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Topic: Let me tell you a story |
James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 3:10 pm |
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When I was young, the village I lived in had a small Cafe, in there was a Radiogram (Record Player) top of the hit parade then was Slim Whitman and the Cafe owner played him non-stop. I didn't have the money to go in and buy anything, so I hung around outside just to hear that Steel Guitar. I grew up and passed through the teenage years, but I never forgot that sound. In the meantime I had bought and learned to play the Acoustic Guitar, but there was no where I could see, hear, let alone buy a Steel Guitar here in Scotland.
One day while talking to a friend about wanting one of these instruments, I was overheard by a Lady standing nearby, "Is that one of those things you play like this" she demonstrated the left hand moves
and I said yes. "Well she said, I know a man who has one, at least he did have one the last time I saw him many years ago" She wrote down the address, which was in Edinburgh.
A few days later, I made my way to the man's house, knocked on the door a couple of times without getting any answer, then it cracked open a little and a very old pair of eyes looked me up and down. I had thought for a while what I might say to him, after all I'm a total stranger, but it all escaped me at that moment, I could see the man was a bit scared by a stranger at his door, 3 flights up, but I blurted out something about a guitar, and wondered if he was the right man.
After a pause, another good look at me, a few more questions, he invited me in. Sat down, I told him how much I wanted one of these guitars, but could not find one to buy. I asked if he still had the guitar, and he said yes, but hadn't had it out for a very long time. He went to a room and came back with this Acoustic Guitar, it had a trianglular shape neck and a raised nut, I asked him if he could let me hear it play. He apologised beforehand about being rusty, then proceeded to play some great music, the man was extremely old, I would guess well into his 80s, here he was giving it big licks.
I asked how long he had been a player, out came this story which had me captivated. He left Scotland as a young man for Canada to make his fortune, he worked on a Farm out on the Prairie, to pass the long winter nights, he bought this guitar by mail order from the New York Academy of Music with music instructions. Along came the 1929 Wall Street crash and the Depression. The Farmer told him he could no longer pay him any wages, but he could stay and work for just his keep. After a while doing that, he saw no way this was going to get any better, in fact it got worse when there was no food for anyone on the Farm.
He packed his few belongings and set out for the Port of New York on foot, busking with his guitar for a bite to eat. After God knows how long, he made it to the City where again he busked until he had the fare back to Scotland. So here he was in the early 1970s sitting busking for me in Edinburgh.
We talked about the guitar, he wanted to give it to me for nothing, but I insisted on paying him. "Well you better have the rest of it then" he said going back into the room and coming out with the original New York Academy instructional music notation, and a box of 78 rpm records, date stamped 1926, of Robert Yapp playing all the music to go with the notation. There are 10 or 12 records in their sleeves and in a box.
Coming up on 40 years later, I still have these items, my reason for telling you all this is not to sell them, that is something I will not do, so don't ask. I was thinking though something like this might be of interest, but to whom I don't know, maybe Basil or Ray can advise me.
James. |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 3:18 pm
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Can you post some pics of the guitar and the
other items James?
I am sure many of us would like to know and see
more.
Thanks for posting.
Roy
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 3:20 pm
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They are stored in the Loft I'm afraid, but I will get them out tomorrow and take some photos. Robert Yapp is quite a player let me tell you.
James. |
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Eddie Cunningham
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 3:29 pm Beautiful story !!
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| James , That was a beautiful story . I am sure that old man was so happy to tell his story to someone who would listen !! You did him a great fovor by listening and giving his guitar a new life !! I hope you can also pass it on to some deserving young person some day !! Thank you for sharing !! Eddie "C" ( another old geezer ) |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 4:23 pm Well now, James...........
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Your reference to Basil makes good sense, him being older and such but surely the reference to "RAY" was meant to be some other older guy, right? NOT ME!!!??
Sounds like you hit the jack-pot.......
I'm sure you made the elderly gentleman very happy.
THANK YOU. |
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 5:11 pm
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James,
That was a very interesting story with a lot of color and drama.
I can see it now - James marching through Edinburgh at the next Tatoo and playing his acoustic steel guitar. Now wouldn't that bring a stirring of the crowd. 
Aloha,
Don |
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Larry Lorows
From:
Zephyrhills,Florida, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2008 7:15 pm
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great story, and well written. Thank you, Larry
_________________
U12 Williams keyless 400
Vegas 400, Nashville 112, Line 6 pod xt |
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Andrea Tazzini
From:
Massa, Italy
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 8:24 am
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| Thank you Larry, a touching story! |
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Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 9:44 am
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As promised, I am posting some photos, the Guitar itself is nothing to write home about, I would describe it as nothing more than a beginner Guitar, it has no identity tag inside, so the maker is unknown. But when presented with the other materials as a group collection, it takes on a different value.
The records are copyright 1926, and the player is Robert Yap, not Robert Yapp as I first said. When this stuff came my way there was no such thing as the Internet, or Google, so far I have found Robert mentioned in a book on Google Books, playing in the New York Hotels and Theatres. The New York Academy of music was located at 100, Fifth Ave, New York.
James. More photos on next message
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 10:42 am
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There are 10 Records, and the titles of the songs are as follows.
Lesson 1) The open strings, "Sailors Hornpipe" and "Company Q"
Lesson 2) "Aloha Oe". Lesson 3) "Spanish Fandango"
Lesson 4) "Hawaiian Fandango" Lesson 5) Robin Adair
Lesson 6) "Rose of Hawaii" Lesson 7) Hawaiian Rainbow"
Lesson  "Spanish Waters" Lesson 9) "Mele Oloili"
Lesson 10) "Rose Lei" Lesson 11) "Souvenir of Hawaii"
Lesson 12) "1-2-3-4" Lesson 13) "My Bonnie"
Lesson 14) "Hawaiian Reverie" Lesson 15) "Scenes that are brighter"
Lesson 16) In the Gloaming" Lesson 17) "Under Sunset Skies"
Lesson 1 "In happy moments" Lesson 19) "Long long ago"
Lesson 20) "Sweet Lei Lehua" Lesson 21) "Lullaby"
Lesson 22) "Believe me if all those endearing young charms"
Lesson 23) "Ah, I have sighed to rest me" Lesson 24) "Wailana Waltz"
Lesson 25) "My old Kentucky home" Lesson 26) "Massa's in the cold, cold ground"
Lesson 27) "Annie Laurie" Lesson 2 "Old Black Joe"
Lesson 29) "Santa Lucia" Lesson 30 and 31 missing
Lesson 32) "Ua like no a like" Lesson 33) "Maipoina oe Iau"
Lesson 34) "Darling Nelly Gray" Lesson 35) "Juanita"
Lesson 36) "Then you'll remember me" Lesson 37) "The old oaken bucket"
Lesson 38)and 39) "Kilma Waltz"
Lesson 40) "Last Night & Waltzsong from the merry widow"
Lesson 41) missing
Lesson 42 & 43) "Barcarole" Tales of Hoffman
Lesson 44 & 45) "Moani Ke Ala" & "Meleana E" Medley
Lesson 46) "Drink to me only with thine eyes"
Lesson 47) "Isle of Beauty"
The recordings end here but musical notation goes up to Lesson 55.
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 10:15 pm
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What a story!! What a find!! I can't tell you anything about the stuff. I'm even younger than Ray. But thanks for the tale. Fascinating. 
_________________
Amor vincit omnia |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 11:43 pm
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Fantastic story ! I'm an old phart of 80 and I have never heard of Mr. Yap...Be nice if you could convert
the music on those old 78's to digital format so that
all of us could hear them...(?) Great story !
BTW: CONSORT Alberta, (on the shipping label) is a small town not too far from where I live. |
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Chris Drew
From:
Bristol, UK
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Posted 25 Sep 2008 11:55 pm
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That's a lovely story...
This guitar+instructional material looks similar to what a lot of companies offered during the Hawaiian music boom of the early part of the 20th century, like Oahu Publishing, Bronson, Hawaiian Teachers of Hollywood / Radio-Tone etc.
You see them on ebay, but not often "complete" like yours.
Usually it's the guitar on it's own, or collections of lesson books...
I guess they're of interest to some ( I find them fascinating! ), but they're not of great financial value, the true value lies in the personal history.
When I see these old things I always wonder... what stories they could tell! It's really nice to actually hear the story behind one of these!
Thanks for sharing it with us!
It would be really nice to track down this guy's descendants, pay them a visit & play some tunes for them on this old guitar!
imho, this guitar should be played... Although they're technically "budget" guitars they have a charming voice of their own that needs to be heard!
The bridge on yours looks "Hilo" shaped, as made by the Oscar Schmidt company from New Jersey.
What's the scale-length?
Is it ladder-braced?
I'd love to hear a sound-clip!
Once again, thanks for posting.
Chris. |
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Aaron Keim
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 12:14 am
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| Many of those titles are identical to the Oahu course. Lyon and Healy/Washburn also used bridges like that, I bet its Chicago made... |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 11:49 am
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In answer to George Keoki Lake.
Apart from Consort on the label, you have the Zip code 557846 which should take you to the place in your local directory if it still exists.
I don't have a 78 rpm turntable, but I do have one at 45 rpm, so I recorded two songs at that speed, loaded them into Adobe Audition and increased the speed digitally, removed the scratches and clicks, reduced the hiss (which was louder than the music) and put them here where you and anyone else can download them.
http://www.kerrcastle.adsl24.co.uk/
In answer to Chris Drew, I will never know the value of the items, because I would never sell them, they contain the story of the man who first owned them, and now they contain my story, since this is the first Steel Guitar I ever owned and learned from. It would be possible for me to trace the family of the original owner, his name is on the package "Hamilton Clarke" A visit to Register House in Edinburgh to find his death certificate would tell me all I need to know, and he came from the same area I live in today. A project like that is a bit heavy for me right now, I have a lot on my plate, but I will think about that, if I found someone in that family worthy of receiving these items, I would give them for nothing, just as the old man wanted to give them to me, but I would have to be sure they would not end up on Fleabay like you say.
I may do just as you say, re-string and get back into some 6 string work again, it does have a pleasing tone and was good enough to keep me hooked at the time. But again, this would be later.
The scale length is 24 inches and it is ladder braced, if you want to hear it play, you will have to come and play it yourself, I'm up to here in things to do right now Chris.
James Kerr. |
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John Bushouse
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 11:59 am
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| Great story - what a treat! |
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Chris Drew
From:
Bristol, UK
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 12:21 pm
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| James Kerr wrote: |
In answer to Chris Drew, I will never know the value of the items, because I would never sell them, they contain the story of the man who first owned them, and now they contain my story, since this is the first Steel Guitar I ever owned and learned from. |
James, this tells me you do know the value.
I would never suggest that you sell these.
And, upon reflection, you're right about my suggestion of tracking down his relatives is kinda heavy-duty! - maybe I get too sentimental when I hear about stuff like this! |
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Stewart Campbell
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 1:01 pm
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Hi james.
What a great story,one I can relate to as I well remember back in july 1955 standing in a country shop one evening and hearing Slim Whitman singing Rose maria on the radio. I also promised myself that day i would learn to play the singing guitar, however it was not until i retired that i really got down to it seriously and aquired that beautiful Springfield pedal steel guitar made by James Kerr.
Stewart campbell. |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 2:19 pm
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Stewart,
The reason why I made this post in the first place was to tell the story of this little inexpensive Guitar, which has brought so much to myself and others.
It was first bought by a Scotsman trying to make his way in another country, I'm sure it brought a lot of comfort and enjoyment to him in what must have been a pretty lonely place. When things turned against him, it sang its way right across Canada and Usa to New York, bringing him pennies and food to keep him alive during one of the worst times, then paid his passage back home to Scotland.
40 years ago I aquired the little guitar, in its own quiet way it made the same sounds I heard on Slim Whitman records in the 50s, it kept me hooked on the Steel sound until I was able to get a double neck 8 String Guyatone, which plugged in to give me that big sound. From there I designed Pedal Steel Guitars and opened a Factory to build them. Thirty years later, The Springfield Guitars are still being played and enjoyed in many parts of the world, for those who have still to hear one playing go to :-
http://www.myspace.com/jameskerrsteel
Go back and look at the photo I posted of the Guitar, it stands there covered in dust with two busted strings. It waits for me to give it a clean and polish, fit some new strings before it starts its next adventure. I collaborate with Edan Everly, son of Don Everly and play Steel Guitar on his recordings, who knows where this Wee Guitar might end up, and what it will bring to the next person in its life.
James. |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 26 Sep 2008 9:07 pm
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re: the "Zip Code"....Back in those days, what is know as "Zip" in the US ("Postal Code in Canada) did not exist. Our Postal Codes today consist of numbers mixed with the alphabet...eg: T6A-5G3. I have no idea what 557846 stood for...absolutely positive it was NOT a Postal (Zip) Code. Interesting.  |
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