Call Number:

SCRC 212

Repository:

Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center

Extent:

• 2.25 linear feet (6 boxes)
• 0.001 gigabytes (2 digital files)

Language:

English and Japanese

Preferred Citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Sigma Sound Studio Records, SCRC 212, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Date:

1960-2011 (inclusive), 1970-2000 (bulk), and 1996

Creator:

Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Form:

Architectural drawings, Books, Clippings, Born digital, Floppy disks, Printed ephemera, Negatives, Periodicals, Photocopies, Photographs, Publications (documents), Slides, and Souvenir programs

Abstract:

Sigma Sound Studio was a recording studio established in Philadelphia by Joe Tarsia in 1968. Its Philadelphia office was located at 212 N. 12th St., and that location's work included Philadelphia Sound artists, including Gamble and Huff's International Records. Tarsia opened a branch in New York City, which was active during the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. Tarsia sold the business in 2003.

The Sigma Sound Studio Records include photographs and slides depicting the two studios, including some snapshots with studio engineers and recording artists dating from the 1960s to the 1990s. The collection also contains advertising and promotional materials, newspaper and magazine clippings, and a small group of collected ephemera and publications. The clippings, ephemera, and publications all list or feature Sigma, Tarsia, and/or affiliates. Advertising and promotional materials for "AddZest" are primarily in Japanese.

The collection is arranged according to genre, with photographs and negatives being the first and largest group presented. Following, researchers will find advertising and promotional materials, a very small selection of miscellaneous studio records, and clippings. There are also publications and ephemera collected by Tarsia, often featuring Tarsia or Sigma Studios.