I've had this correspondence with what looks like someone we should
all get to know.  Write to him.

> Hello, Have you seen any rolls from my great grandfather
> Frederick Billings' company, Staff Note Player Roll Co., Milwaukee?
>
> May have been under Billings & Sons Player Piano Co.
> Thanks,
> cordially, Tom Billings

George Bogatko
http://www.inluxeditions.com/

 - - -

From: billings2@earthlink.net (Thomas Billings)(fwd)
To: gbogatko@intac.com (George Bogatko)

George Bogatko wrote:

> Most definitely!  You should contact Frank Himpsl <FHimpsl@aol.com>
> about seeing (and hearing) some.  In addition, go to the Mechanical
> Music Digest site <http://mmd.foxtail.com/> and look in the Archives.

Thanks GB.  Your web site took me back.  I'm glad there are nice people
like you keeping it alive.

My father, Earl Billings Jr., was with Everett, Gulbranson, and
Wurlitzer as sales manager, etc.  My grandfather, Earl Billings Sr.,
was with Cable Piano Co., Chicago.

And my great-grandfather, F. C. Billings, had a piano action factory
in Galesburg, Illinois, and the Player Piano Co. in Milwaukee.  He had
some 50 patents in action and scale design.  Also an improved brass
flange which kept the family eating.  Steinway Bros. came to him for
major design changes in scale and action somewhere between 1907 and
1914.

He worked with Farney Wurlitzer and eventually with Mr. Link, who used
player piano technology in developing the first Link aircraft trainers.

My father was eventually a Baldwin dealer in Miami and then Los
Angeles.  They were all talented.  They were all hell-fires.  They
made money, then threw it away.

Sorry to go on and on.  Again, thanks.

Tom Billings


[ Editor's note:
 [
 [ Frank Himpsl wrote in 970306 MMDigest:
 [
 [ "...  Staffnote Music Roll Co. (also known as the Billings Piano Roll 
 [ Co.) in Milwaukee. ... When the Billings Roll Co. was started in the 
 [ early 20s (by two brothers, if memory serves, one of whom was Robert 
 [ Billings, a prolific US roll artist), Armand Muth became their 
 [ principal roll artist.  He continued to make most of their rolls 
 [ (in Milwaukee) until they folded sometime around 1931 or '32.  
 [ Billings-manufactured rolls were issued on the following labels: 
 [ Playrite, Staffnote, Hitz, and (rarely) Browne."
 [
 [
 [ Elaine Obenchain's rollography, "The Complete Ampico Catalog", says:
 [
 [ "Earl Rogers Billings (1887-1963).  The entire Billings family was
 [ keenly interested in pianos.  The artist's mother was a concert
 [ pianist and his father invented a variety of improvements for piano
 [ actions.  His older brother was a Seeburg dealer, two younger
 [ brothers were active in sales and technical aspects of the piano
 [ business, and the youngest brother Robert was an editor and
 [ recording artist for the U.S. Music Roll Company.
 [
 [ "Earl Billings studied organ as well as piano and gave concerts
 [ playing the organ in duo with the Welte reproducing piano.  For many
 [ years he was associated with The Cable Company in sales and as
 [ assistant to the company president.  He recorded for Imperial and
 [ Welte as well as for Ampico."
 [
 [
 [ Wow!  This is a talented family!
 [
 [ -- Robbie