[78-L] How Well Did They Do It

[Steven C. Barr]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Lowenhaupt" <lphred at yahoo.com>
> I started listening to music at a very early age. My family used to have 
> parties that were mainly for dancing and I listened to everything from 
> Benny Goodman and Harry James to Russ Morgan and Eddy Howard.
>
I was listening to my dad's 78's back c.1946...when I was 3! He had several 
reissues of
the Boswell Sisters, which I really liked...as well as the Mills Bros.' 
"Good-Bye Blues"
(another favourite!). Oh...and my grandmother had several Spike Jones 78's, 
as well
as the Harmony of "Show Me the Way To Go Home!"

I inherited my dad's 78's in 1973...and started looking for MORE 78's! Back 
then,
they showed up at Goodwill (and similar thrift stores) in quantity. I scored 
about
500 or so for free (I posted this story earlier)...and moved to Canada with 
about
a thousand 78's! Quickly discovered "Don's Discs" (Don Keele) who sold 78's
cheap...and bought another thousand or so!

In 1977, I found out about mail-based "auction lists" and very quickly 
started
increasing my shellac archive BIG TIME! Bought thousands of 78's from Bill
Frase and Peter Leavitt (I think both are "no longer with us"...can anybody
confirm this...?!)...and then was given about 200 of the old larger-sized
milk boxes...which I regarded as a challenge and set out to fill ALL of 'em!
(I eventually did).

I've been on pension since '97...but I shall start collecting US Social 
Security
(around $Cdn800.00) and will go looking for more CHEAP auction lists,
as well as other sources for cheap shellac!!

I'm up to about 55,060 (bought 60 at the recent CCC!!) right now...and
I AIN'T finished...?!

My favourite stuff is the music of the "hotel band era" (1929-34)...I first
found this, oddly enough, on an LP (no longer remember the title!)! I have
NO idea where/how the LP was sourced...later ran across some of the
same items on 78, and the 78's were DIFFERENT from the LP tracks...?!

Steven C. Barr