Hi all, To add to the legends and lore of the origination of the QRS
name, I submit the following --
A couple of years ago, while working at QRS, I received an interesting
phone call from a gentleman who had worked for a utilities company on
the southern East Coast of the USA during the 1950s. It was his
practice to stop into "antiques" and other shops during his lunch break
to see what exciting things could be found.
One day he stopped into a shop and was looking around when he found
a collection of old piano rolls. He got into a conversation with the
owner of the shop, an elderly black man, about piano rolls and music
from the good old days. The elderly owner related to him the story of
a friend of his who had started a piano roll company to record black
music at the very beginning of the 1900s. Black artists were willing
to record songs, but the general population was not inclined to
purchase such music.
In a very short time this would-be entrepreneur realized that his
business may not flourish. After a period of time he was contacted by
a roll manufacturing company in the upper mid-west about selling his
fledgling company. After some deliberation, he sold his company to this
up and coming business that became known as QRS. And what was the name
of this gentleman who sold the rights to his wonderful black music to
another roll company? Quentin Rastus Snowden.
There's some food for thought!
Best wishes,
Mike Walter
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