Sounds of the Past: The Remington Typewriter Co. Band
Here we have the two sides from Columbia A1433, the first record of a handful released by the Remington Typewriter Co. Band. Both were recorded Aug 27, 1913. It used to be common for large companies to have their own employee-comprised concert bands and sports teams that played primarily for the enjoyment of the employees. Of course, these company bands also acted as a form of advertising. At the time these recordings were made, the band would have been under the leadership of Harry Putnam, former director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily Circus Band.
Formed in 1905, the Remington Band quickly became well-known outside the sphere of the factory grounds, performing regularly at events all around Herkimer County, NY. In 1910, they embarked on a month-long tour of New York state and just inside the Canadian border. Possibly their highest-profile gig was playing at the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1939.
Beginning in 1926, the band could be heard at 8:30 every Wednesday evening on WGY, broadcasting from a studio built in the Remington employee cafeteria.
Reflecting the new corporate structure, the band changed its name to the Remington Rand Band in 1936. After WWII, the band changed names again to the Ilion Fireman’s Band, a band which eventually became today’s Ilion Civic Band.
Click to download/listen:
