The Popular label first appeared in 1913 and were manufactured in England by Crystalate. The masters were recorded by the Sound Recording Company, whose logo may be seen on the later labels; the herald on horseback with the letters S R C in an oblong design beneath. Some early "Populars" used masters from Grammavox, recognisable as the records are larger in diameter at 10½ inches.

The catalogue series started at P-1 in 1913 and reached over P-1200 by the time the label was withdrawn in 1923.

The label design changed slightly over the years and the colour varied, too. The initial label was deep violet with gold printing. This style was used for about the first 500 issues, before it changed to what is probably the most-seen design in a dark red-brown with gold printing. This was used until the P-900s when the background colour became variously red, blue or pale blue. At some point in the P-1000s, the label changed to be pale blue with dark blue over-printing.

Just before the label's demise, the name was changed to be "Ye Popular" and two designs of this label may be seen here, in addition to an white-labelled "Emergency label", which was an old issue still in the catalogue, judging by the catalogue number. It is possible the name change coincided with the introduction of the new "Imperial" label which replaced "Popular".

Over the whole life of the label, records occasionally turn up with a "Butterfly" sticker over the top third of the label. It is assumed this was an attempt to sell off old stock by a particular store.

My thanks to Chuck Mulder for supplying the picture of the type 1 label with the "Butterfly" sticker.

Type 1 label Type 1 with sticker Type 2 Type 2 Blue

    Type 2 Red   Type 2 light blue           Type 3      Type 3 with sticker


Ye Popular type 1   Ye Popular type 2        Ye Popular emergency

Considering over 1200 different "Popular" records were issued, I only have information on a few, which I am listing here. Apart from my own collection, most of the original information here is taken from Steven Walker's "English Ragtime" (obtainable from the CLPGS).
Please e-mail me if you can help me fill in any gaps.

My thanks to the following people who have supplied me with extra information: Chuck Mulder, Norman Field

Cat No	Matrix	Title	Labelled Artists	Actual Artists

P-12	4 7	Casse Noisette (Suite) (Tschaikowsky) Amoureuse (waltz) (Veiger)	Royal Military Band

P-67	2062 2067	The Holy City Out On The Deep (Lohr)	Mr Ernest Hodgson (baritone) Mr Fred Yorke (bass)

P-83	57 58	Cotton Blossoms At A Georgia Camp Meeting	British Empire Military Band	Grammavox Military Band

P-98	6009	Silver Heels	John Pidoux (banjo solo)
P-99	6008 6010	The Dear Homeland Red Wing	Mr D.F. Flynn (cornet solo) John Pidoux (banjo solo)

P-134	6009	Silver Heels	John Pidoux (banjo solo)

P-179	68 90	Serenade Morisca (Chapi) A Waltz Dream (O. Strauss)	The Westminster Military Band
P-180
P-181	89 91	Rosamunde Overture (Schubert) Finale, "1812" Overture (Tschaikowsky)	The Westminster Military Band

P-200
P-201
P-202	135 144	In The Shadows Valse Tresor D'Amour	The Band Of The British Guards
P-203
P-204
P-205
P-206
P-207	165 167	Lancashire Clogs, two-step (E. Grimshaw) Old Comrades, march (C. Terke)	The British Guards

P-216	189 190	Epler's Whiskers Temptation Rag	Amalgamated Symphony Orchestra	Grammavox Military Band
P-217
P-218	178	Alexander's Ragtime Band	Amalgamated Symphony Orchestra	Grammavox Military Band
P-219
P-220
P-221
P-222
P-223
P-224	6011	Whistling Rufus	John Pidoux (banjo solo)
P-225	6012	The Gibson Girl	John Pidoux (banjo solo)

P-260		The Railway Guard	Mr Harry Bluff (comic)

P-282	178	Alexander's Ragtime Band	British Empire Military Band	Grammavox Military Band


P-296	8049 8050	Baby Rose (G. Christie) I'm Going Back To Dixie (Berlin & Snyder)	Ted and Fred Hartz	Jack Charman and another
P-297
P-298
P-299	4132	Paree, Gay Paree (Bennett Scott) Sing A Song Of --- (Ted Cowan)	Mr Jack Charman Mr Ted Cowan
P-300
P-301	190 196	Temptation Rag Red Pepper Rag	The Guards Full Military Band	Grammavox Military Band
P-302	197 198	Everybody's Doing It The Gaby Glide	The Guards Full Military Band	Grammavox Military Band
P-303	199	Mr. Thomas Cat	The Guards Full Military Band	Grammavox Military Band
P-304	201	Down South	The Guards Full Military Band	Grammavox Military Band
P-305	196 199	Red Pepper Rag Mr. Thomas Cat	The Guards Full Military Band	Grammavox Military Band

P-332		The Swallows The Watchman	Edith Layton Robert Ganston

P-375	6030	On The Mississippi	Mr. Joseph Batten (piano solo)

P-387		The Desert My Queen	J. H. Scotland (bass) Horace Mather	label overpasted on a Grammavox record.

P-411	4009 4010	If You Don't Change Your Living If That Ain't Winning A Home	Pete Hampton
P-412
P-413
P-414	4007 4008	All I Want Is My Health And Strength Down In Georgia On Camp Meeting Day	Pete Hampton
P-415

P-454	4197 4211	Oh I Do Love You, My Orange Girl It's A Long Way To Tipperary (H. Williams)	(label unreadable this side) Mr Denis Smart	Harry Cove
P-455		Orchestra Rag	Albert Shand
P-456
P-457
P-458
P-459	4203 4204	The Rag-Time Navvy (Hargreaves) P.C. 49 (Hargreaves)	Mr Will Dunn	Jack Charman
P-460
P-461	4208 4210	The Ragtime Suffragette You Made Me Love You	Bert Lemon and Denis Smart Robert Malcolm	Jack Charman & Harry Cove Harry Cove

P-485	232 233	Hullo! Ragtime, selection parts 1 & 2	Popular Military Band	Grammavox Military Band
P-486
P-487	229 230	The Girl In The Taxi, selections parts 1 & 2 (Gilbert)	Popular Military Band

P-541	3 89	Light Cavalry Overture (Suppe) 1812 Finale Overture (sic) (Tschaikowsky)	Popular Guards Band

P-580	140 206	Post Horn Galop (Koring) The Jolly Coppersmith (Peter)	Band of the British Guards Popular Combined Bands
P-581
P-582		The Laughing Family He'd A Funny Little Way	C. Pencaws	Charlie Penrose

P-595	4231 4234	Mississippi Cabaret (Dumble) The Pick Of The Family (A. Lange)	Messrs. H. Cove and W. Thompson	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-596
P-597	4229 4235	Good-Bye Virginia (Schwartz) The Ragpicker (Berlin)	Messrs. H. Cove and W. Thompson	Harry Cove & Will Thompson

P-615	4253 4254	Jane (H.K. Mohr) Sprinkle Me With Kisses (E. Ball)	"Fitz & Fritz"	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-616		You Great Big Wonderful Baby Same Sort Of Girl	"Fitz & Fritz"	Harry Cove & Will Thompson


P-624	4265 4266	When I Discovered You (I. Berlin) The Syncopated Walk (I. Berlin)	Fitz & Fritz	Harry Cove & Will Thompson

P-631	4269 4277	My Bird Of Paradise (I. Berlin) Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner (T. Morse)	Messrs. H. Cove and W. Thompson	Harry Cove & Will Thompson

P-656	6087 6088	The Nigger's Hop The Tramp Rag	Mr. Joseph Batten (piano solo)

P-726	4310 4312	Sergeant Solomon Isaacstein (Weston & Lee) Keep On Carrying On (Weston & Lee)	Bob and Bert	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-727
P-728
P-729
P-730	4305? 4311	Old Man Brown (Weston & Lee) She Wants To Marry Me (Weston & Lee)	Messrs. H. Cove and W. Thompson	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-731
P-732	2430	If You Were The Only Girl In the World	Miss Mary Manson & Mr. H. Cove
P-733
P-734
P-735
P-736	2230 2251	O Lovely Night (Ronald) Braga's Serenade	Miss Crichton (contralto) Miss Violet Essex (soprano)

P-775	6091	Down Home In Tennessee	The Harmonica Trio
P-776
P-777
P-778	6090	Silver Heels	The Harmonica Trio
P-779	6095 6100	Henry's Barn Dance On The Mississippi	The Harmonica Trio
P-780
P-781
P-782
P-783		Not So Very Far From Zanzibar
P-784

P-810	2464	Let The Great Big World Keep Turning (N. Ayer)	Mr. Wilson Moss

P-817	2504 2508	What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For? All The World Will Be Jealous Of Me (E.R. Ball)	The "Popular" Harmonic Specialists Mr. Ford Rimmer	Harry Cove & Will Thompson Will Thompson
P-818
P-819	2481 2482	In My Dear Old Home-Town (C. McCaarthy) Oh! You Cuddlesome Girl (Long & M. Scott)	Messrs. H. Cove and W. Thompson	Harry Cove & Will Thompson

P-831	2500 2501	Ain't You Coming Back To Dixie? Where The Black-Eyed Susans Grow	(no credits on my copy)	Harry Cove & Will Thompson

P-853		Bells Of St Mary's When The Great Red Dawn Is Shining	Horace Pack
P-854	2550 2551	Something Oriental (Nat D. Ayer) Indian Rag (Nat D. Ayer)	Mr J. Hatton (with piano accomp.)	Will Thompson

P-862	2556 2561	Hong Kong Good-Bye Dixie (I'm Off To France)	The Popular Harmonists	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-863
P-864	2560 2565	London Will Be Beautiful To Me (H. Meredith) For Me And My Gal (G.W. Meyer)	The Popular Harmonists	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-865
P-866	2553 2566	Keep Your Eye On The Girlie You Love (I. Schuster) Snow-Time In Switzerland (L. Wright)	The Popular Harmonists	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-867
P-868
P-869
P-870
P-871
P-872	2574 2576	On The Good Ship Yacki, Hicki, Doo-La (B. Merson) I'm Having The Time Of My Life (Rule & Sullivan)	solo male (no artist credits)
P-873
P-874	2577 2579	When Johnny's On Furlough And Jack's Ashore They All Look Alike In The Dark	"Miss Nora Dwyer's Tribute To The Boys" "Miss Daisy Wood' Popular Number"	solo female (unidentified)

P-897	2621 2622	Raggedy Doo Some Sunday Morning	C. Harwin	Robert Carr

P-917	2659 2661	Maxina, round dance (M Boissonade & W.F. Hurndall) Going Up, fox trot (L.A. Hirsch)	"Regent" Symphony Orchestra

P-923	2612	Everybody's Jazzing Now	The Syncopating Stars	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-924		K-K-K-Katy	The Syncopating Stars	Harry Cove & Will Thompson
P-925
P-926	2679 2681	Signora (Merson & O'Connor) Wobble It	(no artist credit) Mr Fred Harvey	Jack Charman
P-927	2676 2680	At Half Past Nine Have A Smile	(no artist credits) Mr. Fred Haywood	Jack Charman
P-928
P-929
P-930	2683 2686	The Wild, Wild Woman Down In Virginia (Godfrey, Mills & Scott)	Versatile Three Brooks & Hudson	Jack Charman & Lionel Rothery
P-931	2684 2688	Oh! You Great Big Loving Kid (Staunton & Meher) Who Said Dixie? (A. Lange)	Brooks & Hudson Mr. Fred Haywood	Jack Charman & Lionel Rothery Jack Charman

P-942	2699 2703	Down The Lane And Home Again (M.K. Jerome) Why Didn't You Tell Me? (J.P. Long)	Mr H. Royle Mr Fred Haywood	? Lionel Rothery Jack Charman
P-943
P-944	2711 2114	The Missouri Waltz Delilah (waltz)	"Popular" Regent Orchestra
P-945	2713 2716	A Bull In A China Shop Buzz Buzz Jazz	"Popular" Regent Orchestra
P-946
P-947
P-948	2722	How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm?	The Popular Syncopating Stars	Jack Charman & Lionel Rothery

P-959	2734	Devon Boys	Horace Kent
P-960
P-961	2739	Till We Meet Again (R.A. Whiting)	The Popular Syncopating Favourites
P-962
P-963	2747 2752	Baby Tank The Vamp	"Popular" Regent Orchestra
P-964
P-965
P-966	2753	Hindustan	"Popular" Regent Orchestra
P-967
P-968
P-969		The Roman Chariot Race Why Should Your Eyes Ask Me To Stay When Your Lips Have Said Good-Bye?	Jamieson Dodds (baritone) Robert Carr
P-970	2757 2765	Abe, Abe, Abe My Boy What The Colonel Told The Adjutant	"Popular" Syncopators Bert Bartley	Jack Charman

P-978	2766 2767	Indianola (S.R. Henry) Can You Tame Wild Wimmen? (von Tilzer)	Popular Harmonising Stars	Jack Charman & Lionel Rothery
P-979		Mammy O'Mine The Wedding In Fairyland

P-991	2790 2793	Who Discovered Dixie? (A. Silver & Max Gerber) Keep The Music Playing (L. Rothery)	(no artist credits)	Jack Charman & Lionel Rothery

P-1003	2817 2818	Keep The Music Playing Russian Rag	"Popular" Regent Orchestra

P-1018	2841 2842	A Little More Pepper Jazzmania	Unique Keyboard Novelties (piano duet)

P-1032	2870 2874	What Shall We Do With The Profiteers? And He’d Say “Ooh La La, Wee Wee”	Alf Conyers	Jack Charman

P-1049		Sand Dunes Havanola	The Superb Regent Orchestra
P-1050	2908? 2909	Indianola Arabian Nights	The Superb Regent Orchestra
P-1051
P-1052
P-1053
P-1054
P-1055
P-1056
P-1057	2922 2924	Queen Of Diamonds Bushrangers' March	Olly Oakley's Syncopated Five
P-1058	2921 2923	Handy Jack The Canadians' Parade	Olly Oakley's Syncopated Five
P-1059		King Of The Clouds Give Me The Open Road	Robert Carr
P-1060
P-1061
P-1062
P-1063
P-1064
P-1065	2936 2937	You'd Better Get Back To The Farm, one step (G.A. Allen) I'm Getting Tired Of Playing Second Fiddle (A.W Brown & H. Gillespie)	"Popular" Symphony Orchestra	(vocalist is Lionel Rothery)
P-1066	2939	Himalaya Jakerloo Jazz	"Popular" Symphony Orchestra
P-1067	2938	Dardanella Pajahmah	"Popular" Symphony Orchestra
P-1068
P-1069
P-1070
P-1071
P-1072	2951	They'll Never Know Me In Old Dahomey	The "Premier" Harmonists	Jack Charman and ?Lionel Rothery

P-1084	2967 2968	My Baby's Arms Mystery	"Popular" Silver Orchestra
P-1085		Old Man Jazz Cairo	"Popular" Silver Orchestra
P-1086
P-1087
P-1088	2977 2978	When Night Shadows Are Falling Somewhere Someone Is Calling	Robert Carr
P-1089
P-1090
P-1091
P-1092
P-1093
P-1094		Peach Melba	Elite Symphony Orchestra
P-1095	2997	The Whirligig, selection	The "Burlington" Orchestra
P-1096	2998	Sour Grapes	The "Burlington" Orchestra
P-1097
P-1098
P-1099
P-1100
P-1101
P-1102