Dear Fellow MMD'ers, I am saddened to hear of the passing of Dave
Ramey. From age nine, when I first showed up at Svoboda's Nickelodeon
Tavern in Chicago Heights, I've been fascinated and entertained by
Dave's work.
On a cold January day in 2001, Dave invited me out to his home and
shop in Lynwood, Illinois, to video-tape an interview with him. Dave
was kind enough to spend several hours talking about his interests
and experiences in the world of mechanical music. He explained how
his Banjo Orchestra instruments were manufactured and he demonstrated
a number of the machines in his collection.
I had decided to make the effort to interview on camera mechanical
music pioneers and Dave was the first. Having missed the chance to
interview Harvey and Marian Roehl, I'm glad I made the effort to tape
Dave. Durrell Armstrong and Dave Bowers are still on my list.
Dave Ramey will be missed. I'd be happy to share the interview with
the family if they are interested.
Marc J. Sachnoff
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