ANTHONY SEARS

ANTHONY SEARS was a small record label based in 8423 E. 14th Street, Oakland, USA.

Owner was barber Anthony A. Sears, born in Portugal or a Portuguese territory on February 13, 1887.

At any rate, it can be said that Anthony Sears made these recordings at his place of business, sometime between 1939 and 1949.

Sears didn’t just issue Azorean discs (of which there were at least 16 discs issued). He mainly issued Portuguese music – at least 35 discs – especially fado performed by presumably local musicians, also backed by the “Sears Orchestra,” which sometimes consisted of just a fiddle and mandolin. Some of these are apparently syrupy, but some of the fado tracks have a real down home quality to them, too. The label itself says that they are “modinhas” – folk songs.

Anthony Sears died 1951.

Source (and additional informations): Excavated Shellac