Sad News to Report - Angelio DeHerrera (The Sonics)

 

It's always tragic to find out about the passing of yet another person who contributed so much to the Colorado music history archives. I received word that Sonics co-founder, Angelio DeHerrera, passed away, this month. I was so fortunate to meet up with the band, almost five years ago, for an extensive interview and this blog post.

Thank you to his family for the opportunity to pick his brain about the band, and Pueblo music history.

Read more about his life, in his obituary, and in his honor, blare this song!

Doug Rymerson (Lead Guitarist for The Trolls)

 Doug Rymerson (right) with Phil Head (photo courtesy of Phil Head)

Sad news to report that Doug Rymerson, the lead guitarist for the iconic garage rock band The Trolls (audio), has passed away.

The news came by way of Trolls drummer Phil Head, who shared this tribute:

"I learned this morning of the passing of Doug Rymerson (Digger) lead guitar for the Trolls. A more gentle spirit you could not find. I shared my first apartment with him and lived together in several places. He was the TROLL I was closest to. We were drinking buddies back in the day. Denny (RIP), Digger, and myself shared a mobile home for a short time. Digger spent endless hours meticulously learning the latest songs. His work ethic had much to do with our success. He was from St Paul, Minnesota and I spent a Christmas with him and his parents getting to meet all of his high school friends. All being gentle people help to explain his demeanor. I am so glad I got to spend part of my musical life with him. God bless you Digger, you made many people happy while you were with us."

More pictures of the group

The Greatest Musical Attraction in the History of Pueblo

A small portion of this story ran in the July issue of Pueblo County Historical Society Lore magazine. For whatever reason, the piece was missing the art, and other important details. Here is the story, in its entirety.

In 1917, in an effort to promote its new “talking machine” phonograph, the Victor company put together what was considered the first “super group” of musicians. The ensemble would be called The Record Maker Troupe, and originated with well-known performers Billy Murray, Henry Burr, Albert Campbell, John Meyer, Arthur Collins, and Byron Harlan, Teddy Morse and Vess Ossman.

By 1922, a Victor Victrola cost a Pueblo music lover about $150, the equivalent to $2,500 today. For the average resident, coming out of the 1921 recession (and a devastating flood the previous year), it was a luxury many couldn’t afford. Many music stores, such as Knight-Campbell offered payment plans, as low as $3 a month (the equivalent to about $50 today). To encourage sales of record players, local Victor dealers Knight-Campbell, Silver State Music, and D.Z. Phillips Music stores convinced Victor to bring their recording stars (renamed the Eight Famous Victor Artists) to Pueblo. 

 “You can hear them any day of your Victrola, but only this once can you look upon them actually, in person, and feel the magic of their buoyant personalities” Pueblo Daily Chieftain - Jan. 19, 1922

A large newspaper ad proclaimed the event, which was held at the City Auditorium, as “The Greatest Musical Attraction in the History of Pueblo.” It would feature a literal who’s who of Victor recording artists, of the day - Henry Burr, Monroe Silver (who replaced Byron Harlan), Frank Croxton (who had replaced Arthur Collins), John Meyer, Albert Campbell, Fred Van Eps (who replaced Vess Ossman), Frank Banta (who replaced Teddy Morse), Billy Murray, the Sterling Trio, and the Peerless Quartet. “It would be the first time in history these famous Victor artists have visited Pueblo. Fill the house Monday night, and they will come again,” the Feb. 12 Chieftain proclaimed. Ticket prices ranged from $1-$2.50 ($16-$41 today). Maybe thinking that the cost was too exorbitant for locals, the paper declared, “Oh you cannot afford to miss the Victor concert on the 13th of February. It will be great and well worth anyone’s time to hear.”

Billy (“The Denver Nightingale”) Murray (1877-1954) was born in Philadelphia. His family moved to Denver in 1882. He is credited with calling attention to the music of George M. Cohan (“You’re a Grand Old Flag”). He would go on to record many other well-known songs - “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Over There,” and “Casey Jones.” He was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, in 2016.

Henry Burr (Harry Haley McClaskey) had first come to Denver, in 1920, and would be considered one of the first performers to use a microphone. According to Popular American Recording Pioneers, “It is reported that he used wooden bowl with an inverted telephone transmitter, during the Denver show. The broadcast could be heard all the way to San Francisco. He was also a member of the Peerless Quartet and Sterling Trio. He died in 1941.

Monroe Silver (1875-1947) was known as a comedian, whose routine used an exaggerated Yiddish dialect. His claim to fame was adapting vaudeville performer Joe Hayman’s earlier “Cohen on the Telephone” routine, into other Cohen routines - “Cohen Gets Married” (1918), “Cohen on His Honeymoon” (1918), “Cohen at the Picnic” (1919), “Cohen at the Movies” (1919), “Cohen Talks About the Ladies” (1919), “Cohen Takes His Friend to the Opera” (1921), He often performed with Billy Murray.

Fred Van Eps (1878-1960) was a celebrated banjoist, and the father of jazz guitarist George Van Eps. He was the creator (along with Henry Burr) of the Van Eps Recording Banjo. He is often credited as influencing pre-bluegrass/roots musicians, including Charlie Poole (“Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down Blues,” “White House Blues,” “If I Lose, I Don’t Care,” “Sweet Sunny South,”).

Albert Campbell (1872-1947), John Meyer (1877-1949), were members of both the Peerless Quartet and Sterling Trio, which were considered one of the most commercially successful groups of the era. The group made hundreds of recordings, including popular versions of songs such as "Sweet Adeline", "By the Light of the Silvery Moon", "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", and "I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)". Frank Coxton (1877-1949) was also a member of the Peerless Quartet. The groups broke up in 1928.

Frank E. Banta (1897-1969) is not to be confused with his famous father, Frank P. Banta (1870-1903) was an early ragtime performer. Frank E Banta was a regular pianist with the Joseph C. Smith’s Orchestra, the Van Eps Trio and Quartet, the Club Royal Orchestra, and the Great White Way Orchestra.

Five days before the big event, it was reported that “Present seat sale indications for the Eight Famous Victor Artists show that very few, if any, seats will be available after the next few days.”

(click to enlarge)

Concert Program 

First Set:

Opening chorus - Entire Company
“Get Comfortable” (words and music by Ray Perkins)
Baritone and Bass Duets - John Meyer and Frank Coxton
“Goodbye My Love”
“Just Like a Rainbow” (recorded by The Benson Orchestra - Victor 18823)
Stories and Songs by Monroe Silver
“Irish Home, Sweet Home” (recorded with Billy Murray - Victor 18794)
“Cohen’s New Automobile”
Sterling Trio
“Tomorrow Land” (recorded by Sterling Trio - Victor 18837)
“That Old Irish Mother of Mine (recorded by Sterling Trio - Victor 18696)
Banjo Solo - Fred Van Eps
“Nalia”
Tenor Solo - Henry Burr
“Old Pal Why Don’t You Answer Me” (Recorded by Henry Burr - Victor 18708)
“I’ll Take You Home Again” (with quartet - Victor 18781 Henry Burr and Peerless Quartet)
Tenor Solos - Billy Murray
“Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes” (recorded by Billy Murray and Ed Smalle - Victor 18830)
“Stand Up and Sing For Your Father an Old Time Tune.” (recorded by Billy Murray and American Quartet - Victor 18784) 

INTERMISSION 

Second Set: 

Piano Solos - Frank Banta
“Operatic Nightmare”
“Marionette”
“MonHomme” (duet with John Meyer)
Tenor Duets - Campbell and Burr
“Underneath Hawaiian Skies” (recorded by Al Campbell and Henry Burr - Victor 18730)
“Sunny Side Sal”
Stories and Songs - Monroe Silver
“Rebecca” (recorded by Billy Murray and Monroe Silver - Victor 18748)
Bass Solo - Frank Croxton
“Song to the Evening Star” (recorded by Victor Orchestra - Victor 18759)
Banjo Solo - Fred Van Eps
“Cocoanut Dance”
Peerless Quartet
“My Sunny Tennessee” (recorded by Peerless Quartet - Victor 18812)
“Somebody’s Mother”
“Medley of Foster Songs”
Tenor Solos - Billy Murray
“When Francis Dances with Me” (recorded by Ada Jones and Billy Murray - Victor 18830)
“Humpty Dumpty” (recorded by Billy Murray and Ed. Smalle - Victor 18810)
Closing Chorus - Entire Company
Frank Banta, Accompanist

“Words cannot fully describe music of the eight Victor artists, who appeared at the city auditorium Monday night, and faced a full house.” -Pueblo Daily Chieftain, Feb. 14, 1922

According to reviews of the show, the sold-out performance (which varied between 1,600-1,900 people in attendance) was a success for both the attendees and the entertainers. “Every number on the greatly varied program was so well received by the audience that the hearty and earnest applause brought the artists back to the footlights two or three times.” 

 “If you heard the Eight Famous Victor Artists at the Auditorium last Monday night - if you were a part of the great audience who enjoyed that wonderful program, you can perpetuate your memories with their VICTOR records.”
- Advertisement (above) Pueblo Daily Chieftain - February 15, 1922 (click to enlarge)

The troupe, in various incarnations, would spend a total of 11 years on the road, promoting Victor Victrolas and Victor label recordings. On February 26, 1925, Rudy Wiedoeft, Monroe Silver, John Meyer, Frank Croxton, Albert Campbell, Henry Burr, Frank Banta, and Billy Murray recorded “A Miniature Concert,” Victor’s first commercial electrical recording. In 1928, the group performed in the MGM film At the Club. They would disband that same year.

Frank Hummel and Leon Dudley

Was driving through the Springs last Friday, and decided to hit a few of my old thrift stops. The city has been kinda hit or miss lately, at least for esoteric Colorado vinyl finds, but took a chance before heading back up to D-Town.

Glad I did. Take a look at this find from KGHF radio, in Pueblo!

You may remember the story I published a few months ago, on the first Pueblo radio stations. KGHF went on the air in 1927, and stuck around until 1964 (later becoming KKAM). No date on this recording, but the tune "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" was popular in 1954, as a song included in the movie "White Christmas."

The disc was in atrocious condition. You could barely hear anything, over the surface noise, but I had to at least attempt to clean it up.

Listen to "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" (2:22)

The flipside of the disc was a cover of "My Best to You," a 1942 Gene Willadsen and Isham Jones composition recorded by Slim Whitman, the Sons of the Pioneers, and others. Sadly, this side was audibly beyond repair. 

As for the performers - vocalist Frank Hummel worked at CF&I, with his wife Cora. According to Cora's 2018 obituary, the couple moved to Fort Morgan, and later Greeley, in 1960. Leon Dudley was very well known in Pueblo. While he was visually impaired, he was a regular entertainer at The 85 Club and The Broken Dollar, and later at La Renaissance restaurant. He often performed live on KGHF, along with ragtime performer Max Morath. He passed away in 1992.

The Harrison Players

 

(Story is also posted in the March 2022 issue of the Pueblo County Historical Society The Pueblo Lore).

Seventeen days after the flood of June 3, 1921, the Grand Theater reopened after clearing “six and a half feet of water from the stage.” The repairs were a sign that entertainment would once again be a part of the Pueblo landscape after the horrific devastation. 

On November 6, the Daily Chieftain announced that the Grand was looking for a permanent stock company—a theater group which Pueblo could call its own—to be regular performers. A few days later, it was announced that the Harrison Players, formed by Charles Harrison, would take the stage as the troupe in residence. “The Harrison Players were organized expressly for Pueblo with the purpose of giving Pueblo theater goers a high-class, permanent, dramatic company,” according to the Grand’s manager, J.D. Colegrove. 

Charles Harrison was a well-known theater company player, who had formed stock player companies in Dallas, El Paso, and Kansas City. In a Chieftain story, he admitted that he was looking for a permanent home for his troupe and was happy to be setting up in Pueblo for the long term. 

The cast of the Harrison Players included a literal Who’s Who of early 1900s touring theater entertainers: Aubrey Anderson (previously of El Paso stock company), Frederick Boon (previously of the Arlington Players in Montana), Adelaide Irving—leading lady (popular actress who has appeared in Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and El Paso), Kelly Masters (from the F.P. Hillman Stock Co.), Fred McCord, Pearl Nichols (W.T. Swain Company in New Orleans), Ruby Rumley (Florida actress), Betty Rumley, Johnny Sullivan, Billy Topp (previously of the Lewis-Worth stock company).

 The group’s first performance, Two-Fisted Love, told the story of “a lightweight boxer (Kid Maloney) who is booked to fight a champion (Kid Burns). While he is in a small town to train, he meets the daughters of a minister, and this precipitates a battle which means more to him than the prize-ring championship.” 

Harrison Players’ performances: 

1921 

November 19 – Cheating Cheaters
November 26 – Mr. Jim Bailey
December 3 – Kick In (John Barrymore starred in the original NYC production)
December 11 – Little Peggy O’Moore
December 17 – Mary’s Ankle
December 27 – The Brat

1922

January 1 – Civilian Clothes
January 8 – Tennessee’s Pardner
January 10 – Common Clay – starred Don Barclay (previously of Ziegfeld’s Follies)
January 12 – Geewilliker Hay
January 22 – The Shepherd of the Hills
January 26 – A Pair of Sixes (starring 1911 Centennial graduate Miss Wally Norris)
February 5 – Saintly Hypocrites and Honest Sinners
February 13 – At 9:45
February 18 – Fair and Warmer
February 26, 1922 – Her Husband’s Kin-Folks

Between November 11, 1921, and February 26, 1922, The Harrison Players staged a total of 17 plays, each running about a week. It was reported that every show sold out of tickets and there were waiting lists for admission. The company was so beloved that when rumors began to circulate that they were leaving Pueblo, the local paper ran a story asking them to reconsider (the rumors weren’t true, as the troupe only wanted to take a few days off). 

On March 1, 1922, all of that was about to change. 

At 1:15 in the morning, with an outside temperature of 22 degrees below zero, a fire broke out in the dance hall on the fourth floor of the Grand Opera House block. By 1:30, the three-alarm blaze had brought out every piece of equipment the fire department had and every fireman they could find. According to the Pueblo Firefighters Historical Society, the fire burned its way to the scenery loft above the stage and soon the falling and flaming scenery drapes ignited the stage. By 1:50, the roof had collapsed. The red sandstone exterior blocks were three feet thick and withstood the water and the weather. The estimated monetary loss was measured in the hundreds of thousands. The Harrison Players revealed that the loss of its sets and costumes was estimated to be $20,000 (2022 equivalent = $329,000). They had no insurance.

The day after the disaster, the troupe was left wondering what would become of them. They weren’t the only ones pondering the future of the performers. The Chieftain reported that the group wanted to stay, and that “scores of comments on the streets...the people want them to stay.” The city quickly rallied around the beloved Harrison Players. To financially help, the Rialto Theater held a benefit and donated all its revenue to them. The city approved the Harrison Players use of City Auditorium for a repeat performance of Saintly Hypocrites and Honest Sinners. They then moved to the Majestic Theater, where they performed Her Husband’s Kin-Folks. 

In an editorial, the paper pleaded with them to stay. “The Harrison Players in particular have won the good will of the people of Pueblo by their sincere efforts to provide clean and wholesome amusement of a high grade of artistic effort. Such a company is a valuable asset to any city, and it is the general hope that the destruction of the theater with much of the company’s equipment will not necessitate their removal from Pueblo. Anything that can be done within reason to make it possible for them to remain ought to be done. This we owe to the city if not to this painstaking and conscientious company of actors.” 

By March 5, it appeared that the Harrison Players would continue to perform in Pueblo. It was announced that the troupe “voted and decided to stay.” They would use the City Auditorium, and even announced a new play was in the works, Lone Star Ranch. The good news would not last. 

Just two days after announcing that they would stay in Pueblo, the troupe published a letter in the Chieftain, announcing that it could no longer stage performances due to “many obstacles.”

“To our dear friends. We had decided last Saturday to undertake to stay in Pueblo for a few more weeks, giving our performances in Memorial Hall, through the opportunity offered us by the City Commissioners. But we were swayed away from the vision of many obstacles when we made this decision by the great evidence of friendship shown us on the streets, and at our benefit. Later a more calm and mature view of the situation bringing to light troubles in the way of scenery needed, sickness of some of the players, offers received by others...”

“Never in the history of this city has a company of dramatic players given such a general satisfaction and gained such a tremendous number of loyal admirers and friends as did the Harrison Players, who appeared here in the Grand Opera House for seventeen weeks this winter. A big fire on March 1, resulting in the destruction of the theater and practically everything in it, brought to an end an engagement of one of the most enjoyed permanent theatrical attractions in the city.”

Billboard  - April 1, 1922

 The city commissioners offered the City auditorium to the players as an inducement to remain after the fire, the newspapers devoted columns to them, the fraternal and civic organizations offered their assistance, but after thorough consideration, it was decided they could not maintain their high standard of productions in the auditorium because of insufficient scenery to work with and the oversize of the building. 

Eight months later the group would return to the stage in Walsenburg. The troupe staged Cappy Ricks at the Star Theater. They would take the act on the road, performing in Rocky Ford and Ordway. 

After another year of touring Colorado, the Harrison Players would move to Colorado Springs. Charles Harrison and J.D. Colegrove would form the Harrison Play Bureau, a distribution house for scripts and other theater needs. In July 1924, the business moved to Denver (1012 E. Colfax). The last known performance of the Harrison Players was reported on June 27, 1924.

The Harrison Players never returned to Pueblo.

Blind Tom - "One of the Greatest Wonders of the Age"

 

NOTE: This piece is also published in the January 2022 issue of the Pueblo County Historical Society The Lore.

In the early stages of Pueblo’s history, live music entertainment was limited to the Choral Union, Pueblo Cornet Band, or the newly formed city orchestra. On occasion, a “traveling troupe” would pass through on the way to a larger venue. Nationally known musical acts often limited their tours of Colorado to Denver, or Colorado Springs.

In May 1878 the Colorado Daily Chieftain announced a concert by “the greatest musical prodigy living,” the visually-impaired pianist, Blind Tom. 

At 29-years-old, Tom Wiggins had already been performing, for almost 20 years. Growing up as a slave, along with his mother and father, he was often hired out by Georgia plantation owner General James Neil Bethune to entertain his antebellum friends. His ability to audibly memorize thousands of pieces of music, and then play them back on a piano, was considered “a wonder.” He was quickly marketed as a P.T. Barnum-style freak, with often cruel advertising of him as a transformation from an animal to an artist. As word quickly spread about his abilities, he would leave the plantation and travel the United States, often performing four shows a day, making about $100,000 a year for General Bethune, who acted as Tom’s co-manager.

By 1873 he had arrived in Denver, for four nights at the Guard Opera House, his first appearances in Colorado. “Blind Tom’s engagement here was a rich treat to all who heard him,” the reviews read.

In Pueblo, the Colorado arrival of what would become one of earliest African American musical superstars would only receive a small newspaper mention. “Blind Tom, the negro musical monstrosity, who has been astonishing large audiences in the principal cities of the United States, is giving entertainments in Denver. The metropolitans are wild with excitement, of course,” the Chieftain noted. 

 

As Wiggins popularity grew, he began writing his own compositions. Sheet music pieces were sold at his shows, as souvenirs for attendees. Titles included “The Battle of Manassas,” “Blind Tom’s March,” and even a novelty piece “Sewing Song,” where the piano imitates a sewing machine. For reasons unknown, later Blind Tom pieces used composer pseudonyms including Professor W.F. Raymond, J.C. Beckel, C.T. Messengale, and Francois Sexalise.

In 1878 he made his way back to Colorado. His tour included Denver, Colorado Springs, various mining towns and finally, Pueblo. The news of his long-overdue local appearance included a more glowing description of his abilities, as compared to the “musical monstrosity” narrative, five years earlier. 

  

May 15, 1878 - Colorado Daily Chieftain

“Mr. Theodore Warhurst, the avant courier for Blind Tom, made us a pleasant call yesterday. This musical prodigy will entertain our people on the night of May 16. He is, undoubtedly, the greatest musical prodigy living.” May 1, 1878 – Colorado Daily Chieftain

His Pueblo concert was considered one of the most anticipated events, that year. The local paper ran daily ads, and promotional stories which bordered on equal parts public relations enthusiasm and side show hype. “Blind Tom, one of the greatest wonders of the age, will visit our town on the 16th. There is hardly anyone in the country unacquainted with this musical prodigy. He is perfectly blind, who has not the mental capacity sufficient to attend to his own wants, and hardly sufficient to understand even a common place conversation, yet he is the perfect master of the piano.” As reported in the May 9, 1878, issue of Colorado Weekly Chieftain.

His sold-out, standing room only concert, at Chilcott’s Hall had patrons standing out in the street, hoping to hear the event. “Quite an audience thronged Santa Fe Avenue and Sixth Street last night, in the vicinity of Chilcott’s Hall, to listen to the playing of Blind Tom. They made some noise, and appeared to appreciate the performance fully, as well as those in the hall.”

But not all of the reviews were supportive of Wiggins’ performance. While classical concert attendees applauded his musical skill, many were confused over the “side show.”

“We had the pleasure of hearing the musical prodigy Blind Tom on Thursday evening. We didn’t fully appreciate the program, as too much time was taken up with Tom’s foolish speeches. Such a musical wonder should not be exhibited for such nonsense. The fault is not in the performer, for he is especially fond of the very highest order of composition, but a general audience likes a popular program, better.”

Little did anyone know about the behind-the-scenes management of his career. General Bethune’s son had taken over bookings of Wiggins, and promoted him as a novelty act, or “a human parrot,” as one critic wrote. When John Bethune died in a train accident, in 1884, his ex-wife Eliza took custody of Wiggins.

Wiggins would return to Colorado, in 1895. He would play Pueblo, one last time on January 18, at the Grand Opera House. Sadly, his visual impairment, odd stage antics, and lack of communication continued to be highlighted, for the sake of ticket sales.

“A helpless idiot, with scarcely sense enough to know when he’s hungry, or to feed himself when he’s hungry, yet endowed with a musical gift far beyond the average musician,” noted a story in the January 15, 1895, Colorado Daily Chieftain.

The concert included a variety of musical selections, including his own compositions. He also included “piano imitations” of various other musical instruments and sound effects, to a receptive audience. 

 

 

January 18, 1895 - Colorado Weekly Chieftain

A glowing review of the concert, published by the Chieftain, downplayed any previous behaviors which were deemed a novelty act. “It would be a multiplication of words to attempt to describe the wonderful talent for music this man has. There never has been his equal. In his playing of high-class compositions, he displays his marvelous memory and appreciation of the fine phrasing in them. His playing is perfect.”

In April 1908 Tom Wiggins suffered a major stroke. He died the following June. He was buried in the Cemetery of the Evergreens in Brooklyn, New York. His story has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, songs (Elton John’s “The Ballad of Blind Tom”) and artistic murals. The residents of his hometown, Columbus, GA., erected a commemorative tombstone for him, 68 years after his passing.

Instrumental in Pueblo’s Growth - The Origins of Steel City Music Stores

NOTE: This piece is also published in the December 2021 issue of the Pueblo County Historical Society The Lore.

In the late 1860s, Michigan physician and surgeon, Dr. J.W.O Snyder came to the newly-established town of Pueblo with a hope of setting up his medical practice. But when he arrived in town, he discovered that only a handful of businesses lined the dirt roads, and stores for basic necessities were nonexistent.

 Fourth and Fifth Streets of Santa Fe Avenue, Spring 1870. Picture shows the X-10-U-8 Saloon, Dr. J.W.O. Snyder’s shoe store and news depot (center), and the office of lawyers A.A. Bradford and Henry C. Thatcher (photo courtesy of the Pueblo City-County Library) 

Having just been appointed the city’s postmaster, he decided to open a book and stationery business. But his entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop there. The store also carried toys, games, shoes…and musical instruments – violins, guitars, and banjos. 

June 20, 1874 Ad – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo)

By the 1860s, Pueblo civic leaders were focused on establishing the new city’s infrastructure. While there had been Masonic balls, and occasional dances and concerts, entertainment was low priority. But by 1869, on the northside of Seventh Street, Conley Hall (later known as the Thespian Theater and Montgomery’s Opera House) was built. The Pueblo Cornet Band would be one of the first organized music groups, in the city. 

Dr. Snyder’s music-related inventory also expanded, and he began carrying larger musical instruments, including pianos and organs. An 1874 ad in the Weekly Chieftain noted “If you want a fine piano or good organ, go to Snyder’s book and music store.” 

 In 1873, William W. Knight arrived in Denver, along with his brother Frank A. Knight. The two had left Michigan to find their fame and fortune in Colorado. The two teamed up with Asahel K. Clark to open a sewing machine business. In 1876, they added musical instruments to their offerings. Three years later Clark decided to leave the business, and sold his ownership to W.W. Waterbury. The store would go on to be renamed Knight Brothers and Waterbury. By 1879 their Lawrence Street music store was a huge success, and the owners began to think about expanding, to Pueblo. The following year they set up shop on Santa Fe Avenue.

March 5, 1881 – Colorado Weekly Chieftain (Pueblo) 

The store employed Mrs. D.M. King, as manager. In a May 1881 Chieftain story, it was implied that the new business, under her leadership, was trying to keep up with the demand for pianos. “Mrs. D.M. King, in charge of Knight Brothers & Waterbury’s Music Store in this city, has disposed of a piano every day this week so far, and informed us last evening that she anticipated negotiating another sale today. She deserves all the success with which she is meeting.” 

Possibly following the lead of the Knight Brothers, Pueblo began seeing more and more non-music stores carrying music-related items. In 1880 J.R. Shaw, a Santa Fe Avenue sewing machine seller, expanded his offerings to include sheet music and instruments. In 1881, brothers F.A. and C.M. Wells purchased the Richardson Building, at the corner of Sixth Street and Santa Fe, and announced that they too would be opening a music store, known locally as “The Temple of Music.” Interestingly, the clothing store Roworth & Veatch, located at 81 Union Avenue, also carried sheet music, and was known as “The Temple of Fashion.”

September 30, 1883 – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo) 

With three major music dealers on one street, the Chieftain took notice. A May 12, 1882 story announced that Santa Fe Avenue will “give people music day and night.” 

 In 1883, the Schreiber Rowcroft Quartette made their performing debut. The band was being booked for almost any engagement, which required musical entertainment, and they became instant local celebrities. 

November 8, 1883 – Colorado Weekly Chieftain (Pueblo) 

At some point the group became known simply as the Schreiber Orchestra. Possibly parlaying on their popularity, the family opened a music store, at Seventh and Main.

January 21, 1896 – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo) 

By 1885, the Knight Brothers and Waterbury store had changed ownership, to become Knight-McClure. They highlighted the addition of A.G. Haupt, a piano tuner “direct from Steinway & Sons, New York.” 

April 28, 1890 – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo) 

Opening in 1888, in the basement of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, at Fifth and Santa Fe, Crews-Beggs Dry Goods promoted “thousands of pieces of sheet music” at its store.

By the late 1800s, possibly sensing a goldmine in a newly-established town, additional Denver music stores began expanding to Pueblo. 

In 1882, at age 21, John Henrich moved to Denver, and worked as a clerk in E. F. Merriam's piano and organ store. Soon joined by his sister and brother-in-law, Lydia Henrich and Charles H. Walker, the trio soon opened the J. S. Henrich & Co. music store. Within five years, the store opened in Pueblo. 

“He(i)nrich & Co have decided to open a music store in Pueblo, and have rented the east room in the Maple Block, on west Fourth Street.” – Colorado Daily Chieftain, 1887. 

However, within the year, the Pueblo store closed. It’s inventory was acquired by W.W. Montelius and Co., a Denver music store, who had recently set up a Pueblo store front at 112 West Fourth Street (later Seventh and Main). As noted in the ad below, Charles Schreiber would later be affiliated with the Montelius Piano Company.

February 16, 1896 – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo) 

Around that same time, George C. Harper and his wife, Annie opened the Pueblo Music House (sometimes known as “Harper’s Music Store”). The shop was located at 307 N. Main, and offered pianos and organs “sold on easy payments.” It’s claim to fame was offering the Harper Guitar, an instrument designed by Mr. Harper, and sold exclusively at the store.

March 14, 1896 – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo)

In 1898 the Pueblo Music House went out of business, and its contents were sold to N. E. Motherway and partners A.V. Bradford, and J.H. McCorkle. 

On October 6, 1898 the Chieftain published an article of incorporation for Silver State Music. The owners were listed as Ohio transplant (and former Knight-McClure music store employee) L.M. Kieffer and jeweler Frank H. Frankenberg, Jr. While previous music stores had barely received a note in the local paper, the arrival of Silver State Music was announced with a lengthy story. “Music loving people of Pueblo and the public at large are assured that a long felt want is being supplied by the location of such a desirable branch of grade, and it will and much to the many industries and the progressiveness of “the Pittsburg of the West…the Chieftain hails them welcome.” 

 

April 23, 1899 – Colorado Daily Chieftain (Pueblo) 

Silver State Would set itself apart from the other music operations, by publishing its own sheet music. In 1900 “Where the Golden Daisies Grow,” composed by Silver State owner Lowell Kieffer (with lyrics by Francis E. Nelson) was published. 

Silver State wouldn’t be the only early Pueblo sheet music publisher. Western Music Co., housed at 205 E. Fourth St., would press its own compositions, including the 1906 “When the Columbine’s In Blossom Bessie Dear,” by Frank W. Sterns and Edmund Leischke.

The new century would bring adversity to Silver State. In 1916 a fire at a nearby store spread to the shop, destroying it, along with Dondeo Woolen Mills, and Scribner and Co. 

As World War I raged, Pueblo would soon be home to other local sheet music publishing houses, which quickly took advantage of the need for patriotic songs. These companies included E.D. Moyer (1917’s “Bonnie Land of Freedom”) the Cooperative Music Union (1917’s “Betty My Own”), and the prolific F.B. Martin (the 1918 compositions “America in War,” “Follow The Flag,” “Off to France,” “The Pacifist Song,” “Uncle Sam Will Fight,” and “At the Call of the Bugle”). 

Lowell M. Kieffer would pass away in 1918. Silver State Music would continue, but its location would be destroyed, in the 1921 flood. According to a story in the Chieftain, “The management of the Silver State Music Co. estimates that it will require sixty days to clean up the debris, and then the business will he resumed.” 

The business would later move to 206 N. Main. 

Between 1918-1919, the city would see two more music stores open – Knight-Campbell, and D.Z. Phillips. The Denver-based Knight-Campbell, previously of Knight-McClure mentioned above, opened a store in Pueblo, at 420 Main Street. The grand opening included a performance by Denver singer, Rose Hilts. D.Z. Phillips’ store was located at 627 N. Main. 

When it came to promotion, Phillips Music would one-up Silver State’s sheet music publishing, by creating its own band, the Phillips Crusaders. Members included musical youth, who would later wear military uniforms, and subtlety hyped the music store, while being staples of Pueblo parades during that era.

Phillips would later become vice president of the Bennett Music Company, in Santa Barbara, CA. He died in 1952, in California.

Carl Finnigan (the Sting Reys) 1944-2021

 

The Sting Reys (1963)
Ronnie Houston, Gilbert Razo,
Carl Finnigan, and Larry Montoya

Just got word this morning that Carl Finnigan,  a member of the popular Pueblo group, the Sting Reys, passed away. He was 76 years old. His funeral will be held Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, at Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 7101 Verner Ave., Citrus Heights, CA 95621.

According to his obituary - "Kenneth Carl Finnigan passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at the age of 76. He was born on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, 1944, in Pueblo, Colo., to Josephine and George Arnold Finnigan. Carl was the youngest of three children. Carl was gifted with a great talent for music. He played guitar, banjo, piano and mandolin, but his great love was guitar. He taught himself to play guitar at a very early age and developed an unsurpassed ear for music. In 1960, he formed the band The Sting Reys, a popular rock and roll band, in Pueblo, Colo. He was District Manager for Parklane Hosiery out of New York for 20 years and worked for the State of California for 25 years. Carl was a long time member of Saint Joseph Parish in Lincoln, Calif., and participated in music ministry at both Saint Joseph and Saint Peter and Paul Parish. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carole Lautaret Finnigan; his daughters, Jacque Finnigan (Joe Gladney) and Shannon Finnigan (Dave) Woods; his son, Michael Finnigan; grandson, Ryan Woods; granddaughters, Carley and Julia Finnigan"

Back in 2010, I had the opportunity to talk to Carl, about his time in the band.

What an amazing group they were. One of the first successful homemade bands, in Pueblo. I'm cranking "You're Looking Good," right now.

Rest in peace.

Pueblo Signs on the Air – The Origins of Steel City Radio

In 1919, Colorado Springs amateur radio enthusiast Dr. William D. “Doc” Reynolds, Jr began a short-range broadcast, under the call sign 9JE. A few months later, according to a May 13, 1920 story, titled “Dance Music by Wireless Transmitted by Reynolds,” published in the Colorado Springs Gazette, “Pupils at the High school [didn’t identify which one] who experiment in wireless telephony and telegraphy received the canned music from the home of Dr. W. D. Reynolds last night, and tripped the light fantastic to it with satisfaction.” 

 Two years after that experiment, the Reynolds Radio Company would launch the first radio station in Colorado, KLZ. The Denver-based station broadcast a 5,000-watt signal, reaching Pueblo, which would not be far behind with its own radio presence. 

KFGB 

In 1922, George G. Loewenthal was the first to bring a radio station to Pueblo – or at least a radio license. In the February 1923 issue of The Wireless Age, KFGB was officially listed in the Broadcasting Station Directory. In a February 17, 1923 issue of Radio World, it was noted that there were “six new broadcasters,” who had been licensed by the Department of Commerce, including KFGB, in Pueblo, which was owned by “The Loewenthal Brothers.” 

 

(click to enlarge)

According to the filing, the studio was located at 616-618 N. Main Street, which was also the location of Loewenthal’s electrical contracting and Apex brand vacuum cleaner shop. 

Pueblo Chieftain – February 20, 1921 

While KFGB would be the “first” radio station application, in Pueblo, there is very little known about the station’s programming format, its announcers, or if it even ever went on the air. 

 Just a year later, in the 1923 Radio Service Bulletin, issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce, KFGB was on a list of stations to “strike out all particulars,” implying that the station was no longer on the air – if it was ever on, at all. The radio call letters would later go to a station in Iowa City, IA. 

While there is no documentation that KFGB ever broadcast, and can’t be officially noted as the “first” radio station in Pueblo, there is quite a bit of information confirming that KGDP holds the honors. 

KGDP 

 (click to enlarge - sorry for the blurriness)  - Fort Collins Coloradan (year unknown) 

 In 1922, KGDP would join the local Pueblo radio dial - as the first and only radio station, in the United States (at the time), run entirely by Boy Scouts. 

Heard at 1340 on the radio dial (later switching to 1210), according to a June, 1922 report from the Department of Commerce, KGDP was listed as operating at 2927 High Street, (the residence of John D Price, scout commissioner of Pueblo). 

“The station has a recorded distance of 400 miles and occasionally, under favorable auspices, even longer, and sends out programs regularly on Tuesday and Friday evenings. On the first, strictly scouting programs are rendered. On Thursdays programs are arranged with local participants but with an effort to use scouts or scout parents, where talent is available” - 17th Annual Report of the Boy Scouts of America (1926) 

According to coverage of the first evening of broadcast, in the Pueblo Chieftain, “Thursday night’s program, as broadcasted by Pueblo scout station KGDP was the first that has ever been broadcasted from Pueblo. This very fact, in itself is a significant achievement…” 

 The first broadcast featured scout “bugle caller” Carl Christenson, along with vocalist Miss Ethel Yund, and John R. Elliot, on horn. Other performers that night were bassist Thomas A. Christian, Miss Ruth Lyons on violin, R. M. Miller “a tenor soloist,” Thomas Christian and Charlies Wilson (who performed a duet), and Miss Majorie Starkweather, who gave a reading entitled “ The Little Mixer.” 

The Boy Scout-run station received quite a bit of national publicity, for the unique staffing. The New York Times featured KGDP in its February 12, 1927 edition. “Boy Scouts of Pueblo have their own broadcasting station, KGDP, from which programs are radioed Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. This, so far, as is known, is the only station maintained and operated by the Boy Scouts, although one station is New York City, and one in Kingston, N.Y., and one or two elsewhere, have time to time operated under Boy Scout assistance.” 

 KGDP would be the model for other scouting organizations, looking to teach members how to operate a radio station. Under the headline Scouts Operate Radio Station, the Hutchinson (Kansas) News reported, in its February 26, 1927 edition, that “Hutchinson Boy Scouts are invited to tune in on their radios for the programs which are being offered every Tuesday and Friday by station KGDP scout-owned broadcasting plant located in Pueblo, Colo.” 

The story went on to note that the “executive board of the Pueblo council raised funds to send an older scout to Chicago for training as an operator for the station.” 

 Boy’s Life – May, 1927 

H.E. Hedlund was listed as the station announcer. In the 1927 issue of Santa Fe magazine, He was noted as a violinist and vocalist. Programming on KGDP was furnished by scouts, or their parents. It broadcast on a 261 meter wave and operated on 10 watts of power. 

The last notation of KGDP, with the U.S. Department of Commerce, would appear in 1930. 

KGHA 

On December 9, 1927, George H. Sweeney and N.S. Walpole were granted a radio broadcasting license for a 50 watt (later 500 watt) station, located at 1200 on the radio dial. 

 Sweeney ran the Globe Fire Insurance & Investment Co., located at 206 W 4th. He was also listed as vice president of Pueblo Foundry and Machine Co. Walpole listed his occupation as a postmaster, and secretary-treasurer of the Pueblo Club. 

No additional information could be found on this station. 

KGHF 

On October 27, 1927, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a license to (later state senator) Curtis P. Ritchie and Joe Finch. Other records show the names Philip G. Lasky and J.H. Albert. J.H. McGill was noted as the news editor. The station would have the call letters KGHF. 

Radio reception stamp for KGHF 

KGHF was the first to have a station slogan, “The Voice of Pueblo.” It broadcast at 1350 at 1,000 watts in the day and 500 watts at night, at 1430, on the radio dial, daily from 8:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4:00-11:00 p.m. 

The studios were located in the Broadway Arcade Building.

Programming included public affairs shows, featuring John F. Connors, who was also in the Public Affairs Department at Lowry Field. The station also broadcast “You and the Law,” a syndicated program, produced by the Colorado Bar Association. Later, the station would feature live instrumental music from Walsenburg accordion player Mario Carreri, and country music by Jimmie and Dick and the Novelty Boys with Cora Deane. 

In 1945, KGHF sold for $300,000. The station was purchased by Colorado publisher Gifford Phillips (of the East Jefferson Sentinel and the Jefferson County Republican). 

In an April 25, 1947 FCC application for construction permits for KGHF, it was noted that were “only two stations in Pueblo – KGHF and KADP…and a third station has been authorized – KCSJ.” 

KGHF would keep the original call letters until 1964, when the station used KKAM (1964-1976). The station would go on to change its call letters several times, in its history. 

 Other early stations 

Over the next twenty years, there were new radio licenses in Pueblo, implying that KGHF was the lone local Pueblo station, in that time. 

In 1947, longtime Pueblo stations KCSJ and KDZA signed on. While the history of both has been well-documented, very little is known about two other Pueblo stations, which applied for, and received licenses for broadcast – KADP and KROM: 

KADP 

In 1947, the son of former Colorado U.S. Senator (from 1923-1924 and 1933-1941) Alva B. Adams, and grandson of former Colorado Governor Alva Adams, applied for a construction permit for a new broadcast station. 

Alva B. Adams, Jr. who was the chairman of the Pueblo Bank & Trust, would call his station KADP. It would broadcast at 1490 on the radio dial. The official address on the application was noted (incorrectly) as 102 Arman Avenue (believed to be instead Orman Avenue – and the address of the Orman mansion, where Adams and his family lived ). 

For reasons unknown, on October 4, 1948, Adams cancelled the permit, and pulled out of putting a radio station in Pueblo. 

KROM 

Also in 1947, an FM permit was issued to Rocky Mountain Broadcasting Co., (which included Walter Hurd, owner of Hurd Pontiac Co; Carl Walter and Martin Walter Jr., operators of Walter’s Brewing Co., and A. G. Chamberlain, First Federal Savings and Loan Co.), for the station call letters KROM, which would be broadcast at 920 on the dial. The station’s studios were located at 429 Thatcher. However, according to the filing “the permit was dismissed for failure of prosecution.” The original story, in April 21, 1947 issue of Broadcasting, did not elaborate further.

Buddy Johnson Book - A Son's Tribute to His Father

Hey all! On this Father's Day, I wanted to post this news related to one of the fathers of early Pueblo television.

Got a message from John Johnson, the son of Pueblo cowboy TV star and singer, Buddy Johnson, that the tribute book he wrote about his father is now in its second, and soon-to-be third, printing. The reaction to this book has been fantastic, and he wanted to let everyone know that it's available at the Beulah Historical Museum (8869 Grand Ave), the Pueblo Heritage Museum (207 West B Street), and the John Deaux Gallery (221 S. Union - Pueblo). It's also for order, on the incredible website, John put together, in memory of his father.

While the Pueblo Chieftain did an article, when the book came out, in October, I wanted to ask John a few other questions.

What made you all want to put together this book? 

My sister Pat badgered me for years to put something on paper about Dad. She was a young girl and a teenager during this time, and was occupied elsewhere during those years. She really didn’t know or remember everything that Dad was involved with, but she knew that I was right in the middle of lots of it, and thought he should be remembered in some way. Initially doing a book on Dad was the farthest thing from my mind. I thought I would just scan a few photographs and put up a site which we could refer the grandkids to, and that would be that. Then they would at least know something about Dad, who was such a force of nature in our lives, but was little known to his grandchildren - all of whom were born years, and in some cases, decades after all this happened. That just didn’t seem right. 

What was it like going through the memorabilia? Did it bring back any memories, for you? 

 I had seen lots of his stuff when he was alive, but it wasn’t until my mother died in 2004 that everything was divided up among the three of us children, so stuff was scattered between Pueblo where I live, and Littleton and Lakehurst where my sisters live. Once I looked at what I had, it did bring back memories of things I knew existed, but that I didn’t have. So my sisters started giving me things like scrapbooks and such. The further I looked through everything it did bring back many memories I haven’t thought about for decades, since he died in 1986. And once I had the website up, people would discover it and they would send me emails about their going to The Adventurer’s Club show, of how they met at one of Dad’s dances, that type of thing. People just felt that he was a cherished part of their young lives, as he was in the media for so many years. I only decided to do a book when my son Thomas happened to mention to one of his friend’s parents who his grandfather was. Their amazed and happy reaction - amazed and surprised that they would even know his grandfather. Then he told me about it. I thought a website would come and go, but I should put it into a more permanent form - a book. I’ve made a few films, but I think books are much more of a permanent item, which you can hold and go back to. 

Was there anything left out of the book? It’s packed with so many photos and other things! 

In telling Dad’s story and also Mom’s story too, I wanted to give the grandkids, and now the great-grandkids more context about the history of our family. up to his time. So I tried to give a historical context to what their lives were really. That’s why there are chapters bringing the genealogical lines of the family - from the early days in this country, and from the journey of our ancestors from Italy. Also, as all of his descendants live away from Pueblo, and it has so drastically changed since that time, I felt I had to let them see Pueblo the way it was during my parents’ lives here, and the way I remember it when I was young, thus the chapter on Pueblo history. In researching Pueblo, like researching Dad, there were just so many fascinating things I came across like the war years and the Pueblo Army Airbase and my grandmother’s remembrances about the terrible Dust Bowl era, but I couldn’t put everything in, so I had to really pare everything down. But I tired to keep in some of the most interesting items from all the stories I found. I’ll tell you if you really want to understand the history of your parents, read the newspapers from the time when they were alive. Things we think of now as being all settled, just historical fact, at the time were not settled at all, and the outcomes were very much in doubt. So lots of great stories that were left out. 

Why did Pueblo mean so much to Buddy? I’m sure he could have been “big” elsewhere, but he chose to stay here. Why? 

 Well I think it was the main city of any size that he lived in, and like I said, Pueblo was indeed formidable in those decades. A real power house. I mean here he was born in very rural Kansas, then he lived on the vast prairie at Arlington, which might have had maybe 600 people at its height. When the Johnson family moved to Pueblo, it was a big, powerful, industrial city with street cars on Main Street and many national department stores. He just liked the mix of people here, like I do. Pueblo was, and still is, just different from the rest of Colorado at the time. It was much more cosmopolitan that the rest of the state which which was pretty much white, rural and agricultural like Arlington. It must have seemed somewhat exotic to Dad, at sixteen, and his family. You have to remember that because of the heavy industry at one time there were something like 30 different foreign language papers published here, so it was totally different, back then. 

Has the book brought back any memories for readers? What have you heard from those who have bought the book? 

I've heard from so many people that either bought the book for themselves or purchased it for their husband or wife. They tell how they encountered Dad, even down to remembering exactly what was said. Amazing. One man even found himself in a photograph from The Adventurer's Club in the book. Remember there were just two or three TV stations, not the thousands of choices we have today. If someone was lucky enough to have a TV everyone was pretty much watching the same shows. These memories remain. When I went to my wife’s high school reunion they began their "remembering when" PowerPoint presentation of their high school years with a slide of Dad, and they didn’t know I was related to him. His memory is very warm and fuzzy for so many people, it reminds them of their youth and a much simpler, possibly happier time in their lives. I like that, you love your father and it’s nice to know so many others do too.

What do you think Buddy would have thought of the book? 

My sister Kitty told me that Dad would be so proud of the book. I think he and Mom both would be proud and think I did ok. One time I was talking to Dad about things like death and such and he told me 'When I’m gone just put me in a wood box and dump me off to the side of the road. Just forget about me.' Fat chance of that happening. With his family or us kids who were and still are very close, or the countless people who consider him their own. But yeah, if there’s a heaven he likes the attention.

 

Hugh Tighe's Skyline Dodge and the Bridey Murphy Connection

Found these promotional 45s for Hugh Tighe Skyline / Hugh Sky's Tighline Dodge, and over the course of research discovered an association between the Denver car dealer and one of the most infamous stories in Pueblo history.

No clue how this connection escaped me, until now.

Back in 1952, Pueblo car dealer Hugh Tighe, and his wife Virginia ("Ginny"or "Ginni"), attended a party at Morey Bernstein's house, in Pueblo. She was having trouble with allergies, and Morey, who was an amateur hypnotist, said he could help her. She took part in several sessions, but instead of helping her with hay fever, Bernstein unlocked a past life, that of an Irish woman, Bridey Murphy. 

Of course, we all know what transpired from that. I won't copy and paste the whole Bridey Murphy story, as there is plenty on that subject (start with Wikipedia) 

Back to the car dealer part of the story.

The Tighes would eventually leave Pueblo, and move to Denver. Hugh started up his car dealership, located at E, 18th and Downing. In 1964, the dealership would move to 7100 E. Colfax, before moving to it's final location, 750 S. Colorado. 

Listen to a sample of the promo single

The radio spots were produced by Fred Arthur Productions, Western Cine Service Inc., of Denver.

In 1968, Ginny and Hugh divorced. She would go on to marry Denver steel company executive Richard Morrow in 1971. Ginny Tighe died in 1995, at the age of 72.

 

1969 advertisement for the new Dodge dealership (650 S. Colorado)

Hugh Tighe served as president of the Denver Metro Automobile Dealers Association.

Skyline Dodge went out of business in the 1980s. Hugh Tighe passed away in 2014, at the age of 88. The site of his massive car dealership is now an urgent care center.