The Reliance Music Roll company, based in Auckland, New Zealand, operated from approximately 1921-1930. It is historically significant for three main reasons:

• First and only music roll company to operate in New Zealand
   

• Issued music rolls of Maori and other indigenous music.
   

• The rolls may be some of the earliest recorded music produced in New Zealand.

The company was operated by Reginald Albert Sharp (4 October 1896 - 16 June 1977) and Frederick Arthur Sharp (19 January 1900 - 14 October 1980), with financial support from their father, Albert Henry Sharp. The family immigrated from Worcestershire, England, in the early 1900s. Both Reginald and Frederick were employees of the New Zealand Herald as printers, and operated the Reliance company from their home in Canal Rd, Avondale, Auckland.

Reginald Sharp, the older of the brothers, appears to have been the roll artist/arranger. It appears he was employed by the New Zealand Herald newspaper as a printer, commencing employment in July 1922.

Nearly 20 years after the brothers' deaths, their roll perforating machinery, roll masters, and roll library were acquired by myself and two other collectors.

This section of the website will be updated with more details of my research into Reliance. Please contact me if you have any Reliance, Goldentone, or Celeste-Art rolls in your collection.

View Reliance 'Rollography' (work in progress)

38 Canal Road as it appears today.
Reliance rolls were produced here in the 1920s.
 

An example of one of the rolls of New Zealand
indigenous music issued by Reliance
 

Another varient of the Reliance label.
 

Reliance also issued rolls under the 'Goldentone' label,
an inhouse brand for NZ music store Lewis Eady & Sons.

One perforator we are certain Reliance used is the Leabarjan Style 8-D Electric Duplicator. (pictured below).