A pal and mentor of mine was Dr. John W. "Knocky" Parker, who played
piano with the Light Crust Doughboys and other Western Swing bands
of the 1930s.  Knocky later earned a doctorate in English and
taught a hugely successful college course about American society
as reflected in the performing arts.

The college students would flock to the 500-seat lecture hall to see
silent movies and hear Knocky play the piano and piano rolls, and then
discuss their relationship with social behavior in America.  The
students loved his performance of low-down blues songs and early boogie
like "Honky Tonk Train Blues".

Knocky pointed out that the player piano was the "home entertainment
center" of the era, long before the electric radio and phonograph and
television.  Folks who enjoyed music of all forms could hear music
rolls in their homes, and (unlike audio recordings) they could put
their own interpretive touches on the performance.  For several years
"keeping up with the Joneses" meant that the home must have a player
piano!

Robbie Rhodes