Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: guitars

"61. House of David - Benton Harbor, Mich." The House of David was a religious commune in Benton Harbor , Michigan, whose members performed in touring bands (like the one above), played on baseball teams, and ran an amusement park that featured miniature trains (like the ones below). Benjamin Purnell (see below) and his wife Mary formed the group in 1903.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of sing, sing, sing!—folks making music vocally . An unidentified country musician poses in front of a microphone bearing the call letters for radio station WVLN in Olney, Illinois. Although the microphone and guitar suggest that he sang and played for a show on the station, I haven't been able to determine who he is. I was surprised to see that he was wearing a holster with a revolver. I hope he stuck to the singing and strumming and avoided any shooting. This is an unused real photo postcard with no date or any other additional information on the other side.

I chose musicians in order to pick a theme about people (or any other topic) for the first week of Wild Card Month—Pick Your Own Theme! in the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The handwritten message on the front of this real photo postcard (see the left-hand side) is: "Vara Light, 928 Maple St., Lebanon, Pa. Answer soon." There's no stamp or postmark on the other side, but Vara Light addressed the postcard to " Miss Sarah Zimmerman , Linglestown, Pa.," and also wrote a message: "This is a picture taken at Mt. Aetna last summer. The one standing is my uncle, a minister. Also the one with the violin [meaning that the violinist is also one of her uncles?]. The lady with the guitar is my aunt. Am working now in Lebanon. Tell Miles to answer my card." This postcard back has an AZO stamp box (four corner triangles pointing up), which suggests a date as early as 1904 to 1918. Vara Katherine Light married William Hoehle Keller on September 1, 1910, and at that time her address was 330 N. 9th Street, Lebanon, Pa. It seems likely, then, that the card dates to sometime prior to their wedding. I haven't been able to identify which of Vara's aunts and uncles might be the musicians in the photo, but they may have been siblings of her father, Harry Henry Light , who was a prominent businessman in Lebanon, Pa. I previously posted a Small-Town Parade with Cornet Band and Church Float photo for the theme of people playing musical instruments in 2014 and another photo showing Pop Morehead's Family for the theme of musicians and musical instruments this past April. For other photos and ephemera, see my Music and Musicians album.

"Easter Greetings." Compare this postcard with Best Easter Wishes from Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Chick and Family .

An unused real photo promotional postcard.

It's probably not the Cavern Club , but the venue does look like it's in a cellar somewhere. Anyone ever hear of the Royal Dukes? (There's an unrelated Texas-based Royal Dukes Band , too.)

Anyone know what the actual name of this music group might be? There was no identifying information on the front or back of the photo.

"To accompany any key the student should know either the name of the key or find the number of sharps or flats in the piece he will play. Then turn the disk until the arrows point to the desired key or key signature...."

And how about that groovy guitar-playing Santa decoration!

Cropped version of a real photo postcard See also the full version (below). Handwritten on the front of this postcard: Dear Mr. Morrow, With kindest regards a photo taken of our club. Yours truly, E. T. Ziegler. Photograph taken Christmas 1905. 1. Violin: Mr. Kusenberg 2. Mandolin: Mr. Rieger 3. Mandola: Mr. Philippi 4. Zither: Mr. Berger 5. Guitar: Mr. Haring 6. Banjo: Mr. Ziegler Back of card: Addressed to "Mr. F. S. Morrow, Music Teacher, Green St., Harrisburg, Pa., U.S.A." Postmarked Sterkrade, Germany, January 8, 1906.

See also a cropped version of this real photo postcard. Handwritten on the front of this postcard: Dear Mr. Morrow, With kindest regards a photo taken of our club. Yours truly, E. T. Ziegler. Photograph taken Christmas 1905. 1. Violin: Mr. Kusenberg 2. Mandolin: Mr. Rieger 3. Mandola: Mr. Philippi 4. Zither: Mr. Berger 5. Guitar: Mr. Haring 6. Banjo: Mr. Ziegler Back of card: Addressed to "Mr. F. S. Morrow, Music Teacher, Green St., Harrisburg, Pa., U.S.A." Postmarked Sterkrade, Germany, January 8, 1906.

A machinery photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Although this real photo postcard shows what looks like a complicated Rube Goldberg contraption , it actually appears to be some sort of elaborate one-man music machine. The postcard dealer who sold this to me described the scene simply as a "pipe organ player at keyboard," but upon closer inspection I was able to identify a number of other musical instruments--a guitar, string bass, and bell, for instance--among the pulleys, belts, tubes, and pipes (mouse over the image to see my tentative identifications of some of the instruments). Although this unique machine seems to be related to the fairground organ , orchestrion , or some other type of mechanical musical instrument , I haven't been able to uncover any specific information about it or the man playing it. Has anyone else ever seen anything like it? Update: See The Mighty Nelsonian (One-Man Music Machine Mystery Solved) .

In addition to the musical instruments--a bass, guitar, mandola (I think), another guitar, accordion, and jug --that the members of this country-western band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are holding, there are also three more--a banjo, musical saw , and fiddle--on the floor in front of the group.

Mary Jane and Her Merry Melody Makers gave performances in Pennsylvania and other states in the 1940s. One newspaper ad billed the group as "A big company of maiden musicians with a comedian who gets laughs" ( Gettysburg Times , Oct. 1, 1943), and another described the show as a "program of dances, acrobatics, marimbas, songs, and comedy" ( Reading Times , Aug. 16, 1946). For other photos of the group on Flickr, see Rita's Mary Jane & Merry Melody Makers and Colin Aitchison's Mary Jane & Her Merry Melody Makers 1930's .

"Arizona Kid and His Cow Girls, Reading, Pa., 1941. Arizona Kid, Sun Set, Texas Jean, Moon Beam, Utah Ginny, Montana Patsy, Popeye, Chuckles, Winnie, and Sheriff and Cactus Sam. WYZ."

"Cheryl Lee and the Carter Brothers. Stage, radio, television, recordings." Manufacturer name on the pedal steel guitar: "Sho-Bud, Nashville, Tennessee." A glossy promotional photo, with the year "1968" handwritten on the back along with autographs by Cheryl Lee and Roy Dudley. Dudley was the drummer, while Gary, left, and Jimmy, right, were the namesake brothers. Cheryl, despite her separate billing as "Cheryl Lee," was Gary and Jimmy's sister. These cool kids performed at fairs and carnivals in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere in the 1960s and 1970s. They recorded 45s with songs such as "Is That My Baby," "This Man Has Taken All He's Gonna Take," "Muddy Mississippi," and "Left Over Feelings."