Okay, so it really is in my blood!

According to my parents, I became fascinated with the tuba back in 1965-66, when I was 4-5 years old and our family was living in Germany while my Dad taught there.

When we returned to America, and a few years later I reached the age where I could choose an instrument to play in the school band, I was adamant about the tuba. But my elementary school didn't have a small horn for a little guy like me to play, so I was set up with a Sousaphone that was sitting on a special chair in which I crawled into in order to play.

What I don't recall ever hearing back then, although he probably told me, is that my Dad played the Sousaphone when he was in high school. I remember hearing about that later, when I played in high school, and then in college, but I had never seen a photo of my Dad with a horn. That is, until now.

Here's what he discovered a few days ago in the 1947 Tucson High School yearbook, which he then enlarged the best he could and documented for me:

How cool is that?! And here's my son, his grandson, who also played the Sousaphone in high school - and just this week made it into the Penn State Blue Band (stay tuned for more on that)!

Add me in the middle, and that is three generations of Detwiler men holding down the bass line in marching band!

Band books and Sousaphone facts

As a follow up to my previous post, it turns out that the year the first Sousaphone was built is equally all over the place in general books about the history of bands in America.

For example, in 1951 Alberta Powell Graham, in Great Bands of America, wrote, "While he was with the Great Lakes Band, Sousa designed a new band instrument - a mellow-toned horn to replace the Helicon tuba with its harsh sound. This Sousaphone is in use in all large bands today" (p. 67) That would be, let's see, 1917!

Six years later (1957), in his wonderfully engaging book, Bands of America, H. W. Schwartz revealed that a number of bandmasters (Brooke and Innes) had a giant tuba constructed at one time as a spectacle for their bands, and then adds that

Even Sousa became infected with the "bigger" virus, for in 1898 he placed an order with an instrument maker to build for his band a bass tuba, large in bore and surmounted with a big bell opening upward. Sousa did not claim that his instrument was bigger than others, but it was a spectacular instrument, both in performance and in appearance, especially when held and played by the military giant Herman Conrad. In time this instrument proved its merit as a musical instrument and became known as the sousaphone (p. 183).

Schwartz, as it turns out, worked as an executive for C. G. Conn, Ltd, so he appears to be perpetuating the claim that Conn built the first Sousaphone in 1898 (although, strangely, he doesn't name Conn!). But what was built in 1898 (or early 1897) was Conn's first Sousaphone. Pepper built the original Sousaphone 2-3 years earlier - and it was called a "Sousaphone" from the start, even when Conn created his version.

But hey, Schwartz mentions Conrad, and he does so four different times in his book, and that got me excited! Conrad wasn't yet a "forgotten giant" in the late 1950s. But he is now, and I am hoping to rectify that with my upcoming article.

Finally, Richard Hansen, in his 2005 book, The American Wind Band: A Cultural History, mentions on his timeline that in 1899 "The sousaphone is developed and named for John Philip Sousa" (p. 241). Nope - not 1899, not 1898, and certainly not 1917!

Once again, it seems that over the decades no one knew, or remembered, that J. W. Pepper built the first Sousaphone in 1895. That fact had somehow gotten lost early on.

Sousa books and Sousaphone facts

In preparation for writing on Herman Conrad's life and career, I immersed myself once again in the history of the Sousa Band. But in so doing, I realized that the truth about the first Sousaphone really has been a long time coming.

For example, in Ann Lingg's biography of Sousa, published in 1954, she writes the following on page 135:

To improve the sound of his band he even turned inventor. He found that the Helicon Tuba (that brass giant curling around the marcher's body, with the weight resting on his shoulders and a large bell blaring music far ahead) was not well suited for the indoors; its frontal attack was too powerful. So Sousa suggested a new type whose bell could be turned up, so that, as he said, "the sound would diffuse over the entire band like the frosting on a cake." The firm of Wurlitzer & Company made the instrument to his specifications and called it the Sousaphone.

She's on the right track, although the helicon was used as a concert instrument by Conrad - both in Gilmore's Band, and for the first few years in Sousa's Band, until Sousa came up with the modified helicon dubbed the "Sousaphone." But Wurlitzer & Company?

Let's move on to Kenneth Berger's work on Sousa, which came out three years later (1957). On page 29, he writes this:

To many who are not musicians, the name Sousa is remembered primarily in connection with the sousaphone. He is often credited with inventing this instrument; however, the transformation from the old circular helicon (bass) to the sousaphone is more of a slightly evolutionary change than a stroke of inventive genius. Actually Sousa did not claim to have invented the new musical instrument (for which no patents were taken out, which should prove it to be a modest development), and he did not take any credit for this project. In 1898, he made some suggestions regarding the improvement of the helicon, and the first Sousaphone - called the Sousaphone Grand - was built by Ted Pounder, an instrument maker with the C. G. Conn Company, of Elkhart, Indiana.

Okay, so it wasn't Wurlitzer, but Conn who made the first Sousaphone - and in 1898? Actually, Ted Pounder did make Conn's first Sousaphone that year (or more likely in late 1897), but it was not the very first Sousaphone to appear. And it wasn't called a "Sousaphone Grand" (that name wasn't used until 1913, five years after Conn pointed the bell forward); it was called a "Monster Sousaphone"!

And did Sousa really "not take any credit for this project"? I think not - see this post, and this post!

Moving to 1971, we encounter Sousa's greatest biographer - Paul E. Bierley. In the 2001 revised edition of his treatment of Sousa, he writes this on page 16:

The musical instrument know as the sousaphone was, of course, named after Sousa. The first one was built to his specifications, but who actually constructed it is debatable. According to one of Sousa's few references to it [again, see this post], it was built by J. W. Pepper, a Philadelphia instrument manufacturer and music publisher. Another story comes from the Conn Corporation, whose instruments Sousa endorsed for many years. They claim credit for building the first sousaphone. The Pepper sousaphone, allegedly built around 1892, was evidently used very little and was not widely publicized. Conn's first sousaphone was built in 1898 and was widely promoted.

Now we're really close! Not Wurlitzer, and not Conn, but Pepper - but "around 1892" is actually 1895, as I've clarified in my research. And that Sousaphone, while it didn't last long in Sousa's Band, was played on tour in the early months of 1896.

Possible Conrad sighting at Victor!

I came across this photo of a recording session at the Victor Talking Machine Company. It's apparently from 1910 (I'm seeking confirmation on that presently).

Featured, I presume, are members of the Victor Orchestra doing their thing. But if you look at the far right, next to and behind the tall chair upon which the cellist is sitting, you can see a tuba player. Here's a close-up of that portion of the photo:

Compare that with the photo below, which shows Conrad in a Victor poster that was produced in 1918 for use in schools. It appears to be the exact type of chair that we see being used in the studio. And is it just me, or does that look like the same shoes in the photos as well?!

Is a Sousaphone really that strange?

In the October 12, 1902 edition of The Sunday Call (San Francisco, CA), there is a full page article, written by John Philip Sousa himself, titled . . .

Just what Sousa is doing hanging out with those curvy gals is a fair question, but such is the life of the celebrated bandmaster!

Among "the strange instruments of the military band" is, of course, the Sousaphone. But here's the whole paragraph that talks about the Sousaphone as a member of the tuba family . . .

Later in the article, Sousa reveals that a Sousaphone, in 1902, cost from $300-350. Hows that for a deal?!

Is that his real hair, or is it a toupee?!

While searching The New York Times archives this morning, I came across this unusual fact about Sousa's Band in the November 14, 1901 edition:

Whether Sousa held to this throughout his career is unknown. But I'm pretty sure that Conrad had a full head of hair - and it was his own - so no problem there for the famous Sousaphonist!

Did Sousa only recruit big men?!

Found this in the April 20, 1919 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer Sun:

An early three-valve Conn Monster

I dropped in on Dillon Music this afternoon to chat with Steve Dillon and to check out a vintage Conn Sousaphone that they have on consignment. Matt Walters, the world-class tuba technician at Dillon, graciously let me spend some quality time with this enormous old beast:

The first thing I noticed about this horn was how much bigger the bell and bell throat appeared in comparison to the original Sousaphone built by J. W. Pepper. And then I picked it up - yikes! I asked Matt if we could weigh it, and the scale put it right at 33 pounds - the exact weight of Conn's first Sousaphone (which had four valves), according to one newspaper report from 1901.

The serial number - 91790 - suggests that this Monster was built in 1905, or perhaps 1906 - about three years after Conn first created and started selling a three-valve Sousaphone. But this one seems larger than the standard model (compare where my head is in relation to the bell vs. what can be seen in the ad from 1902 in the link above).

Here are more photos of this great old Sousaphone. If it had a model number, I'm not sure what it would have been at this early stage. There was nothing on the horn itself that suggested anything.

The bell diameter is 24 inches; the bell throat is 7 1/8 inches; and the bore is .773 inches. And as I mentioned earlier, the weight is a shoulder-crushing 33 pounds - which is what Conrad had to deal with during his time with the Sousa Band. I can't imagine shouldering a horn of that size and weight for an entire concert!

Sadly, and quite surprisingly, this particular Sousaphone didn't sound all that great. I was expecting a much clearer and deeper sound, but it felt stuffy, and not nearly as boomy as my 1927 Pan American 64K Sousaphone (= Conn 14K), which is considerably smaller and lighter.

But it would be fun to learn where this old Conn raincatcher has been over the past 112 years!

Well, looks like a Sousaphone to me!

I went to our local Game Stop with my son this afternoon, and stumbled upon this little critter:

He (?) apparently spews bubbles in battle, and is known as "Big Bubble Pop Fizz" as part of the "Skylanders SuperChargers" - whatever that is (or they are!). But it looks to me like he plays the Sousaphone!

Penn State University Sousaphones

My son, Jonathan, will be attending Penn State this fall, and he plans to play Sousaphone in the Blue Band. I was checking out the band building with my parents yesterday, and got to see one of the Conn 20K's that are used on game day (the horns in the rack behind me are the practice horns - mostly old Kings, as far as I can tell).

We also found something of an historic Sousaphone among the Land-Grant Frescoes in the lobby of Old Main, which were painted in 1940:

Here's the exterior of Old Main - we enjoyed a glorious June day in State College, PA. This life-long USC Trojan is starting to grow quite fond of Penn State (of course, winning the epic Rose Bowl this past January helps)!

Two historic Sousaphones on display

It's great to see a couple of historic Sousaphones on display at the Musical Instrument Museum in Pheonix, AZ.

Both horns are on loan from the Greenleaf Collection at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. The one on the left is a special Sousaphone created by the Conn company in 1924 on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. It was hailed as "the world's largest playable Sousaphone." . The raincatcher on the back wall is the so-called "Original Sousaphone," built by Conn around 1905 and very likely used in the Sousa Band for years.

My personal Sousaphone history

My relationship with the Sousaphone began way back at Meadow Park Elementary School in Torrance, CA, but I have yet to find any photos from that time - or from my time at Calle Mayor Middle School. So the pictorial history begins toward the end of my time at South Torrance High School (during which I also marched with an F. E. Olds & Son fiberglass Sousaphone in the marching band):

1978 or 79 - Playing in a German Band with some high school friends

1979 - Practicing with the USC Trojan Marching Band, during the fall of my freshman year

1979 - Playing "Tusk" with Fleetwood Mac at their concert at the Fabulous Forum in L.A.

1979 or 80 - Taking a break during the filming of "The Gong Show Movie" in Pismo Beach

1980 - Marching in the Rose Parade, and later the Rose Bowl Game

1980 - Marching to the Coliseum for a football game in the fall

1982 - Practicing with the All-American College Marching Band for the opening of the Epcot Center

1984 - Practicing for the opening ceremonies of the XXIIIrd Olympic Games

1984 - Performing at the opening ceremonies

1984 - Performing at the swimming and diving venue during the games

1984 - Taking a break at the swimming and diving venue

After 1984, not having access to a Sousaphone (or a tuba, for that matter), I did not play - that is, until the summer of 2012 (28 years later!), when I was able to see, hold and play the historic horn below. This is what triggered my interest in Sousaphone history!

2012 - With the so-called "Original Sousaphone" at the Interlochen Center for the Arts

2012 - Back at USC for homecoming (with a borrowed Sousaphone)

2012 - At TubaChristmas, Playing a 1927 Pan American Sousaphone that my son and I rescued

2015 - With Matt Walters and Steve Dillon, examining the very first Sousaphone

2015 - Practicing for a concert featuring the very first Sousaphone

2015 - Performing with the very first Sousaphone (courtesy of J. W. Pepper)