Paramount Records, a subsidiary of the Wisconson Chair Company in Port Washington, Wisconsin, went into business in 1918 or 1919 producing rather typical dance band music. It did not earn its place in music industry legend until it started producing records for the burgeoning 'race' market of the 1920s. Cheaply recorded and pressed by the "The New York Recording Laboratories, Inc.", which actually was located in Grafton, WI, this 12000/13000 series is remarkable in spite of the low audio fidelity. It includes some of the greatest blues music of the 1920s, featuring Alberta Hunter, Ida Cox, Ma Rainey, Blind Blake, Papa Charlie Jackson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Skip James, and Son House, just to name a few. The first 'race' records were released probably at the end of 1922. At the beginning, catalog numbers were grouped around artists, with the emphasis on female blues vocalists, and not released chronologically. Records 12100 to 12189 are generally reissues from the Black Swan label, 12190 to 12199 were not released. Starting from 12200 at the end of 1924, record numbers were released in a rough chronological order, with exceptions notably for spirituals. The fortunes of Paramount, "The Popular Race Record," took a sharp downturn at the end of 1929, with the death of their most popular artist, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and the onset of the Great Depression. From then on, many issues were pressed in such small numbers that copies have not survived or remain unfound. The company struggled on until 1935, but its recording laboratory closed its doors for good in December 1933.