Tonsil Paint Records: A History

Tonsil Paint Records was founded in 1805 by Tonsillius Painter, a British immigrant to New York who was chased out of Old York for overly aggressive strumming on a city-owned lute.

Looking to start a new life in the New World, he shortened his name and opened the first independent record label, Tonsil Paint Musickal Recitation Labelle. The first band he signed was Stefano and His Chimpanzee Orchestra. Predating the invention of Edison's phonograph by more than 70 years, Paint would listen to Stefano's band playing and then go door to door throughout Manhattan, humming the tunes for a penny a song.

In 1806, he changed the name to Tonsil Paint Musical Recitation Label and Chimney Sweep as he had taken up business as a chimney sweep for extra wages. Later that year, the name changed again to Tonsil Paint Chimney Sweep and Music Recitation Label. "And Music Recitation Label" was printed in very small type.

Stefano and His Chimpanzee Orchestra became Stefano and His Chimpanzee Quartet and then Stefano and His Chimp after an outbreak of primate influenza.

In the 1830s, Paint went missing and was never seen again. Stefano was teaching a gorilla to play the oboe and it is thought Paint was eaten during a poorly timed visit during a feeding break.

The record label has changed hands (and names) many times through the years, but it remains New York's oldest independent record label (if you count humming as a valid choice for commercial music reproduction--and why shouldn't you).