Harry Pace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harry Pace
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Pace, circa 1911
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| Born | January 6, 1884 |
| Died | July 19, 1943 (aged 59) |
| Burial place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York |
| Alma mater | Atlanta University Chicago-Kent College of Law |
| Occupation | Record executive, insurance executive, lawyer |
| Known for | Founder of Black Swan Records |
Harry Herbert Pace (January 6, 1884 – July 19, 1943) was an important American businessman. He was a music publisher and an insurance executive. Pace is best known for starting Black Swan Records. This was the first record label owned by an African American that could sell records all over the country.
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Early Life and Education
Harry Pace was born in Covington, Georgia. His grandfather was freed from slavery by his owner. Not much is known about Harry's parents. He finished elementary school when he was just twelve years old.
How Did Harry Pace Pay for College?
Pace went to Atlanta University. To pay for his studies, he worked as a printer's helper. He noticed that white workers were paid more than Black workers. Because of this, Pace left that job. He found other small jobs on campus instead.
While at Atlanta University, Pace met W. E. B. Du Bois, who was one of his teachers. Pace was a very good student. He graduated in 1903 as the top student in his class. He was 19 years old at the time.
Harry Pace's Career Journey
After college, Pace worked with W. E. B. Du Bois in the printing business in Memphis. Two years later, they created a short-lived magazine called The Moon Illustrated Weekly.
Music and Business Ventures
In 1912, Pace met and worked with W. C. Handy, a famous musician. They wrote songs together. In Memphis, Pace also met and married Ethylene Bibb. Pace and Handy then started the Pace and Handy Music Company. This company brought Pace to New York City.
Around 1920, their company began working with composers William Grant Still and Fletcher Henderson. The company did well, but they mostly sold sheet music for people to play at home. This was called parlour music. Pace saw that phonographs were becoming popular. He knew this would change the music business. Handy was not interested in changing their business, so Pace left the company.
Starting Black Swan Records
In 1921, Harry Pace started Black Swan Records in Harlem, New York. W. E. B. Du Bois suggested the label be named after singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield. She was known as "the Black Swan."
When he started the label, Pace said there were many talented Black musicians in the US. He wanted to find and develop the best singers and musicians. Black Swan Records had offices in the Gaiety Theatre building in Times Square. Pace also set up a recording studio in the basement of his home.
For his record company, Pace hired Fletcher Henderson as the recording manager. William Grant Still became the arranger. Black Swan Records released light classical music, blues, spirituals, and instrumental songs. Their first big hit was "Down Home Blues" and "Oh, Daddy" sung by Ethel Waters.
Even though Pace recorded many great artists, the business struggled. Pace had to declare bankruptcy in December 1923. A few months later, he sold Black Swan Records to Paramount Records.
Insurance and Law Career
In 1925, Pace started the Northeastern Life Insurance Company in Newark, New Jersey. This company grew to be the largest African-American-owned business in the North during the 1930s.
Pace then moved to Chicago to study law at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. He earned his law degree in 1933. Around this time, he started living as a white person. He opened a law firm in downtown Chicago in 1942. His family did not find out about his African ancestry until after he died.
Harry Pace passed away on July 19, 1943, in Chicago. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
Legacy and Recognition
Harry Pace is remembered for his important contributions to music and business. He is featured in the documentary series Profiles of African-American Success.
In 2021, Pace's story was told in a miniseries called The Vanishing of Harry Pace. This was part of the Radiolab podcast. In the series, Harry Pace's family members and experts were interviewed. His great-grandson, Eric Pace, and his wife, Candace Edwards, also talked about their music project called "THE PACES."
Images for kids
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Pace, circa 1911
