|
[Back] [Back to Dan's Biography]
            
 While traveling to Cornith Mississippi to our Wurlitzer Piano Factory the worker's made me a belt buckle from the name tag of the Wurlitzer Pianos. They presented it to me as I was leaving. Wurlitzer was more than just a musical instrument manufacturing company, we were 'family'.
Though I have done work over the years for Hammond, Yamaha, and Technics none could and ever will compare to my time with The Wurlitzer Company. I was so honored to become a Concert Artist of the One Time Largest Musical Instrument Company in the World, bringing forth many inventions and rightfully sharing the slogan... "Music to Millions" With Wurlitzer you were 'family'. To perform at State Fairs and on Stage before thousands of people on Wurlitzer Instruments was a dream of a lifetime.
  
Wurlitzer Factory in Tonawanda, NY Wurlitzer University in Dekalb Ill. From the pipe organ at Dekalb better know as Wurlitzer Universty, To The factory in New York, Mississippi,Tennessee, Utah, and a working sales force of stores throughout the country, and to the many Mighty Theatre organs throughout the world, from the first instruments used by the UNION army during the Civil War to the Jukeboxes, and first electronic piano, radios, guitars, band instruments, violins,the first spinet piano, the carousel [Merry-go-rounds] you would hear the Wurlitzer band boxes playing as the horses went up and down... what a hertitage to be part of, I was blessed with the desire of my heart.... to which I salute and pay tribute to the Wurlizer Family to which I was honored to be part of this company.
A Snippet about WURLITZER History.
A part of American History, A legacy........
  The Wurlitzer story dates back more than 300 years to Saxony, Germany, where Nicholas Wurlitzer became a lute maker. His musical tradition was passed through subsequent generations and brought to America by Rudolph Wurlitzer in the 19th century.
 Drawing on his familys commitment and musical heritage, in 1856 Rudolph founded the Wurlitzer Company in Cincinnati. In the beginning, he used his European contacts to import fine pianos. But seeing room for improvement, he set out to build pianos with outstanding sound, touch response and value. By 1861, Wurlitzer had saved enough money to open a manufacturing facility in Cincinnati and soon expanded his business nationally. At the turn of the century a large factory was built in North Tonawanda, New York. There, the mighty Wurlitzer theater organs the voice of silent movies for decades were produced. From violins to band instruments The Wurlitzer had became a household name. Family's gathered around the Wurlitzer upright pianos and the Player Piano in the 1920's.
  
Wurlitzer Band Instruments and quality violins. Of coarse the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ.
  
Wurlitzer invented the first electronic drum. Called the Sideman in the 1950's. The Wurlitzer Harp was also a fine crafted instrument. There were also Wurlitzer Radio's like the one pictured below. Wurlitzer had a venture with the Martin Guitar Company for Guitars. Electric Guitars and amps, accordians. The Wurlitzer jukebox came around in the 1930's. The 'buble' jukebox in 1946 was placed in the smithsonian institute along with a Wurlitzer pipe organ.
  
Wurlitzer also invented the first electric/electronic piano.
In 1935 Wurlitzer introduced the worlds first spinet-sized piano. It represented a historic breakthrough in style, tone and performance along with the value so critical during America�s economic depression. Notable among design innovations characteristic of Wurlitzer were larger soundboard areas -- providing "bigger" sound from smaller piano models.
 The untold story of Wurlizer and how they helped to build the first smart bomb drone. During World War II. Wurlitzer Musical Instrument Company. It actually made a great deal of sense. Wurlitzer had a proprietary knowledge of wood and the know-how to produce complicated shapes like piano frames - or aircraft wings - quickly and cheaply. The epicenter of the effort ended up being a piano plant in DeKalb, Illinois. "Wurlitzer had the personnel and the know how," notes DeKalb historian Roger Keys. "They had several patents on unique assembly processes. And when they were approached by the Navy to make the TDR, they were extremely enthusiastic about it. In the span of about six months they completely converted all their tooling to build them." A furniture factory adjacent to the piano plant was refitted as an assembly line and a runway constructed nearby. Work then commenced at a hectic pace. Employees at the plant, mostly women and draft-ineligible men and boys, believed they were building training planes. Few if any knew the real significance of their efforts.
|
