Dick Carty our famous boss,
Curtis Andrews our refinisher, and Walt Cockran our in shop tuner.
Dale Woodward.
Bob Chapman mostly did summer
work. Next is our outside tuner, John Murera and Mel Shores our reproducer
technician.
John Murera, our outside
tuner, a former big band clarinetist, Dave Hartman, who now works for Rinaudo
Reproductions, Ramsey Carter, Jim Braun and Dick. Photo taken
somewhere around 1962.
Dick's dog Wurlitzer. This photo was used in an ad, and gave rise
to this letter from the president of the Wurlitzer Co., Farney Wurlitzer,
the son of Rudolph Wurlitzer the founder the Wurlitzer company. I'd
just be opening myself up to a law suit if I told you why this *inexpensive
dog* was named Wurlitzer. 1965
And who can ever forget
Dick's dad who came in every Saturday to help out with the flood of customers.
And then there was our piano wholesaler Mike Nadler, this is a later picture
I don't have a picture from the 60's, he supplied us with many, many pianos.
And I think he's still in the piano business. The next photo Ramsi
P. Tick owner of the QRS Music Roll Company at that time. He had
recently purchased the business from Max Kortlander, and was visiting some
of his customers. Again around 1965 or so.
Jim Braun our rapid fast
technician, circa 1966. Second photo July 63.
Dave Hartman our nickelodeon
and orchestron technician. Second photo The Popper from the Nethercutt
Collection. Nethercutt
Collection
The group in June 1969 Iver,
Vel, Mel, Mike and Luther Joy
Next is Morrie Silver who
did our grand work in the early Inglewood days. And Richard Ton,
our local machinist who made mostly sling shots and from time to time made
piano parts when needed. Mary Bensusen.
A couple of pictures of
Earl Bowen, this old gentleman had a player piano repair shop in Lynwood,
California. He moved to Lynwood in the early 50's from the Athens district
of Los Angeles. He began the repair business way back
when they were still making players new. He was in business all through
the 2nd World War and lasted until the middle 60's. Most of the knowledge
and encouragement that Dick and I needed to open the first piano shop came
from Earl Bowen. March, 1975.
Dick in our early Inglewood store.
Duffy of Duffy Pianos in New Jersey.
Frank Pallotta
In the early days of the piano shop most of the stock that we fixed and sold was supplied to us by this gentleman Frank Pallotta from New Jersey. He would run adds in newspapers, mostly in the South, looking for old player pianos to buy. He would then gather them up, maybe 30 to 40 at a time, and haul them out to our shop in Inglewood, and he did this 2 to 3 times a year. So most of the pianos in the photos above were supplied by Frank.
Photos credit by his son Frank and Vel Becklund
I think all of the photos above are from the three stores we had in Inglewood.
The photos on the next page
came later or after we left Inglewood.
Early photo of Dick and
I on a snow trip with our Model A's. With Bob Karmer, the fellow
on the far left.
Photo taken around
1955
July 30, 2004
