I've been reading the autobiography of John Hammond, the producer who
is credited with 'discovering' (or at least helping the careers of)
Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Bruce
Springsteen and many others.  The book is called "John Hammond On
Record" and it came out in 1977.

John makes mention of player pianos twice and I thought you might enjoy
hearing about it.  First, he mentions visiting with his grandfather,
who died in 1915.  Hammond states that, "He used to sit next to me at
the Welte-Mignon player piano in Lenox, reading aloud the words on the
roll..," and later, "From my earliest listening the piano was my
favorite instrument.  The player piano at my grandmother's house in
Lenox was the first I ever heard, and when I discovered that jazz rolls
were available, I bought them as well as records."

If I'm not mistaken, 1915 is too early for the Welte Licensee system
which also played 88-note rolls, and at the same time I don't believe
that any Red Welte rolls were ever issued with words on them.  Pages
106-107 of Charles Davis Smith's book of Welte history indicate the
Licensee system debuted in late 1916.  Can anyone comment on this?

The other player piano story is this:

  "I remember the summer of 1921, when I was sent to Lone Pine Camp.
  I had left behind an irreplaceable collection of piano rolls by Lem
  Fowler, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller, which [his sister] Rachel
  gave at my mother's insistence to the Salvation Army.  It broke my
  heart, but she didn't appreciate their value.  She understood her
  strange little brother no better than did her sisters..."

Unfortunately, this too offers a contradiction because Waller's first
rolls weren't issued until 1923.  The earliest Lem Fowler rolls were
not issued until 1923 either, and all but two were issued between 1928
and 1932.  I think we can forgive John for any problems remembering the
details of an event 50 years prior!  Perhaps he lost other rolls and
acquired those mentioned afterward.  I wish John were still living so
I could send him recuts of a few of these rolls; I bet he would get
a real kick out of seeing (and playing) them!

On another topic, he mentions phonographs -- this is another of many
fun parts of the book:

  "In the front of the house we had a Victrola and some Red Seal
  Victor records, mostly opera and my mother's favorite classical
  pieces.  (...) In the rear of the house the servants had a Columbia
  Grafanola, a wonderful phonograph, and there I found my first
  favorite record, Sir Harry Lauder's "Roamin' in the Gloamin'," which
  I learned by heart.  I listened to ... Paul Whiteman, ODJB, ..."

And finally, his recollection of buying records at various stores:

  "I was paid $1 a week as my allowance, and for that I could take the
  bus down Fifth Avenue to 37th Street, spend an hour at the Widener
  store listening to new Columbia and Okeh releases on which most of
  the early Negro and country artists appeared.  Then I spent half an
  hour at the Hardman-Peck store, where Brunswicks were sold, and
  finally I stopped for a couple of minutes at Landay's Victor Records
  store.  I could spend seventy-five cents, which would buy one ten-
  inch Columbia or Brunswick record, take the bus home, and have a
  dime left for the rest of the week."

I'm not very far into the book yet, but it's been fun to read and
I recommend it to anyone who likes popular music from the first half
of this century!

Regards,

Rob DeLand -- BluesTone Music Rolls
http://www.bluesrolls.com/

 [ Piano rolls labeled "Landay Bros." were made by QRS and Supreme
 [ in the 1920s.  Was Landay's Victor Records related?  -- Robbie