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Johnny Maddox "The World's Greatest Piano Rolls"
By Tony Marsico

Hello all,  Thanks to Art Reblitz and all who replied to my post about
Johnny Maddox's "The World's Greatest Piano Rolls".  It's nice to know
also that the piano on the first few recordings was indeed a coin piano
playing style "A" rolls.  I saw the Volume 1 and Volume 3 for sale on
eBay but I have these.  I was very interested in the discography and
followed the link posted on MMD.  Some of the records were from 1959,
1960 and 1961.

I remember riding my bike from my home town of Glassport, Pennsylvania,
to the next town down the river McKeesport to the National Record Mart
to go through their LPs looking for these records.  I don't know where
I got the money to buy them but I remember that I could only afford to
buy them one at a time.  I'd throw the record in the basket of my bike
and ride the three miles back to my house.  Doing the math, having been
born in 1949 I would have been doing this as young as 10 years old to
maybe 12 and a little older.  Weird kid, huh?

The only record of player piano music that I ever took back was one
by Conlon Nancarrow.  Somehow the styles weren't compatible, to say
the least.

Someone mentioned they remember drums on "The World's Greatest Piano
Rolls" record.  If you are thinking of picking up one of these records
don't let the fact there are drums on it scare you off.  The drum is a
snare being played by a human drummer using brushes and it enhances the
music rather than detracts from it.

By the way I just bought a Johnny Maddox CD called "Sun Flower Slow Drag"
also available on eBay.  I have to say it is really good.

Tony Marsico
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


(Message sent Sun 26 Jan 2014, 05:23:00 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Greatest, Johnny, Maddox, Piano, Rolls, World's

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