Merwyn Looks Back at Ish Kabibble
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) , , I THE AMICA NEWS BULLETIN AMICA SUBSCRIPTION RATES: - Continuing Members: $15.00 Dues - Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association. a non-profit club devoted to the restoration, New & Lapsed Members: 15.00 Dues 5 distribution and enjoyment of musical instruments using perforated plus 5.00 Application Fee I paper music rolls. 20.00 Contributions: All subjects of interest to readers of the bulletin are encouraged and invited by the publisher. All articles must be received by the 15th of the preceding month. Every attempt will be made to publish all articles of general interest to AMICA members OFFICERS at the earliest possible time and at the discretion of the publisher. Advertisements: Personal ads by members are accepted and inserted in the Bulletin Board section at a rate of 5¢ per word. $1.00 minimum. Businesses and persons wishing more space may use the following guidelines: PRESIDENT - Advertising rate is $10 per quarter page or multiple thereof. Frank Loob - Camera-ready copy must reach the publisher by the 15th of the preceding month. VICE-PRESIDENT BiI! Mintz - All ads will appear on the last pages of the Bulletin, at the discretion of the publisher. SECRETARY Publication of business advertising in no w.., implies AMICA's endorsement of any commercial operltion. However. AMICA Isadora Koff reserves the right to refuse any ad that is not in keeping with AMICA's general standards or if complaints are received indicating that said business does not serve the best interests of the members BULLETIN of AMI CA. according to its goals and by·laws. Ginny Billings 1428 Liberty Street EI Cerrito, California 94530 NEW MEMBERSHIP AND MAILING PROBLEMS Anita Nickels Johnson P.O Box A66 Grand Junction, Colorado 81501 TREASURER Cliff Burrous AUCTION Gar Britten BOARD REPRESENTATIVES Alf Werolin. Northern California Cecil Dover, Southern California Steve Chapman, Texas James Weisenbome, Midwest Please direct all general correspondence to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS P. O. Box 1169 EI Cerrito, CA 94530 Telephone: 415-237-3813 THE AMICA BULLETIN MAY~ 1974 PAGE I MINUTES OF MAIL BOARD MEETING by Isadora Koff~ Secretary :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::~ The Mail Board Meeting of March 18, 1974 closed on April 10, 1974. In attendance were: Bill Mintz, Vice President Cl iff Burrous, Treasurer Anita Nickels Johnson, Membership Secretary Ginny Bill ings, Publisher Gar Britten, Auctioneer Alf Werolin, Representative, Northern Calif. I IN MEMORIAM: PETE AND ANNE WENDLING I Cecil Dover, Representative, Southern Calif. Steve Chapman, Representative, Texas Isadora Koff, Secretary MOTIONS PASSED Mr. Louis Alter was enthusiastically approved as a new Honorary Member. .. The purchase of a replacement copy of the film, :~:::::::::::::::: IIThey Laughed When •..etc. 1I was approved. : :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1973 BALANCE SHEET AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COLLECTORS' ASSOCIATION (as of December 31 ~ 1973) by Cliff Burrous, Treasurer Receipts Disbursa1s Profit (Loss) Membership 12,578.76 1,236.90 11,341.86 Auctions (#17, 18, 19) 7,147.02 6,767.67 379.35 Bulletin (ads) 251.75 8,518.53 (8,266.78) Bound Bulletins & Tech. 612.00 1,242.37 (630.37) Leaders 96.21 0 96.21 Pins, Stationary 41.90 0 41.90 Convention Fund 425.00 425.00 0 MBS Program 448.80 386.80 62.00 Executive Secretary 0 1,779.79 (1,779.79) Operating Expenses 0 1,253.80 (1,253.80) Carryover from last Treas. 310.73 0 310.73 Other (Misc. ) 38.67 0 38.67 TOTALS 21,950.84 21,610.86 339.98 PAGE 2 MAY~ 1974 THE AMICA BULLETIN NEW AMICA HONORARY MEMBER: LOUIS ALTER-A POPULAR AMERICAN COMPOSER AND DUO-ART ARTIST by AlfWerolin AMICA's Board of Directors recently unanimously voted Metropolitan Nocturne (1935), and Side Street in ~otham to confer honorary membership to Louis Alter in recogni (1938). Manhattan Moonlight received hi?h hon~rs ln a tion of his contribution as a Duo-Art recording artist. national competition conducted by RCA Vlctor.ln ~930: Bill Burkhardt of Grand Rapids, Michigan, proposed him Metropolitan Nocturne was the source of and lnsplratl0n for membership. The following is an excerpt from David of an RKO movie short which won a bronze medal at the Ewen's Book, "Popular American Composers". International Film Festival in Venice in 1936. In 1953 Alter wrote another ambitious orchestral work, a suite Louis Alter has been as successful in writing of entitled Jewels from Cartier, in ten movements, each ~or orche~tra popular instrumental compositions as in movement a musical representation of a different gem. the writing of songs. He was born ln Haverhlll, Massa In 1929 Alter went to Hollywood. His first songs for chusetts on June 18, 1902. In his ninth year, while the screen were "Love Ain't Nothin' but the Blues" attending public school, he began to study the piano: (lyrics by Joe Goodwin) in Lord Byron of Broa~way, and At thirteen, he worked as a pianist in the local mOVle "Got a Feelin' for You" (lyrics by Jo Trent) ln Holly theatre, providing accompaniment to silent films; but wood Revue. He has since written songs for about twenty instead of using the usual stereotyped repertory he five motion pictures. Two of his screen songs were would improvise his own mood music. As a student at nominated for Academy awards: "A Melody from the Sky" Haverhill High School he led a jazz band that performed (lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell), written for Trail of the at school dances. After his graduation from high school, Lonesome Pine (1936) and "Dolores" (lyrics by Frank his family moved to Boston. There he attended the New Loesser), written for Las Vegas Nights (1941). England Conservatory, where he acquired a well-rounded Other successful screen songs were "Rainbow on the background in the classics as a piano student of Stuart River" (lyrics by Paul Francis Webster), written for the Mason. film of the same name; "Twilight on the Trail" for Tra': Alter went to New York in 1924. The vaudeville star of the Lonesome Pine, and "You Turned the Tables on Me '--/ Nora Bayes hired him as her accompanist (a job previ for Sing, Baby, Sing (lyrics by Sidney Mitchell); "A ously held by George Gershwin), and for five years Alter Thousand Dreams of You" (lyrics by Webster) for You Live toured with Bayes in America and Europe. During this Only Once; and "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New time he occasionally wrote material and played the piano Orleans?" (lyrics by Eddie de Lange) for New Orleans. for other famous performers, including Irene Bordoni, "Twilight on the Trail" was a great favorite with Presi Helen Morgan, and Beatrice Lillie. When occasion~ll~ at dent Franklin D. Roosevelt; the manuscript and a copy of liberty, he worked as song-arranger for the publlshlng the Bing Crosby recording can be found in the Roosevelt houses of Shapiro Bernstein and Irving Berlin; this experience, he feels, served him well when he entered Memorial Library in Hyde Park, New York. the songwriting field. Louis Alter has also written songs for the Broadway stage: "My Kinda Love" (lyrics by Trent) for Americana Between 1925 and 1927 Alter had several songs pub (1928), a song soon made famous by Bing Crosby; '.'1 'm lished, including "To Be Loved," "I'm in Love with You," One of God's Children Who Hasn't Got Wings" (lyrlcs by and his first hit, "Blue Shadows" (lyrics by Ray Oscar Hammerstein II) for Ballyhoo (1930); and "The Key Klages), the last heard originally in the Earl Carroll to My Heart" (lyrics by Ira Gershwin) for The Social Vanities of 1927. In 1928, inspired by the sights, Register. Among other productions in which Alter songs sounds, and moods of New York City he wrote a work that were heard were Sweet and Low (1930), Hold Your Horses, made him famous, Manhattan Serenade. It was originally which starred Joe Cook (1931), and Casino Varieties published as a piano solo but was immediately adapted (1934) . for orchestra and recorded by Paul Whiteman and his Several other Alter songs deserve mention: "Sand in orchestra, whose rendition was largely responsible for My Shoes," "Stranger in the City," "Overnight," "Nina the world-wide popularity of the composition. It has Never Knew" and "Circus." The last, with lyrics by Bob since become a standard in the repertory of symphonic Russell, w~s written in 1949 in honor of Alter's friend ~he jazz. In 1942 one of themes became the basis for a John Ringling North of the Ringling Brothers Circus. vocal version with lyrics by Harold Adamson. In 1943 Alter appeared twice as soloist with the Los It was in 1925 that Alter's music publisher, the Angeles Philhannonic at the Hollywood Bowl in perform legendary Jack Robbins, introduced him to Frank Milne, ances of his compositions. Du!ing World War II he served recording manager for Duo-Art. He then recorded several in the Air Force and was assigned to provide musical popular numbers for Duo-Art of which "Dolly Dimples" entertainment for cadets in training at twenty-six air was the first. This was followed by "Bye Bye Blackbird" bases of the -Western Conunand. For his contributions he and "We'll Have A Kingdom". (Editor's Note: Will AMICAns was honored with a special citation. please a.dvise of any other recordings with numbers.) Mr. Alter resides in Manhattan where he follows the However, Alter's ambition was in the direction of song continued public use of his many songs, and enjoys his~ writing and his career as a Duo-Art recording artist was a~ relatively short. piano! He has graciously said he would be happy to tend an AMICA get-together sometime and tell about h1s Alter wrote four other highly impressive and fre interesting career in the world of music.