Par-O-Ket Record

Par-O-Ket was a short-lived 7" (actual size is 7.25 inches) etched-label disc produced between 1916-17 and retailing for 25 cents. It employed a fine-groove vertical cut and was advertised as playing as long as a 10" disc. The records featured many of the usual studio free-lancers of the period. At least two catalog series are known: a popular series, beginning at 1 and running into the low 100s, and a concert and foreign series numbered in the 500s. Popular series recordings featured a house band directed by Walter B. Rogers, who resigned from Victor Talking Machine Co. to become musical director at Paroquette Record Mfg. Co. Inc. Par-O-Ket records were initially marketed as a high-end product, but records were eventually sold mainly in novelty shops and hardware stores. They do not appear to have been strong sellers. Production of Par-O-Ket records was likely discontinued by the end of 1917, after approximately 92 releases.