A. Hugh Joseph

Joseph, A. Hugh

A. (Alfred) Hugh Joseph. Recording director, b Quebec City 25 May 1896, d Montreal 18 Aug 1985; B SC (McGill) 1920. A pioneer in the recording of Canadian musicians, Joseph began his career in 1923 as a chemist with the Berliner Gram-O-Phone Co, which became the Victor Talking Machine Co of Canada in 1924 and RCA Victor in 1929. In 1927 he was named general manager of Victor's record department, and in 1941 he was put in charge of what became the company's A&R department. Responsible for the selection of artists and for promotion and sales of their recordings, Joseph built the company's roster of the 1930s and 1940s on a wide representation of leading Canadian performers (see RCA Victor) from the Quebec folk, country, dance band, pop song, choral, recital, and symphonic fields. He retired in 1961.