HRS Society Rag
- Place of Publication: New York City, NY
- Language: English
- Date of Publication: 1938-1941
- Periodicity: Irregular, 1938-1939; monthly, 1940-1941
- Editors: Heywood Hale Brown, Dick Rieber, William Russel, Charles Edward Smith & Stephen W. Smith
- Publishers: Hot Record Society
- Type: Full Text
Published by the Hot Record Society (HRS) of New York, a jazz record label devoted to reissuing historic jazz recordings, the HRS Society Rag was a somewhat-irregular publication intended for record collectors and fans of hot jazz. Two issues appeared in 1938, one in 1939, and then monthly from August 1940 to March 1941, with an increase in pagination and content scope. Early issues were edited by a committee of Charles Edward Smith (1904-1970), William Russell (1905-1992), Stephen W. Smith, and Dick Rieber; from 1940 Heywood Hale Broun (1918-2001) assumed editorial duties and expanded the number of pages published per issue. The journal’s advisory board lists some 20 persons, many young jazz journalists, scattered across the US, France, and England.
A full prospectus for the Rag did not appear until Broun’s first issue, which stated an intention to publish articles on hot jazz musicians and information of use to record collectors in a manner removed of pretension. Musicians profiled included Rex Stewart, Johnny Dodds, Bubber Miley, Jimmy McPartland, Lee Collins, and Warren “Baby” Dodds, among others. Portraits of jazz journalists, including George Frazier and Hughes Panassié, also appear. Articles by many active jazz and dance writers, including Roger Pryor Dodge, Frederic Ramsey Jr., Russell Sanjek, Orin Blackstone, and George Hoefer Jr. appear throughout. Record reviews are found in most all issues.