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Columnist Visits Heaton
Gets Player Piano Info.
Ben Hayes, columunist who writes
for the "Columbus Citizen" a Column
entitled "Around Columbus" recently
visited the warerooms of the Heaton
Music House in that city and came
away with some interesting as well as
controversial impressions. Said Mr.
Hayes:—
"I expected to hear something as old
as 'Nola' when Otto Heaton sat down at
the player piano. Mr. Heaton immedi-
ately began pumping, for the roll was
ready. The tune I didn't detect—bui
when the printed words on the roll came
around, Mr. Heaton sang them: 'Old
soldiers never die—they just fa-a-a-de a-
away.'
" 'It's a new roll. Everybody helps us
music people make money, even Gen.
MacArthur'." Mr. Heaton said. "Now I
could have played you 'The Hot Ca-
nary,' 'Sound Off,' 'Hello, Young
Lovers,' 'I Get Ideas.' or even 'Come
On-a My House.'
"Here's something else that will sur-
prise you. We get the new hits on piano
rolls before the records are out. And
we sell lots of them. Order 25—out they
go—then reorder- 25 or 50 more.
"We were in Mr. Heaton's music store
at 50 N. High St. He laughed at his own
business—giving it that familiar Meigs
County ha-ha.
"People want to buy player pianos.
We can't get 'em. Got only two player
pianos left. Both of them are rebuilt
ones. We haven't got a new player piano
in five years. Boy, could we sell 'em!
"So you thought player pianos was
a fad that went out a long time ago—
"Mr. Heaton went into another room.
He walked to a Chickering and flipped
a small lever. The piano, an electric
model, played an extremely long roll of
dinner music—from 'Chinese Lullaby" 1
FINE
FINISHES
VARNISHES — LACQUERS
for
PIANOS — CABINETS — BENCHES
FOR OVER 25 YEARS OUR CHEMICAL ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN
CONCENTRATING ON FINISHES FOR HIGH GRADE PIANOS,
CABINETS, BENCHES, ETC. WHATEVER YOUR FINISHING PROB-
LEMS MAY BE, THESE EXPERIENCED CHEMICAL ENGINEERS ARE
ALWAYS AT YOUR SERVICE TO HELP YOU SOLVE THEM.
Write to MORRIS DAUBER, Vice-President
(Former manufacturer of pianos)
TO THE ENTIRE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and
Happy and Prosperous New Year
THE MONROE SANDER CORPORATION
10-18 46th Avenue
Long Island City 1, N. Y.
Telephone STillwell 4-4413
to 'Love's Old Sweet Song.' This pi-
ano's tag was $1250. Mr. Heaton said il
would have cost $2500 when new.
"Why, I've sold player pianos that
cost as much as $6000,' he said. 'There
are electric models that will play all
through dinner. They rewind and replav
the roll over and over. This one will do
that.'
"On the street floor, Mr. Heaton
showed me a large rack of piano rolls.
They were in long hlack boxes with the
familiar letters 'Q. R. S.' on the labels.
Just like the days of 1919 when I
pumped and repumped 'Alexander's
Ragtime Rand.' Rut there was nothing
ancient about the titles—'Relle, Relle,
My Liberty Relle,' 'Ballin' the Jack,'
'Mr. and Mississippi,' 'Too Young,'
'Shanghai' and 'The Old Piano Roll
Blues.'
"Your player piano still works—but
your kids had shredded the rolls into
paper streamers? Okay, you can buy
the old-time numbers. 'Standard Selec-
tions.' the nostalgic section of the Q. R.
S. catalog, lists 'Beautiful Ohio,'
'Down Ry the Old Mill Stream,' 'Let
the Rest of the World Go By,' 'Kitten
on the Keys,' 'On Moonlight Bay,'
'There's a Long. Long Trail,' 'Girl of
My Dreams' and many more. Only one
I missed was 'Jada.'
"After my title-browsing, I went to
Mr. Heaton's office to say goodbye. He
was still laughing at the music business.
" 'Ukuleles are all through.' he said.
'In 30 days you cant sell a ukulele.
Same way with guitars. You sell out one
day. Six months later you can't give
one away. Now everybody wants a little
piano. They think they're new. Why, the
little piano is 100 years old. Same way
with player pianos. People want em.
We can't get 'em.'
"Joe spook says: 'If we all had
player pianos we wouldn't need
Harrv'."
a
To all our good friends throughout the country we extend the
Season's Greetings with best wishes for a Merry Christmas and
a Happy and Prosperous New Year . . . When in New York, visit
our warerooms for HIGH GRADE PIANOS—Come and See Us.
rnhwitt PIANO CO., INC.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, DECEMBER, 1951
244-246 W. 23rd St., New York, N. Y.
Phone CHe/seo 2-4350
35