Insurance Company in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, which became the largest African-American-owned business in the North during the 1930s. Pace then moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to attend the Chicago-Kent College of Law
Chicago-Kent College of Law
Chicago–Kent College of Law, the law school affiliated with Illinois Institute of Technology, is nationally recognized for the scholarship and accomplishments of its faculty and student body. It is the second oldest law school in the state of Illinois. Many of the applications of technology in the...
; he received his degree in 1933. He opened a law firm in downtown Chicago in 1942.
Pace died in 1943 in Chicago.
External links
- Black Swan Records founder Harry Pace, an original!, The African American Registry
- The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records, Weusi, Jitu K. (2001)