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NOVEMBER 1,
1924
53
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC PUBLISHING
Conducted By V. D. Walsh
The Sheet Music Trade in Tucson, El Paso,
San Antonio, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo.
Maurice Richmond, of the Richmond Musical Supply Corp., New York, Sums Up Conditions in
These Cities Written Exclusively for the Music Trade Review
r-pUCSON, ARIZ., October 18.—Tucson is a
1 peaceful city of about 30,000 inhabitants,
about one-third Mexicans, who are musical from
birth, and which helps to make the city quite
a musical center. Not
far off is the famous
Apache Trail we hear
so much about. Its
principal
industries
are cotton, cattle and
considerable
copper
mining.
It is the
home of many winter
tourists on account of
its balmy climate and
its turquoise sky.
The Fisher Music
Maurice Richmond
Co., headed by Geo.
T. Fisher, who, while a native of the north, has
been here twenty-five years. He features in
pianos the Steinway line for the State of Ariz-
ona. He specializes in the Victor in phono-
graphs. His sheet music department, while it
receives some of his personal attention, is man-
aged by Mrs. Meta Rea and carries a full line
of the Schirmer library, as well as other stand-
ard editions, the better type of songs, and all
the late hits, together with a complete line of
musical instruments and small goods. I spent
a very pleasant morning with Mr. Fisher, who
impressed me as a stable business man, with
splendid and impressive principles, doing his
best to please the public. As Sears-Roebuck &
Co. say: "We can supply the musical taste of
all the family."
This is the home of the University of Arizona
where music is a big feature. The local public
schools throughout the State have adopted mu-
sic as one of the necessary studies.
Tucson is northern terminus of the Southern
Pacific Railroad of Mexico. Shortly the main
line to Mexico City will be opened.
The R. H. Nielsen Music Co. from all appear-
ances is a real live wire organization, catering
to the wants of the musical people of this
vicinity from every angle. It occupies a spa-
cious institution with a liberal frontage on the
main thoroughfare. Its slogan reads: " T h e
Musicians' Headquarters—Music for the Artist,
Teacher and Student." All the principal stand-
ard lines of music are carried in stock, which
makes the department complete, together with
an up-to-date line of popular music. Mr. Niel-
sen is much on the job in his shirt sleeves
which is usually the business man's attire in
THEWALTZBALLADBEAUTIFUL
these parts, and that is the way they distinguish
the native from the "tenderfoot." It is really
a complete music store. A representative stock
of musical instruments, musical merchandise,
pianos, Brunswick phonographs and records is
carried.
El Paso
The name was taken from the old Mexican
"El Paso Del Norte" meaning "pass of the
north," for it is the gateway to Mexico City.
Its history goes back to 1598. It is a progres-
sive community with beautiful buildings. Min-
ing, agriculture, live stock and cotton are its
principal industries and it is also a winter resort.
Once in a while you run across a music man
who takes enough time to show one around,
meaning the stranger, and makes you feel per-
fectly at home. One such is Walter T. Black-
well, the president of the Tri-State Talking
Machine Co. I had never met this man before.
I noticed he gave me the once over; that day
I happened to wear a button in my lapel desig-
nating that I belonged to a dry crowd of the
Ancient and Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine.
After that Mr. Blackwell and I became real
friends. His company is the only retail Victor
dealer in the city. He also handles the Conn
band line, and Gibson and Ludwig lines. He
has ten nicely appointed showrooms, finished
in cream color, and a music department con-
taining Schirmer, Fischer and other standard
lines, looked after by C. T. Bates, who is also
manager of the musical goods. The popular
music counter is handled by Miss Jewell
Warren.
Fort Bliss with 3,000 troops is one of the
most important posts of the country, which, of
course, helps the local community.
The W. G. Walz Co. is the Victor wholesale
distributor located in this city and its business
extends through southwest Texas, Arizona and
New Mexico and other centers.
The Austin Music Shop, Mrs. H. W. Austin,
proprietor, is a small, exclusive music store lo-
cated in a good neighborhood. This concern
carries principally popular music, "Century" edi-
tion and some semi-classic. Mrs. Austin is a
fine musician and knows how to inject her per-
sonality into her sales. She reports business
has not as yet taken hold in full for this season.
I also met Mr. Austin, a pleasant kind of a
person. He stated that Mrs. Austin was the
boss and that he placed a great deal of con-
fidence in her. They sure appear a happy
couple.
• In a few minutes spent with Mr. Dunn, of
the Dunn's Music House, who appeared ex-
tremely busy, he stated that business with him
had been way off for nearly three years but
he can see a marked improvement for this sea-
son. He has been in business twenty-seven
years in El Paso, handles the Knabe and Am-
pico, a full line of musical instruments and the
largest stock of sheet music in southwest
Texas.
Just so as to put my foot on real Mexican
soil, Mr. Blackwell, of the Tri-State Talking
Machine Co., of El Paso, and myself went over
to Juarez, pronounced War-ez—it is really a
good name for that old and tumbled down Mex-
ican village. . The very atmosphere is full of a
war of many types. "Barbary Coast" of old
fame in "Frisco," had nothing on this filthy
and unsanitary hamlet. It is a great place for
SONGS THAT SELL
All Alone (New) by Irving Berlin
What'll 1 Do?
Charley, My Boy
Driftwood
When I Was the Dandy and You Were
the Belle
Red Hot Mamma
Lazy
I Can't Get the One I Want
Oh, Baby (Don't Say No—Say Maybe)
She's Everybody's Sweetheart
Old Familiar Faces
Nobody Loves You Like 1 Do
—
—
Nobody's Child
Main Street Wasn't Big Enough for Mary
Indiana Moon
Morning (Won't You Ever Come'Round)
(New)
No One Knows What It's All About
(New)
Come Back to Me (When They Throw
You Down) (New)
Superstitious Blues (New)
Dance Folio No. 8
X Universal
Special 1925 Edition
Peterson's Ukulele Method
World's Favorite Songs
Lundin's Tenor Banjo Method
—
Song Gems from Irving Berlin's Third Annual
MUSIC BOX REVUE
An Orange Grove in California
The Waltz of Long Ago
Little Butterfly
Learn to Do the Strut
Outstanding Song Hits from
TOPSY and EVA
Rememb' ring
I Never Had a Mammy
IRVING BERLIN, Inc.
1607 Broadway, New York
night life, the gambler and many other vices
that are too numerous to mention. Hygiene
and sanitation they know nothing about. The
place that attracted my attention was a Mexi-
can cafe, fairly respectable, a rendezvous for
Americans and tourists—the kind that P. T.
Barnum spoke about. Yes, and many of the
music boys have been victims in this burg, ac-
cording to the story told me by one of the
local music dealers. Of course, you can't blame
them, as there is a redeeming feature in this
one particular cafe, the fact that it serves real
good beer and wines to the thirsty traveller, it
is some incentive. Its famous drink "Tequela"
is some peppy fluid. One drink and you imme-
diately become prosperous. I certainly was
very thankful for having returned safe to the
land of U. S. A. that same afternoon. I sure
did shake hands with Uncle Sam. In thanks
to Mr. Blackwell, I promised him a trip to
Coney Island and a visit to the Golden Dome
of the Woolworth Building in New York. I
hope he comes.
(Continued on page 54)