Dear Sir,  I just read your interesting post to the MMD list [020427
MMDigest] which I joined recently mostly for historical updating myself.
I was active in reproducing piano scene starting about 1958 and up
until the latter 1970s.

I had a collection of approximately 10,000 rolls at my peak, including
Duo-Art, Ampico, Red Welte, Welte Licensee and some player pipe organ
rolls and some automatic musical instrument rolls such as Link, Wurlitzer,
etc.  I supplied numerous reproducing piano photos for Q. David Bowers
book, "A Guidebook of Automatic Musical Instruments", 3 volumes of 1967-68
edition.  Also Harvey Roehl had a photo and some write-up regarding me
in his first edition of "Player Piano Treasury", then for some reason it
didn't appear in the second edition.

I know Larry Givens had some original Ampico roll perforating machinery.
I used to be a dealer for his rolls back in the 1960's.  I corresponded
with Larry one time about three years ago.  I bought some nice pianos
from Larry in the old days, too; one outstanding one was a Welte
Licensee grand with a roll changer in a side cabinet.  I also bought
some machines from Harvey Roehl with an associate of mine from the old
days (back in the 1950s) when prices were really quite small.

Then there was Harold L. Powell, of North Hollywood, CA, whom I believe
also had some of the original Ampico roll perforating equipment that he
obtained from Givens.  I also used to be a dealer for his rolls back in
the 1960s.  I wonder if he is still among the living?

I turned 83 myself back in January of this year.  I notice I have an LP
phono record, Everest label, of Alfred Cortot, recorded on the Steinway
Duo-Art grand belonging to Harold Powell, and I am quite sure Harold
was behind the efforts to have Everest release these types of
recordings of which there were several.

Sincerely,

Ellsworth Johnson
Spokane, WA