When guys like Richardson, Kuhn, and Bell joined Sousa

[Dave Detwiler]

Hi all,

This beautiful, snowy eastern PA morning has been perfect for a bit more research on the men who played Sousaphone in Sousa's Band.

Here are my lastest discoveries in browsing newspapers: https://tubapastor.blogspot.com/2020/01 ... ruits.html

Enjoy!
Dave

[bisontuba]

Great stuff!

[roughrider]

Thank you very much!!

[tofu]

.

[Ace]

that newspaper clip you found from 1921 states that Bill Bell at the age of 18 joined the band and was to be paid $80 a week. A new Ford Model T cost about $300 in 1921 and that got me thinking. Bell could have bought a new Ford every month and still had money left over. Even the cheapest bare bones new Ford every month these days would set you back a minimum of $15,000 or $180,000/yearly.

My converter indicates that $80 per week in 1921 is the modern day equivalent of around $1,032 per week. Nothing really outstanding unless the musicians on tour got free meals and lodging. Anybody know?

Ace

[Tim Jackson]

Hello Dave,

Let me know if you ever come across this man listed below. I enquired in the past with no luck.

I am restoring a Holton 122 Sousaphone listed in the story below. It belonged to a tuba player named Adam Benik that moved from Lithuania around 1915. He played for the Czar of Russia before coming to the states. It is said that his playing won him a spot in the Sousa band shortly after arriving in New York. I am looking for any info about his career with Sousa and possibly a picture of the band with him as a member. I found the serial number on the horn 229198 which allows that he might have actually used this horn with Sousa. The Holton list I found shows 229198 to date around 1918 but the same list shows Holton moved to Elkhorn in 1938. The horn says Elkhorn. I think Adam Benik moved to Baldwin County Alabama after Sousa's death. Adam Benik played in local bands in South Alabama from around 1935 - 1950. I found a relative but sadly the family has no early photos of this character. If anyone can lend any bits and pieces to this story I would really appreciate it.

[toobagrowl]

^ Holton started to move his factory to Elkhorn, Wisc. around 1917. All of the pre-1917 Holtons were made in Chicago
https://www.horn-u-copia.net/Reference/display.php