Homebush: Sydney’s
First Recording Studio
by Cathy Jones (2004)
‘Columbia
Lane’ was the title of Slim Dusty’s final record in 2003, a reference to the
address of the former EMI recording studio at Homebush, where he made his first
record in 1946. The EMI recording studio was first established in 1926 as the
Columbia Gramophone Company, an Australian venture of this British based record
company. This is the first recording studio in Sydney and was officially opened
on 14 October 1926 by the Governor of NSW Sir Dudley de Chair.
The building, which still stands on the corner of Parramatta Rd and Columbia
Lane, was originally occupied by Gold’s Hosiery Mills Ltd but converted into a
recording studio and record pressing plant in 1926. Many famous recordings were
made at the Homebush studio including ‘Our Don Bradman’ in 1930 and Sir Charles
Kingsford-Smith’s recollections of the first direct flight to Australia in 1928.
In 1929 during the Federal Election campaign, political leaders such as Prime
Minister Stanley Bruce and Billy Hughes recorded their election speeches at
Homebush. Photographs of this event are held at the State Library of NSW. The
Homebush studio recorded many thousands of Australian performers including Slim
Dusty and Gladys Moncrieff. The Homebush plant was the local manufacturer of
many overseas recordings including soundtracks for musicals from film studios
such as MGM and Paramount.
During the Great Depression most record companies either merged or folded as
economic conditions dramatically deteriorated. In 1931, the British Columbia
Gramophone Company was merged and EMI [Electrical & Musical Instruments] was
created. Only EMI survived the Depression and for many decades was virtually the
only record producer in Australia. The factory finally closed in 1991 with the
cessation of production of vinyl records, now replaced by compact disc format
[CD].
The famous EMI logo of the fox terrier dog ‘Nipper’ listening to the Gramophone
is clearly visible in the large sign above the Homebush studio in the picture
taken in 1962. This logo was recently voted one of the most famous symbols of
the 20th century and can still be seen in the logo for the HMV music shops.
This article was first published in Strathfield Scene July 2004
Author and Copyright information
This article was written by Cathy Jones, 2004
© Cathy Jones 2004. This article is subject to copyright and may not be
reproduced without permission of the author.
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