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MMD > Archives > July 2009 > 2009.07.20 > 02Prev  Next


Kelley Automatic Music Co. of Albany, New York
By Craig Smith

It seems that there is a lot of interest in the Kelley Automatic
Music Company, located in Albany, New York.  Here are a couple ads
from the Albany Evening News in 1929 that show the relationship of
Kelley Automatic Music with Seeburg and Edison.  The Edison ad is
rather interesting since it contains a discussion of the 50th
anniversary of the invention of the light bulb and it shows pictures
of their buildings.

I found these on a wonderful web site that is run by a fellow in
Fulton, New York.  He has accomplished the enormous task of scanning
and also indexing over 10 million pages of early newspapers from
New York State, starting back in the 1820s.  This is a personal
accomplishment, non-commercial and not government funded.  Consider
that if he worked 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for 10 years, without
a vacation, he would have to do one page per second to accomplish this.
What he has done is close to impossible.

Just go to http://www.fultonhistory.com/ and type in "Kelley Automatic
Music" and click <Search> and you'll get 31 hits, the last of which is
about the installation of an "Orchestrope" at a local amusement park.

A word of warning -- don't type in 'orchestrion' unless you have plenty
of time to kill.  The first hit is about the sale of the famous Powers
Orchestrion in Rochester, New York.  After you peruse that one, you'll
have another 2600+ more to read.

Regards,
Craig Smith - "world's foremost authority" on the Powers Orchestrion

P.S.: In case you wondered how I became the "world's foremost
authority" on the Powers Orchestrion, it's because I'm probably the
world's _only_ authority on the Powers Orchestrion.  There are over
1300 responses to D W Powers and the orchestrion.  And, yes, I did
read them all.  It took three days!

 [ Thanks, Craig, I'll place the images at the MMD Pictures site,
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Gallery/Pictures/index.html  -- Robbie


(Message sent Sat 18 Jul 2009, 22:09:04 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Albany, Automatic, Co, Kelley, Music, New, York

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