Asch Recordings

Founded by Moses Asch in 1938, although the first commercial issues did not appear until 1941. Asch was one of the most important independent record producers of the 1940s, preserving the recordings of great folk artists including Leadbelly, Cisco Houston and Woody Guthrie. When World War II-era shellac rationing halted his business in 1943, Asch joined forces with Stinson Records, which had access to a shellac ration.