Ariel Records Mug

The Ariel Grand Record (to give it the correct title) was produced for Messrs J. G. Graves of Sheffield, England, who sold them on a mail order basis. Graves was a huge supply warehouse which started about 1886 and, upon John Graves' death in 1945 was taken over by Great Universal Stores. The label was available from 1911 until 1938, an amazing length of time for a store label. The masters came from up to 10 different suppliers over the years, but from a dance band perspective, the most interesting ones are those from Zonophone and Parlophone, both of which are fairly common. 99% of dance band issues were pseudonymous, usually labelled "Ariel Dance Orchestra" or, sometimes, anonymous.