The Gennett Recording Studio

The Gennett recording studio once stood on this spot. A division of the Starr Piano Company, Gennett Records produced phonograph records from 1916 until the Great Depression. The recording studio was a long, rectangular building once used as a kiln to cure wood used in manufacturing Starr pianos., Some of the most important early jazz musicians were recorded here including Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Bix Beiderbecke. In his autobiography, Hoosier, jazz pioneer and Gennett recording artist Hoagy Carmichael wrote, “The birthplace of recorded jazz was a rambling brick building on the bank of the Whitewater River. The factory was the home plant of the Starr Piano Company.” Carmichael, who recorded his famous “Stardust” for the first time on this very location, recognized the importance of the Gennett label and held it in high regard., Gennett engineers also recorded notable blues artists such as Charley Patton and Georgia Tom, an alias used by Thomas A. Dorsey, who would become the father of gospel music. Early country music stars such as Gene Autry also recorded for the label., The Starr Piano Company's 1921 victory against the Victor Talking Machine Company in a patent infringement lawsuit caused the proliferation of other small record labels recognized today as crucial in the development of uniquely American musical styles. Gennett's impact spreads across nearly every category of music and the music industry. Plans to reconstruct the studio.