| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Boddie Recording Company |
| Title: | Boddie Recording Company Records |
| Dates: | 1952-1991 |
| Extent: | 2.00 linear feet (2 containers) |
| Abstract: | The Boddie Recording Company (1958-1993) was the first recording studio in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by African-Americans. Thomas Boddie (d. 2006) created all his recording equipment by hand rather than purchasing pre-made machines, and he pressed his own vinyl records. This allowed him to hold down costs, thus attracting a wide range of clientele in need of demonstration records and small runs of 45 rpm records. His clientele included musicians of various styles, including gospel, country, bluegrass, rock, soul, and rhythm and blues, earning the studio the nickname of "Little Nashville". Records were made for national distribution as well as for independent groups and artists who only wished to have their music recorded for personal use or local distribution, such as recordings of sermons for church groups, with Boddie creating small, independent record labels for the purpose. Thomas Boddie began his interest in sound systems and recordings as a teenager in his home on Kinsman Ave. in Cleveland in the 1940s. Though talented and educated in the fields of sound and electrical engineering, he had difficulty finding work due to his race. He first found employment as an organ repairman, then at Wright-Patterson Air Base. After serving in the army during World War II, Boddie returned to Cleveland and began building the pieces of what would eventually become a full-fledged recording studio, designing and modifying equipment while working as a repairman. The studio survived through small business loans, Thomas's ability to save money through hard work and perseverance, and the consistent assistance of his wife Louise. He and his wife laid the concrete themselves for an addition to their house to form a record pressing plant, and he built an 8-track recording machine for about 15% of the cost of a new one. The Boddies traveled to various locations with their equipment to record groups and individuals on-site, quickly making multiple cassette recordings to sell after the event. When he discovered true potential talent, he would send recordings to Motown, where the artist had a better chance of becoming known, as the Boddie Recording Company did not have the sponsorship of large advertisers that Motown had. Thomas Boddie died in 2006. In 2009, the Numero Group purchased the large number of recordings made at the Boddie Recording Company, with many of the recordings scheduled to be released in late 2011. The collection consists of advertisements, booklets, business cards, contracts, correspondence, flyers, legal documents, miscellaneous notes, newspaper clippings, programs, receipts, sample 45rpm record designs, schematics, and transparencies. |
| MS Number | MS 5090 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
The Boddie Recording Company (1958-1993) was the first recording studio in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by African-Americans. Thomas Boddie (d. 2006) created all his recording equipment by hand rather than purchasing pre-made machines, and he pressed his own vinyl records. This allowed him to hold down costs, thus attracting a wide range of clientele in need of demonstration records and small runs of 45 rpm records. His clientele included musicians of various styles, including gospel, country, bluegrass, rock, soul, and rhythm and blues, earning the studio the nickname of "Little Nashville". Records were made for national distribution as well as for independent groups and artists who only wished to have their music recorded for personal use or local distribution, such as recordings of sermons for church groups, with Boddie creating small, independent record labels for the purpose. Thomas Boddie began his interest in sound systems and recordings as a teenager in his home on Kinsman Ave. in Cleveland in the 1940s. Though talented and educated in the fields of sound and electrical engineering, he had difficulty finding work due to his race. He first found employment as an organ repairman, then at Wright-Patterson Air Base. After serving in the army during World War II, Boddie returned to Cleveland and began building the pieces of what would eventually become a full-fledged recording studio, designing and modifying equipment while working as a repairman. The studio survived through small business loans, Thomas's ability to save money through hard work and perseverance, and the consistent assistance of his wife Louise. He and his wife laid the concrete themselves for an addition to their house to form a record pressing plant, and he built an 8-track recording machine for about 15% of the cost of a new one. The Boddies traveled to various locations with their equipment to record groups and individuals on-site, quickly making multiple cassette recordings to sell after the event. When he discovered true potential talent, he would send recordings to Motown, where the artist had a better chance of becoming known, as the Boddie Recording Company did not have the sponsorship of large advertisers that Motown had. Thomas Boddie died in 2006. In 2009, the Numero Group purchased the large number of recordings made at the Boddie Recording Company, with many of the recordings scheduled to be released in late 2011.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Boddie Recording Company
The Boddie Recording Company Records, 1952-1991, consist of advertisements, booklets, business cards, contracts, correspondence, flyers, legal documents, miscellaneous notes, newspaper clippings, programs, receipts, sample 45rpm record designs, schematics, and transparencies.
This collection is of value to researchers studying African-American history in Cleveland, Ohio. Researchers looking into the recording industry, musical genres, and the history of African-American entrepreneurship and small businesses, particularly in the 1950s-1970s, will find this collection valuable. Music enthusiasts will also find connections to local talent within the collection, particularly those with an interest in gospel, country/western, rhythm and blues, soul, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Those studying the evolution of the audio recording industry and small recording labels in the United States will find this collection useful.
None.
Separated MaterialThe photographs and negatives have been removed to PG 563 Boddie Recording Company Photographs. A 45 rpm record has been removed to the Audio Visual Collection.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5090 Boddie Recording Company Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of the Boddie Recording Company in 1997.
Processed by David F. Balog in 2011.
Series I: Equipment and Suppliers 1954-1991 |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Argon Products, Inc. 1971-1975 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Audak-Gotham 1956-1970 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Berlent 1954-1955 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Brandau Craig Dickerson, Co. 1976-1984 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Capps and Co., Inc. 1956-1977 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Chemalite Corp. 1978 1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | The Cleveland Plumbing Supply Company 1981-1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Cleveland Printing Ink Co., Inc. 1969-1979 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Continental Chemical Company 1976-1977 | |||||||||
| 1 | 10 | Dyna/Day Plastics, Inc. 1975-1976 | |||||||||
| 1 | 11 | Embassy Cassette, Inc. 1988-1989 | |||||||||
| 1 | 12 | Empirical Sound 1974-1984 | |||||||||
| 1 | 13 | Finebilt Manufacturing 1967-1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 | Fox Radio 1974-1991 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 | Freight Bills 1960 1973-1986 | |||||||||
| 1 | 16 | General 1962-1989 | |||||||||
| 1 | 17 | IMS 1977 | |||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Kelmar 1966-1967 | |||||||||
| 1 | 19 | Keysor Corp. 1967-1983 | |||||||||
| 1 | 20 | Lenco 1988-1989 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 | Micro-Point, Inc. 1969-1971 1985 | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | Millcraft Paper Co. 1976-1981 | |||||||||
| 1 | 23 | Nashville Phone Matrix 1982-1987 | |||||||||
| 1 | 24 | Optigan Opsonar Organ Corp. 1973-1974 | |||||||||
| 1 | 25 | Patterson Packaging 1976-1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 26 | Peacock Laboratories, Inc. 1965 1972-1984 | |||||||||
| 1 | 27 | Pioneer/Cleveland 1982 | |||||||||
| 1 | 28 | Plaid Records 1958-1962 | |||||||||
| 1 | 29 | Platers Supply Company 1972-1977 | |||||||||
| 1 | 30 | Printing 1954-1989 | |||||||||
| 1 | 31 | Queen City Album 1970-1991 | |||||||||
| 1 | 32 | Recording receipts 1977-1988 | |||||||||
| 1 | 33 | St. Regis Paper Company 1970-1981 | |||||||||
| 1 | 34 | Swire Magnetics Company 1982-1986 | |||||||||
| 1 | 35 | Thomas Organ Company 1968-1983 | |||||||||
| 1 | 36 | Winteradio 1977-1984 | |||||||||
Series II: Administrative 1952-1990 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 37-40 | Correspondence 1952-1990 | |||||||||
Series III: Financial 1954-1985 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 41-42 | General 1954-1985 | |||||||||
| 1 | 43 | Small Business Administration loans 1963-1978 | |||||||||
Series IV: Legal 1957-1988 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | American Foundation of Musicians 1977-1979 | |||||||||
| 2 | 1 | American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) 1957-1971 | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Broadcast Music, Inc. 1965-1985 | |||||||||
| 2 | 2 | Cleveland Federation of Musicians 1975-1977 | |||||||||
| 2 | 3 | Copyright applications 1959-1988 | |||||||||
| 2 | 4 | Dun and Bradstreet 1972-1973 | |||||||||
| 2 | 5-9 | Record manufacturing contracts 1965-1987 | |||||||||
| 2 | 10 | Security agreement 1967 | |||||||||
Series V: Subject Files 1954-1986 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 11 | Artists, Bounty, Luau, and Soul Kitchen 1963-1978 | |||||||||
| 2 | 12 | Artists, Session Sheets 1969-1986 | |||||||||
| 2 | 13 | Artists, Top Hat 1971 | |||||||||
| 2 | 14 | Boddie Family Papers 1973-1974 | |||||||||
| 2 | 15-18 | Cuyahoga Community College 1959-1981 | |||||||||
| 2 | 19 | History 1968 | |||||||||
| 2 | 20 | Organizations, Cleveland Business League 1971-1973 | |||||||||
| 2 | 21 | Organizations, Small Business Administration 1967 1979 | |||||||||
| 2 | 22 | Public relations, advertising 1954-1980 | |||||||||
| 2 | 23 | Public relations, National Masonic Congress programs 1979 1982 | |||||||||
| 2 | 24 | Public relations, newspaper clippings 1966-1973 1984 | |||||||||