Before Shure Brothers Company initiated the manufacturing of its own microphones in 1932, we distributed carbon mics made by Ellis Electrical Laboratory, based in Berwyn, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. In 1929, S.N. Shure and Hugh Ellis signed an exclusive distribution agreement, with Shure agreeing to purchase a minimum of one hundred microphones in each year of the contract. Subsequently, Shure Brothers Company formed a subsidiary: Ellis Electrical Laboratory Sales Corporation, S.N. Shure – President.
In 1930, Shure’s first catalog devoted solely to microphones appeared. Note the catalog’s cover letter (shown below) bears the street address of 337 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois, then the address of Shure Brothers Company. Though unsigned, the letter contains the initials of “SNS,” Sidney Natkin Shure.
The catalog listed six mic models, finished in nickel, gold, or statuary bronze, along with twenty-three accessories/parts. These were not entry-level microphones. For instance, the model 29, priced at $75, would be $1,170 in 2021.
The distribution agreement between Shure and Ellis terminated unpleasantly after both parties filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the other. Shure eventually prevailed when the Illinois Appellate Court overturned a lower court ruling in favor of Ellis. The presiding judge wrote, “To sum up, it is clear that defendants (Ellis) are about to deprive complainant (Shure) of its rights under a valuable contract which is fair and just, on which it has expended large sums of money, and that there is no adequate remedy at law in case of such breach. The (lower) court therefore erred in dissolving the injunction and dismissing the bill for want of equity. The (lower court) decree is reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter a decree making the temporary injunction issued permanent, as prayed.”
Though the Shure/Ellis relationship did not end on a happy note, we should all be thankful that it existed. For without it, S.N. Shure may have not pursued the microphone business.
Related information: Shure 1933 Catalog
1929 Chicago Radio Trade Show
Arcana Primeria
To celebrate Women’s History Month, here is an interview with Mrs. Shure: The NAMM interview of Rose Shure
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
In the 1920s and 30s, Chicago hosted an annual radio trade show. Below is a 1931 trade show brochure printed for Ellis Electrical Laboratory Sales Corporation.
In the Ellis product line, the Model 30N (N = nickel finish) was the premier offering. When Shure Brothers Company introduced its first carbon microphone carrying the Shure brand, our model number was 33N. Coincidence?
Arcana Mechanica
Fabrication of Ellis microphones took place at the Ellis home, 3502 Wesley Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois. The primary assemblers were Hugh Ellis, his wife, and their son. The house, built in 1887, still stands and may be viewed using Google Maps. Mr. Hugh Ellis died in 1955.
Arcana Robotica
On March 7, 2021, the Shure MV7 microphone was used by Kevin Roose during a segment on the news channel MSNBC. View the clip here: Shure MV7 on MSNBC
