Harry Pace

This right here is Harry Pace and he’s dope as hell.

Harry was born to Nancy and Charles Pace in Covington, Georgia in 1884. Charles dies shortly after Harry is born, so his mother raises him alone.

Harry showed early signs of being bright, at 16 he was accepted into Atlanta University where he would graduate as valedictorian. He chilled around school for a couple more years, snagging another degree in 1903.

During his college days, Harry met a brotha by the name of W.E.B. DuBois and the two decided to get into the printing game. They end up in Memphis and start printing a magazine called “The Moon Illustrated Weekly” It was the first illustrated weekly news source specifically for black folks.

Now Harry would go on to form the first record company owned and operated by a black person, and of course DuBois would go on to found the NAACP, but its cool to reflect on a moment in history where they were kicking it together spreading the word to the community!

Anyways in Memphis Harry meets W.C. Handy! Who’s W.C. Handy? Oh just the FATHER OF AMERICAN BLUES MUSIC! W.C. likes our lil Harry and the two form the Pace and Handy Music Company which Harry moves to NYC! While in New York, Harry gets to work with composers like Fletcher Henderson and our boy William Grant Still.

Shit’s going pretty good until the business relationship between Harry and Handy soured and Harry resigned in 1920.

The next year Harry formed his own record company which he named Black Swan Records. This would be the first record label that was entirely black owned. He kept Still and Henderson on as composers and was wildly successful…until he wasn’t. In 1923 after declining sales Harry Sold the company to Paramount.

That’s usually the end of the Harry Pace and Black Swan story but No, Uh-Uh! Not this February!

Did ya’ll know with the money he made from Paramount, Harry moved his ass to New Jersey where he started the Northeastern Life Insurance Company?! It’s not as sexy as the music industry, but it became the largest black owned business during the 30s!

But not to rest on his now rich as hell laurels, Harry then moved to Chicago where he earned a law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law! The brotha even opened his own Law Firm which he ran until his death on July 19th 1943.

The story of Black Swan Records is often looked as a blip on the radar! A historical moment, but an overall failure. I’m here to say, in no uncertain terms that the story of Harry Pace is one of tremendous success, and determination. One that inspires me today, and thats why February 18 2018, I’m remembering Harry Pace!