An American Minstrel Drum

Maker: J.W. Pepper & Son Circa: 1911 Dimensions: 6" (h) x 16" (dia.)

An incredible piece of American black memorabilia, this rare and one of a kind minstrel drum also speaks volumes as to the changing role of the drum from one of military communication to that of an exclusive tool of entertainment. Formally part of a large "Black Memorabilia" collection, this drum was indeed part of an early 20th century minstrel show. It was accompanied by a tambourine featuring the hand-painted, exaggerated face of a black male character known as "Tambo," that covered the entire surface of the calf skin head. No doubt just part of the show as the average performance consisted mostly of music and comedy. Beginning in the 1830's, the blackface minstrel show was the first distinctly American theater form and was at the very core of the rise of an American music industry. In the early decades it provided a window for white America to view black America. But in the end, early minstrel music and dance was not the true black culture: it was merely the white reaction to it.

Seven of the eight panels are hand painted with the face of a "darky" stock character in classic "black-face" make-up with shades of blue, white, yellow, and red. Of particular note is the panel painting of the stock character of a civil war soldier clad in blue, echoing the free black soldiers' many contributions of service at a time of great change in the relatively young American country. It also seems to beckon forth thoughts of a time of reconstruction as well as of the growing freedoms and changing attitudes that would culminate in what would become jazz music and beyond.

The other panels present a variety of clownish characters, all in cartoon-like images and vivid color suggesting that this drum was played in a carnival like atmosphere with parades and bandstand performances.

By the turn of the 20th century, the minstrel show was starting a gradual decline as vaudeville began to replace it in popularity. However, it still managed to survive into the 1920s as a professional form of entertainment, with amateur performances continuing well into the 1960s.

The condition of the drum is one of restoration with some parts still unaccounted for and the skins left un-repaired. The shell is in very solid condition and is made of a single ply of ash wood, typical for drum makers in this part of the country. The counter-hoops are solid maple and are augmented with sheet metal to protect the wooden hoops from the abuses of honest stick wear. Ten single tension, slotted metal tuning rods are reminiscent of an earlier, well established style of rod modified with a thumb screw attachment. A few of these thumb screw rods have been lost or are broken off at the top and have been temporarily replaced with period slotted tuning rods that use a specific key or a flat head screwdriver to adjust until the correct replacement parts are found. The metal tension rod mounted leg rest is missing, but the top hoop mounted belt hook is still present and in good condition, confirming the drums versatility from bandstand to parade ground. Some of the snare adjuster is missing but the scroll patterned thumb screw is in perfect order and is still attached to a set of wire snares which were to be considered as something relatively new at the time.

Inside the drum is a paper maker's label identifying James W. Pepper and his son, Howard E., as the makers of this drum. The label reads: "J.W. Pepper & Son / Manufacturers of / Drums, Musical Instruments, Music and Musical Merchandise / Thirty Third and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA." The label has some small cracks and a few small tears but is fully legible and shows its age. This address and the style of hardware suggests the circa of this drum to be about 1911.

There is really no definitive evidence that the J. W. Pepper & Son Company actually made this drum as they were known to market drums made by other builders and have their label affixed to those drums at different times.

We may also never know who painted or played this incredibly unique piece of American culture, but what we are left with is a partial record of evidence of the history of the music and percussion of this country. Crossing the lines of collecting between vintage drums, black memorabilia, and American history in general, this drum will always be in great demand as it changes hands over the years and will always be a great investment. Coming at the very end of the American victorian era, it is reminiscent of a time of great change that helped to make drums of music more common than Drums of WAR!

From Lancaster County, PA Thoughts from the shop....

-Brian Hill

 

Nokes & Nicolai American Drummer 5

Over the years, I seem to have bought and collected almost every drum catalog I could find. Not only are they great resources for parts and information, but they are also pieces of American history (I have Premier and other British catalogs, too!). Today, we journey back to Beantown, to Boston, once a mainstay of percussion building. For about 15 years, one of the recognizable companies was Nokes & Nicolai and also seen as Nokes and Nicolai. They were in a direct line of three companies that were connected with the same strainer design that resurfaced decades later. First, there was the Harry Bower Company and that begat the F.E.Dodge Company and that begat today’s organization, whose nickname was “No-Nic”. When this catalog was published, the three firms, in this direct line, had been in the drum business for 48 years.

Today’s catalog is 100 years old. It dates to 1913, one year after Messrs. Nokes and Nicolai bought the business from Dodge. The company made solid shell snare drums, brass and aluminum shelled snare drums, solid shell bass drums, bells, tympani (1913 spelling), xylophones, traps, Rogers drum heads, and they imported Zildjian cymbals and “genuine Chinese tom toms” Even back in 1912, N&N was able to use a self aligning sleeve for tuning drums—both for a thumb rod and wrench tightened rod. You can see that a number of products carried the Dodge name. And this catalog came out two years before the better known Dodge Brothers, unrelated to F. E. Dodge, built their first car.

I apologize for the marks on each page, they are from clear adhesive tape used by the former owner to keep the now delicate pages from deteriorating more. I think this company is an important ancestor in our American drum history and needs to be included.

I have seen, from time to time, Nokes & Nicolai products on eBay, and we know that, as they ended their business run, the company was sold to Liberty Rawhide of Chicago. Liberty made drum heads and snare drums, at least, for awhile, before being sold to Slingerland. That Slingerland was everywhere! H.H Slingerland Sr. ended up with old Bower/Dodge/N& N/Liberty equipment in 1928, just as they launched their drum division and before they bought Ludwig drum making equipment before their move to Elkhart two years later. A more detailed history of N&N can be found on the excellent website bostondrumbuilders.com. Lee Vinson has done a terrific job in detailing a number of companies and their products. I hope the Northeast is filled with these great drums. The rest of us have to find the estates of old vaudeville players who retired elsewhere or wait for their families to let great-grandpa’s drums be sold on eBay.

I think, for me, the interesting thing is the strainer that dates back to Harry Bower and is pictured with the Dodge name. I saw that strainer design resurrected in the 1980s when custom drum builder Joe Montineri brought it out on his snare drums. I did not appreciate, at that time, how long that basic design, had been around.

So, now, we all know a little more about Nokes & Nicolai, part of our passing parade.

-Harry

 

Ahead Adds New Tenor Sticks

Ahead Expands Marching Line With New Chavez “Arsenal” Tenor Sticks And Mallets.

Based on their proven, proprietary designs that integrate an advanced aluminum core and handle, Ahead Marching Drumsticks offer near-perfect uniformity and consistency in terms of weight, size, balance and tone plus the increased durability, comfort and shock absorption that make them ideal for drum corps, Winterguard and other types of marching drum lines. And now, the exclusive "Chavez" Arsenal Tenor Drum sticks and mallets bring Ahead's superior physical, musical and visual advantages to even more marching drummers on the field and off.

Developed in conjunction with Dallas Mavericks’s drum line instructor and educator “Chavez”, the new Ahead Arsenal ATS Tenor Drumsticks and ATM Tenor Drum Mallets feature a durable white powder-coated finish, extruded and swaged handles with premium-quality DuPont Delrin® heads. The ATS are 15.625˝ long by .695˝ diameter, 80 grams, with .875˝ white Delrin heads. The ATM are 14.50˝ long by .695˝ diameter, 82 grams, with 1.25˝ black Delrin tips.

For further information visit www.aheaddrumsticks.com or your local authorized Ahead Drumstick dealer, stop by the Big Bang booth at NAMM (#3564) or contact Big Bang Distribution at 800-547-6401, bigbangdist.com.

 

Top Country Drummers Choose Cympad

Cympad Goes Country As Top Country Drummers Choose Cympad.

Cympad, makers of a wide range of cellular foam cymbal washers, has announced that the drummers for several of Country music’s biggest artists are now using and endorsing the innovative and popular cymbal accessory. Many of the musicians that these Cympad endorsers perform with have been nominated for 2013 Country Music Association Awards and will be appearing on the CMA Awards show, which will be broadcast live from Nashville on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 8:00 ET on ABC-TV.

Cympad’s roster of Country Drum Artists include:

Sean Fuller (Florida Georgia Line)* Garrett Goodwin (Carrie Underwood)* Jeff Marino (Darius Rucker)* Billy Mason (Tim McGraw)* Kent Slucher (Luke Bryan)* Rich Redmond (Jason Aldean)*

These Country music players, along with a growing number of Jazz, Rock, R&B, Latin, Metal and other drummers, use a variety of Cympad Optimizers, Chromatics and Moderators cymbal pads in both studio and live situations. Cympads are available at drumshops and music stores everywhere. For more information visit www.cympad.com.

 

1936 L&S Catalog (Leedy & Strupe)

In October, 1929, an ailing U.G. Leedy sold Leedy Manufacturing to band instrument giant C.G. Conn Ltd.  For the next 9 months,  Leedy drum building was in a state of transition. In August of 1930, the Elkhart factory was up and running. In those intervening months, Conn sent in a supervisor, Ed Cortas, and many employees came and went. Leedy himself hoped that his 100 loyal employees would have jobs in Elkhart, but many of them did not or could not or, more probably would not, move. U.G. decided to create another company called General Products. Concerned that the Depression would not bring in drum sales, Leedy wanted General Products to make other products as well. But, they would make drums. The legend has become fact. He wanted to name the company Leedy & Sons. He had two sons—Eugene and Edwin, later called Hollis. Conn had just spent $900,000 in cash to buy the Leedy name, so there could be no use of that name outside the drums now made by Conn.

Best place to order essay online.

I have only seen one Strupe drum, but have seen publicity shots of others.

Mr. Leedy bought a former dairy building and started the process of turning it into a drum factory. Some of it was completed when he died in January, 1931. His widow gave this fledgling company the funds to complete the woodworking shop. Edwin joined as Secretary Treasurer. Eugene did not become involved.

Leedy and Sons became L&S and we now think that L&S also stood for Leedy & Strupe. One of the former key Leedy employees who did not leave Indianapolis, at that point, was Cecil Strupe, the engineer. He was named president of L&S. In the earliest days of production, there were also Strupe badged drums. It may have been an attempt to circumvent the Leedy name while promoting Strupe’s name since he was known to drummers thanks to frequent mention in the Leedy Topics.

Today’s catalog was made in 1936. It is the only L&S I have found. I have seen brochures, and I think this company deserves honorable mention in American Drum History. L&S drums were sold nationally by mail through Chicago Musical Instruments. Chicago Musical Instruments had formerly sold Ludwig & Ludwig drums through their catalog, but that deal soured when Conn bought Ludwig as well. So, the catalog sales company needed a new drum supplier. If you lived in Indianapolis, you could stop by the factory and buy from their showroom. Famed California jazz drummer Benny Barth, told me about that. An L&S snare was his first drum. L&S made drums, timpani, bells and other mallet instruments, but the products just always seemed a notch below Leedy in quality. You can see imperfections in the cast lugs, from the dies. The drum rods were hex headed, calling for a special key. I would say that like the Cecil Strupe designs for Leedy, we see the same kind of toggle crazy, and thin metal/weak spot strainer inventions on L&S snare drums.

The popular high end snare drum during the middle years was called the Dictator, which was probably not a wise choice during the Hitler and Mussolini years. I see example of L&S drums pretty regularly on eBay and they seem to come from all parts of the country, which may give proof to the scope of sales from Chicago.

The company was never a success, but it hung on and had an interesting ending. Strupe left the company and moved to Chicago where he went to work for WFL. Edwin Leedy sold the company to a music store owner who marketed the ready made products through his store. He changed the name to the Indiana Drum Company. At some point in the early 40s, Sears and Roebuck had a connection with Indiana Drum, using the name Drum Master and then may have bought the machinery and designs. Sears advertised that they had a factory in Chicago, and, in the one Sears Drum catalog I have seen (check out Drumarchive.com to see it), you can see L&S drums, no matter what they were called.

I am sure World War II ended Sears' need to have a drum manufacturing plant. After the war, they struck deals with Kent and Japanese manufacturers to have drum sets for sale in their catalogs.

But for 10 years, Leedy Indianapolis alums were building L&S "Drummers Equipment” and hoping for the best.

-Harry

 

The Last Ten Miles

One bright day in early Spring, 2013, I met up with friend and fellow collector/ historian, Craig Caba, at his home in Central PA, to look at and talk about some of our old drums. Our conversation soon found its way to the project of another mutual friend, Jim Smith, known affectionately as, the "Yankee Drummer." Jim had realized that there wasn't a memorial to the Civil War Musician, and creating one would be rather expensive. To help fund this endeavor, he had the idea of selling commemorative replicas of Civil War drum sticks made from the wood of "witness trees"…..trees that were present and alive on the Gettysburg Battlefield during the time of the Battle in 1863.

At the suggestion of friends, Jim also decided to recreate the little known, but epic journey of a certain veteran drummer of the "Late Hostilities."

That certain veteran was Peter Guibert, Drummer of Co. F, 74th PA, who at 70 years old, marched with his old drum to the 50th Anniversary Reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg. Jim, also 70 years old, would recreate the march of 200 miles from the Pittsburg area to Gettysburg in 19 days, this time to honor Peter Guibert and celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Battle. Jim would use the same drum that Guibert used while in the War, and on his journey in 1913…….. 100 years ago to the day! Craig and I eagerly decided we would accept Jim's invitation to join him in Cashtown, for the last ten miles of this historic journey to Gettysburg.

Born in Germany on January 4, 1844, Peter Guibert, of Allegheny County, PA, mustered into Company F, 74th PA at Camp Wilkins, near Pittsburg, on September 14, 1861, as a musician. During the next three years, these men fought and died in different theaters of the War, and for a period of time, in the Army of the Potomac. Before the end of 1862, the 74th eventually found itself as part of their former regimental commander, Col. Schimmelpfennig's, new brigade. General Schimmelpfennig's brigade was in Schurz's division and part of Howard's 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac. At Chacellorsville, VA, in May, 1863, they were heavily engaged and on the second day of fighting, they were placed on the left of the 11th Corps, which was on the Union right. When the regiments on the far right belonging to the 1st Division broke, the 74th, along with other regiments of its brigade, changed fronts and held off the Confederates of General T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson, losing 52 men. Less than two months later, they were again in the thick of it at Gettysburg.

The 74th, still part of Howard's 11th Corps, found itself on the Union right during the fighting of July 1, 1863. Placed on the 11th Corps left, they were soon caught up in the rout that broke the Union right. Falling back through Gettysburg, they reformed on Cemetery Hill where they remained for the rest of the battle. During the remainder of the War, the 74th saw service in South Carolina and the Washington defenses. After mustering out of the 74th, Guibert soon enlisted in Co. D, 77th PA, in February, 1865, again as a musician, and headed for Tennessee until mustering out in August, 1865.

Following the War, Peter Guibert returned to civilian life in Allegheny County near Pittsburg and worked as barber. 1913 brought about the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. That year, Peter turned 70 years old and held a strong desire to attend the anniversary ceremonies of the epic battle he participated in 50 years ago. Being the largest and most costly of the Civil War's battles, he knew veterans from all over the country would attend. Instead of taking a train, horse, or automobile, he decided to walk the distance. He would be accompanied on this journey by his friend, 62 year old John Conroy, an Army veteran, (1872-77) who fought Comanche Indians in Texas. On May 26th, 1913, they stepped off from the steps of what was then the Allegheny City Hall at 9:00 a.m. Ahead were 200 miles of some of the most challenging ridges and heights of Pennsylvania's Allegheny and Appalachian Mountains, chief among them was the Bald Knob Summit, with a height exceeding 2900 ft., and the Tuscarora Mountain (2458 ft.), among many others.

On the march, Guibert would beat his drum and entertain the folks along the way, many times in return for refreshments and lodging. On the morning of June 12th, the Guibert party departed from the Cashtown Inn, Cashtown PA, where they had spent the night, and began the last ten miles to Gettysburg. Completing the trek in 19 days, the two weary travelers entered the edge of Gettysburg on morning of June 13th where they were picked up by the Bell Telephone wagon and given a ride to the center of town.

There, they played a free concert and stayed at the City Hotel (now the James Getty Hotel), located on the square, until after the reunion festivities were complete. While in Gettysburg, Peter seems to have been quite active as several creditable accounts have him entertaining many of the inhabitants and veterans; apparently earning enough money to fund his stay. Peter also took the opportunity to join, and be photographed with, veteran musicians of the Union and Confederate ranks for a one-time performance of "The Blue and Grey Reunion Band of 1913." He was also featured as the opening act for the epic silent film: "The Battle of Gettysburg."

Jim Smith acquired the Guibert drum directly from a member of the Guibert family, niece Betty Mower, of Delmont. She had learned of the Yankee Drummer through a local newspaper article in 1982. The old Civil War drum had been passed to her through the family and had languished in attics for decades. Jim bought the drum along with an old newspaper article about the 1913 trek and then met with several members of the Guibert family over time. Through diligent work, he was able to piece together much of the life of Peter Guibert and even found additional period newspaper articles about the trek and his time spent in Gettysburg. However, Jim's commitment to the trek began during a visit with Peter's Grandson, Clarence Guibert, who at one point "expressed concern that peter's name was not listed in the official PA records in Gettysburg." Jim later found Guibert's name in the records...misspelled...the error has since been corrected.

Peter Guibert's field drum was one of the newer designs available to the drummers of the era. The shell was constructed of solid brass and is somewhat heavy. It has a very efficient, brass snare adjustor that isn't the frequent norm of what most period drums utilized. Jim has since made small metal parts that over-lay the wooded hoops at the point over of the rope holes, to help protect against the wear and pressure of the ropes bearing down on these old hoops. Other replacement parts include hemp rope, leather ears, skins and snares.

With no makers label or any markings in or on the shell, the maker remains unknown. However, a brass shell construction at this time suggests that the drum was imported from Europe.

The sound is exceptionally full and projects well, especially when played with heavy, robust sticks. When Jim acquired the drum, it had a broken head with an old silver-tipped stick inside. He then fully restored the drum to playing condition and has kept it in that condition.

According to local newspaper accounts, Peter Guibert and John Conroy not only trudged along with this old field drum, but a rope tension bass drum and pedal, fife, calliope, harmonica, slide whistle, and various other musical instruments for the purpose of Guibert performing as a "one-man-band," as he "was well-known as an entertainer." Jim also included an old rope tension bass drum as well as other musical instruments in keeping with the spirit of the trek.

After 190 miles on the road, Jim and his friend, Ray Zimmerman (who plays the part of John Conroy) arrived at the Cashtown Inn where they met up with Craig and me. On this day, the Peter Guibert Trek of 2013 had a slightly larger entourage of seven people, including Len DeCarlo (trek coordinator), Duane Myers, and Dick Mizikar, along with two vehicles. I had brought along my circa 1840 Porter Blanchard field drum so I could play along with Jim for this final 10 mile leg of the journey. While at the Cashtown Inn, Jim and I played our drums for each other, as well as together. One thing about playing authentic rope tension drums with calf skins and gut snares is that you clearly hear all three aspects of the drum: There is the basic sound of the drum, and the sound of the snares, but then you hear the sound of the "drone," which is something I think that's missing from drums with plastic heads, synthetic snares, and muffling. The sound of these old drums really "carries" outdoors.

We stepped off in mid-morning... Jim, "Conroy," Craig and I, along with our escort vehicles, and headed east down Old Route 30, "The Lincoln Highway," through Cashtown... The same route that Confederates under Lt. General A.P. Hill used 150 years ago, as they headed east to Gettysburg, playing a cadence as we went. In doing so, the feeling of history was almost over-whelming as we felt the trodden path of so many other travelers of the past.

The day was extremely hot and humid...as I imagine it was in 1863 and in 1913. As the sun rose high in the sky, I could feel its effects start as we played our drums on the hot road. We stopped at every waving flag and cemetery along the way and properly saluted with drum and hand. The dogs did not bother with us as I wondered if the drums intimidated them. One of the stranger things we learned was that cows apparently like drums! At every instant of the sound of the drum, herds of cows would line up along the fences and watch...moving along as we did...pleasantly animated.

As we progressed, residents would venture out to see what the racket was all about, many times offering us drinks and sandwiches, while eagerly soaking up tales of the trek. At one point, we heard the sound of a drum set coming from a house along the route. We decided to serenade our newly found compatriot with a rousing and spirited round of Three Camps. The commotion worked as the drummer from within soon appeared on the front porch and applauded our completion of the piece. At other points we were saluted by the local veterans, who we respectfully saluted back. Passing vehicles would honk and wave. Everybody cheered. And so it was as the Peter Guibert Trek proceeded along the 200 hundred mile route that seemed full of goodwill.

Jim Smith, at 70 years of age, had completed one of the most challenging and epic journeys to honor any veteran of the "Late War" in grand style. The combination of heat, humidity, rain, and wind (or lack of it) only added to the reality of walking such long distances with a drum. Another daunting danger was the traffic which made safety along the way a major concern. There were no major mishaps in this regard, as the most common occurrence seemed to be the constant honking of horns and waves of well-wishers in general. Through it all, Jims pace, style, and playing were precise and purposeful, and being a master drummer and historian, he knew all the music and calls.

The route was full of high elevations and valleys and as Craig and I would occasionally lag behind talking, we could see that Jim (and "Conroy") repeatedly would take each hill like a Roosevelt! Jim Smith appeared larger than life on that day. In keeping true to the form of the original trek, Ray had quietly arranged to have a wagon of the Bell Telephone Company waiting for them as a surprise on the morning June 13th as they prepared to take Gettysburg, just as Peter Guibert and John Conroy did 100 years ago to the day!

Arriving at noon in the Gettysburg Square, they played a free concert by the James Getty Hotel and met with well-wishers and family. Also joining them was friend and fellow drummer John Beck, President of the Percussive Arts Society, who was also at the initial step-off in Pittsburg. Later that day, Jim delivered dirt from Peter Guibert's grave to the 74th PA regimental marker on the Battlefield. As did Peter, Jim stayed at the Hotel on the square and remanded in the area until much of the festivities came to a close.

Heat, fatigue, and dehydration played a large part on the march for military drummers and soldiers alike. This is something that we would be reminded of during the Trek and celebrations leading up to and during the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, as well as with the previous reunions and the Battle itself. During this time, several drummers and bandsmen "went down with the heat" and needed to be transported to the local hospital.

I was quickly reminded that being a drummer during the "Late Hostilities" was no easy task. During this last ten miles of Jim's Trek, Craig and I learned of so many things that affected the daily life of early drummers and soldiers while on the march.

Peter Guibert died on December 7, 1933, at age 89. He had played music all of his life, as the music was deep within him. Known as the "Wizard of the Drums" and the "Master of Military Music"...names that a "God Father" of the rope drum community the likes of Jim Smith, could easy personify without fault. But Jim, the Yankee Drummer, had earned his own new moniker as he entered Gettysburg right on time, the very same day as did Peter Guibert, exactly 100 years ago...now we refer to him as "Jim Smith: Iron Man of the Alleghenies."

In the end, the big question here is...Why did Peter Guibert decide to walk the 200 miles to Gettysburg?...Especially when the government offered free train passes to any Civil War veteran wishing to attend the reunion. The only reason offered by Smith is that Guibert apparently walked everywhere! With the Peter Guibert Trek of 2013 behind us, I find myself happily reminiscing with Craig as we look back on and talk about the privilege and the experience we had partaking in recreating this historic, yet telling journey. We also embraced the camaraderie we found in all who took part in making this event a huge success. "There are many historical artifacts out there that have interesting stories to tell but rarely get the opportunity"...Jim Smith has taken the opportunity to do so and has marched with it and made it so. Our special, indebted thanks to Jim for offering us the opportunity to share with him ... The Last Ten Miles.

From Lancaster County, PA, Thoughts from the Shop....

Brian Hill