Midwest Mahjar: The Recorded Sounds of the Arabic-Speaking Diaspora in the United States at 78 RPM

  Petrophon Records: A Rare Arab American Record Label Releases Patriotic Songs at World War II's Beginning Petrophon Record featuring Najeeba Morad on vocals and Petro Trabulsi leading the orchestra in his own composition. Courtesy of Richard M. Breaux collection. https://youtu.be/MDhAPoCpLNg   Until a few years ago, we had never heard of Petrophon Records, nor had we seen their label. A Grand Rapids, Michigan record collector listed two or three 78 rpm records featuring Najeeba Morad on the popular auction site eBay in 2021. These records were not pressed on the well-known Morad Records, later operated by Najeeba and her family, these were both on Petrophon Records.  Najeeba Morad Karam, 1944. Courtesy of  Ad-Deleel. LOC. Close examination of these two discs reveals that Petro Trabulsy or Peter Trabulsi and his Arabian Orchestra backed Najeeba Morad on these sides. Petro Trabulsy was the “Petro” from which Petrophon derived. The label also notes that Petro compos...

Wadeeh Bagdady Photograph of Wadeeh Bagdady from the Arabphon Catalogue. Courtesy of William Albert Ansara.  In 1920 New York, as the Victor Talking Machine Company and Columbia Phonograph Company moved out of the Arabic-language record market, long-time phonograph dealer turned record producer A.J. Macksoud and composer and music teacher Alexander Maloof created their respective namesake record labels that all but cornered the market on Syrian/Lebanese phonograph records for the next ten to fifteen years. Both Abraham J. Macksoud and Alexander Maloof operated their businesses in New York’s Little Syria, which centered around Washington Street from Battery Park to Rector Street. Singer and oudist Louis Wardiny and vocalist Salim Doumani cut a majority’s share of the known songs on both the Macksoud and Maloof labels. Both companies employed violin virtuoso Naim Karacand in their labels’ ensembles and Karacand figured prominently on a number of bo...