LIFE

Tetos Demetriades emigrated to the USA and arrived on 15 Feb 1921

Theodotos DIMITRIADES (27y) engineer
SS "CARONIA"
dep. Piraeus: 15 Feb 1921
arr. Boston: 4 Mar 1921
Last permanent residence: Constantinople, TURKEY
To join: Simeon Kefalopoulos, 412 E/W?, 52 Street, New York, NY

left for the USA on ...........................
arrived in New York on ...........................

naturalisation: ...................


DEMETRIADES, Tassia/Tessie (Anastasia)(sister)
(Spottswood, p. 1150/1154: June-July 1927; Jan 1928; April 1928; July 1929 as Mrs. Demetriades)

DEMETRIADES, Vera [R. McNally] (wife)
(Spottswood, p. 1150: July 1927)

His brother Phokion Dhimitriadhis, Nikolaou (son of Nikolaos Demetriades: that is where Tetos got his pseudonym Takis Nikolaou from) was born in 1894 in Constantinople.
Had one daughter.
Wrote: "Shadow over Athens" (1945); "To Pardalo kai i Epochi tou" (1950); "Me to Mati tou Yeliographou" (1959).
Address: Odos 3 Septemvriou 133.
In 1961 Phokion was awarded a prize (the first International and European Prize) at the International Contest/Competition of Political Cartoons, organised in Los Angeles by the Association/Society/Guild Newspaper Owners of America.
source: "ELLINIKON WHO IS WHO" ; Biografikon Lexikon Prosopikotiton, Athina 1962, pp. 132-133)

In the New York Times two announcements:

May 25. 1946, p. 16, c. 7
Art Preview to aid War Orphans; exhibition of drawings by Phokion Demetriades, wellknown Greek illustrator and cartoonist.

May 27, 1946, p. 21, c. 5
Idem

In Annuaire Oriental 1921, under "INDEX des Appartements et Hans de Constantinople":
Démétriadis. Rue Despote, 15. Fériköy.

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About T E T O S :

Tetos was born in Constantinople on:
- 4 December 1897 (1995 Social Security file)
- 4 December 1901 (present SSDI and Death Certicate).

His father was Nicholas Demetriades.
According to Alex Demetriades (Tetos' son) - Tetos' grandfather was from Santorini.
The death certificate lists under profession: "Producer".
Under kind of business: "Music Recording".
Tetos died at the Englewood Hospital, Bergen, New Jersey on 26 November 1971 from throat cancer at the age of 69.
He was buried on 29 November 1971 at/in the Russian Orthodox Convent Cemetery, Spring Valley, New York (Smith Road at Convent Road; 5000 graves: 1950 - present).

-IN WHAT PROFESSION DID HE WORK INITIALLY?
-WHO WERE VERA AND TASSIA ("Tessie") DEMETRIADES?
Anastasia (Tassia/Tessie) was his sister.
Vera [R. McNally] was his first wife.
[on recording CVE 43930-1&2 of 30 April 1928 Tassia is listed as "Miss Tassia Demetriades", so Tassia cannot have been Tetos' wife; recordings CVE 43192/43193 are listed as having been made by Mr. and Mrs. T.[= Tetos] Demetriades [= Vera[R. McNally]] & Mr. Christos.
-DID HE LIVE IN ATHENS BETWEEN MARCH 1930 AND JANUARY 1932?
[seems likely, since he is not listed in the 1931 New York City Directory]

1922
He must at least have been in the USA (New York) by April 1922, when he was first recorded by COLUMBIA.
On May 15th, 1922 he was recorded by VICTOR.

1929:
T. Demetriades was involved in planning of Venizelos recording CW 3096-1/3097-1 on 12/12/1929 (letters 27/9/1929 and 27/12/1929).
He was recorded in US on July 22 1929 and again in Nov. 1929 and his name reappears in the books on October 9th 1929.
If W. A. Timm really was Tetos Demetriades (as Victor Greene asserts on page 131 of "A Passion for Polka") Tetos must have been in the USA in October 1929, as Timm recorded for Victor on 1/10/1929 and 10/10/1929 with Boris Belostozky and the Gypsy Wanderers (Spottswood II: pp 871/879).
However, I found no indication that "W.A. Timm" was a pseudonym of Tetos Demetriades.
Demetriades was in New York on 18 October, 1929, as he was present at the recording session with Panagiotis Chouros/Tsoros.
Next his name appears on 11 November 1929, 10 December 1929 and 13 December.
Then on 17 and 25 February and last on 4 March 1930.

In between (August-September) Tetos may have been in Greece (considering letter of 27 Sept. 1929:
I [= Kissopoulos] have seen Mr. Tetos Demetriades and we agree that immediately on the return [from Europe] of the President, Mr. Venizelos, to Athens, we will take steps - Mr. Demetriades' brother [= Phokion Demetriades] and myself, to record the soonest possible 2 titles (1 for Greece and 1 for America).

1930:
"Demetriades, Odos Stadiou rear portion of a men's outfitting shop "Old England" situated next door to our [=HMV's] main shop in Stadium Street[= No. 3 ].
[must be Stadiou 1 or 5, as Stadiou 64 is succursale] (source: Innes Report, p. 99)

March/April 1930:
Phokion Demetriades, dealer in Athens/chief importer of Victor goods.
"The brothers Demetriades intend now to give up operations at the Old England shop, and have just bought a shop in a hitherto comparatively unexploited but well-to-do part of Athens." ("The American Store", 45 Academy Street (see letter 5/3/1931)
(source: Innes Report p. 99 and "Adespotes Melodies" by Ilias Voliotis-Kapetanakis, p. 81, 102)

"Tetos opened with another Victor Artiste [= Ierotheos Skizas] a dealer's shop in New York under the name of Skizas and Tetos Demetriades
[probably: TETOS MUSIC STORE ; THE SYMPHONY SHOP; 305 W. 23rd St., New York (on sleeve LP Authentika Rebetika tis Amerikis No. 6)].
Skizas apparently runs the business by himself since Tetos has returned to Athens." (Innes Report, p. 99)
[prob. in late March or April 1930, as he had to be in Greece for the HMV Athens recording session of 7/4 - 26/5 1930; also in view of the fact that he was not recorded in the USA between 4 March 1930 and 15 January 1932. After that he may have returned to the USA.]
Recording-machine for April-May 1930 session (originally planned from 7-27 April) must have broken down: recordings were made on 7/8/9/10 April and continued on 24 April until 26 May. This also becomes apparent from EMI correspondence of 12/4/1930 (telegram), 12/4/1930 (letter) and 14/4/1939 (letter).
CG 541-546 and 749-807 (57 sides, all 12") were recorded for Victor.
BG 769/782/797/798/799/800/805/806 (10") were recorded for HMV.
During this session a number of Turkish artists were summoned from Constantinople to Athens - not all artists could come because several of them had commitments in Turkey - and were recorded in Athens (on 9/10/12/13/14/15/16 May), instead of a separate Istanbul session (letters 12/4/1930 (telegram & letter), 14/4/1930).
Between 9 Oct. and 4 Dec. 1930 Turkish recordings were continued in Istanbul.

"Investigations concerning the brothers Demetriades.
I was instructed to enquire into the possibilities of co-operation between Mr. Kissopoulos and Mr. Demetriades.
The two brothers Demetriades came from Constantinople; Fokion, the elder, was a newspaper artist and caricaturist, and entered the Gramophone business when his brother Tetos, who in the United States had become successively a Columbia and a Victor artiste, started having Victor machines and records sent to him [Fokion] in Greece.
As a result, the elder Demetriades built up a good business in Victor and other American radio and gramophone products, and his prosperity is due to the demand for these goods.
From the point of view of our business, we can expect nothing of Demetriades, as he does not wish to handle our goods solely, American products being in his opinion more suited to the demand.
There is, however, a possibility that Mr. Tetos Demetriades, who has been supervising the Greek recording of the Victor in U.S.A. and who has now returned to Greece to engage in the gramophone business with his brother [Fokion], may prove useful on account of his Greek songs, which, when "de-americanised" and brought more into line with Greek taste, may appeal to a certain part of the Greek market.
In course of time he seems likely to prove of great usefulness in gauging the character of the Greek market, though at present his knowledge of Greek music is limited, and he is more familiar with the requirements of the Greek-American public.
He may especially be of great service during the sessions we hold in Athens, on account of his technical knowledge of recording, which is quite extensive.
But for the time being, there can be no question of putting him in charge of all the recording we do in Greece."
[Innes Report, p. 100]

1931:
T. Demetriades (45 Academy Street, Athens) (letter 5/3/1931)


Tetos DEMETRIADES (34y)
+ Mary DEMETRIADES (31y) b. Nov. Pittsburg, PA
SS "BYRON"
dep. Patras: 19 Oct 1931
arr. New York: 4 Nov 1931
address in USA: 305 W. 23, New York, NY
naturalized on 3 June 1929 (he had Turkish nationality!)

Joined Victor in 1930 [correct? - HS] and later headed its International Division (Polka 131)
He replaced D. (Daniel) Desfoldes, manager of the Victor US Foreign Division of Victor Talking Machine Company.
Started his own Victor label, ORTHOPHONIC, in 1932 (Polka, p. 292, n. 83)
[the term "ORTHOPHONIC" had already been in use for some time, Innes Report p. 101. In the Guinness Book of Recorded Sound, on p. 53: In 1925 Victor concluded an agreement with Western Electric and incorporated the Orthophonic recording process into its new electrical recordings; see also Sherman p. 64-69/74]
Standard Phono Co. must have existed as early as mid1931 (S 602 A/B: 38-3007 A/B) and Oct. 1934 (see Victor coupling cards and labels (Orthophonic: RCA VICTOR CO., Inc. for STANDARD PHONO CO.) V 58097 (S-643 A/B)
38-30 . . series perhaps 1948 (coupling cards say: "Re-instated July 1948").

Sheets RERECORDING FOR USA from GRAMO RECORDS:
New York Studio No. 3 (1937/1938/1939) Tetos Demetriades present
(For S-series catalog)

Harold Kirchstein (= Henri Rene) accordionist joined Demetriades' staff in 1939.
Followed Dimitriades when he left Victor to set up his own independent Standard Record Company in the late 1940s. (Polka p. 136)

Donald Gabor (left Hungary in 1938) joined RCA Victor and also worked as manager in foreign-language department under Demetriades.
Demetriades started own recording firm "Standard International" (label: Standard) in mid-forties.(Polka p. 184 and Gronow p. 20)


Found in folder at SONY ARCHIVES (see photocopies):
Trade-Mark Registration No. 395,716 of "STANDARD" label:
First used on 1/1/1941.
Filed for registration (application) on 21/3/1942, Serial No. 451,800.
Registered on 2/6/1942.
Tetos was then (1942) living at 202 Lily Pond Avenue, Staten Island, New York and the Standard Phono Company resided at 168 West 23rd Street, New York.

It already must have existed in 1933, as it is listed in Trow's 1933-1934:
Standard Phono Company, 110 West 34th Street, New York.
(Home) Demetriades, 2234 Ocean Ave, Brooklyn.

Two Standard catalogs at Rodgers & Hammmerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
STANDARD RECORDS : FIRST EDITION
New 1946 Complete Catalog (All recordings made under the personal supervision of Tetos Demetriades)
Standard Phono Corp. (31/12/1945)
(Earliest known Standard catalog 1946)
All this cannot be correct in view of:
General Catalog of Greek and Turkish "Orthophonic" Records (April 1936)
Manufactured by R.C.A. VICTOR Co. for Standard Phono Comp. of New York

Demetriades sold out about 1970 (Polka)

Colonial Music Pub. Co. (1 January 1942); probably found at BMG at the back of a recording.
So, "Colonial" must have existed by 1942!

Standard-Colonial Recs. Inc.
52 Cummings Park, Woburn Mass 01801.
Tel (617) 935-7133
Pres. Robert D. Levinson
Labels: (owned) Standard, Colonial, Minuteman
(Billboard International Buyer's Guide 1972-1973: p. 53, 106, 126)

Standard Colonial Music Publishing Co. (same Billboard p. 106)
Synchronic Publishing Co.:
* earliest mention found: 11 November 1929
* last mention found: HMV recording sheets of May 1931

catalogue: Standard Records (ca. 1950)
Standard Phonograph Company
163 West 23d St., New York City

catalogue: Standard International Records, Release Nos. 6,7,8 (F & T Series)

catalogue: International Novelties, Sept. 6, 1946, pp. 1-5

General Catalog of 12" LP Records ("COLONIAL" & "STANDARD")
All recordings made under the personal supervision of Tetos Demetriades
Manufactured by Standard Phono Corp., New York, N. Y.
163 West 23rd Street, New York 11, N. Y.

Standard-Colonial Records
JoRa Enterprises
3694 Wrightwood Drive
Studio City, Ca 91604
(from: Ethnic Recordings in America; a Neglected Heritage (1982), p. 239)

SOURCES:
Gronow, Studies .... Vol. 2 p. 20
Spottswood (Ethnic Recordings; a Neglected Heritage)
Spottswood (Discography)
Greene, Victor: A passion For Polka
Kostas Bezos (1905-1943), Kounadhis (Dhifono, Apr. 1996)
The Collector's Guide to Victor Records, Michael W. Sherman.
Innes Report pp. 98-100 (for Phokion: pp. 6, 98-100, 105-107, 129)
Victor catalogs and supplements
Billboard
LPs in my collection:
-Greek Favorite Folk Dances (Instrumental) (Colonial LP-140)
-In a Greek Dance Hall (Colonial-LP-157)
[Standard Phono Corp., 163 West 23rd St., New York 11, N. Y.]
[check Schwann Catalogs for approximate date]

D. Desfoldes, manager foreign division Victor US (1931)

Discuss relationship between Victor and Gramco!!!!
See: Innes Report pp. 98-101 (about illegal imports of VICTOR products into Greece).
About the division of territories (Johnson):
(1) first Victor (Universal Talking Machine Manufacturing Co. & Universal talking Machine C.) contract in 3 August 1904? (see letter 14/4/1905)
(2) second Victor contract 25 June 1907
(3) RCA - HMV agreement was terminated in 1957


Demetriades must have realized that the American market needed new Greek music and that only Greece itself could provide the real thing / a fresh impetus.
(Perhaps the STANDARD PHONO CO. was a shrewd way to get round the territory-problem...)


UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Washington
00. 1. 703. 308 4357
Internet: http://www.usptp.gov/
patenthelp@cnidr.org (to help desk questions)


"STANDARD" Trade-Mark 395,716 (Phonograph records: Class 36, Musical instruments and supplies)
In use since: January 1, 1941
Application: March 21, 1942 (Serial No. 451,800)
Registered: June 2, 1942

Tetos Demetriades of

Standard Phono Company, 110 West 34th Street, New York, NY [ca. 1933]


Standard Phono Company, 168 West 23rd Street, New York, NY [ca. 1942]


Standard Phono Company, 163 West 23rd Street, New York, NY [ca. 1950]


Standard Phono Corporation, 163 West 23rd Street, New York 11, NY


Standard-Colonial Records Inc., 52 Cummings Park, Woburn Mass. 01801 [1972]


Synchronic Publishing Company, New York [1929-1931]


(Standard) Colonial Music Publishing Company [1942]


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H O M E A D D R E S S E S TETOS DEMETRIADES:

2234 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn [1933-1934]

219 7th Ave, New York[1941]

202 Lily Pond Avenue, Staten Island, New York [1942]

54 Elm Street, Englewood Cliffs, Bergen, New Jersey [1971]

Photos:

- ATLAS catalogue
- VICTOR catalogues (3 different)
- GENERAL CATALOG Febr. 1939 ORTHOPHONIC RECORDS, p. 3 (Standard
Phono Co., Inc., New York City p. 39); the records were produced by RCA Victor - On p. 46 of article on Katsaros by Kounadis (TAXYDROMOS Nr. ? 1987 pp. 44-49 in donkergroene ringband)