I have a number of brass 88-note "TELEKTRA" rolls, manufactured by
the Tel-Electric Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, bearing catalog
numbers in their 80,000 hand played series and played by a pianist by
the name of W. J. Shultz.

Two of the rolls with their boxes have his signature visible on the box
label. A third roll has it's box but the signature has faded completely
away and two more rolls are without box or label. I am convinced that
all five of these rolls were played by Shultz as the roll numbers are
closely grouped together but also because the playing style is virtually
identical.

80537 - It's A Long Way To Tipperary
80550 - Silver Threads Among The Gold
80551 - I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier
80556 - Weep No More My Lady (Let Me See Your Smile)
80559 - Mother Machree

80537, 80551 and 80556 are played in the same hot, jazzy One-Step style,
while 80550 and 80559 are in ballad style with the same plentiful use of
rolling chords.

I am very curious as to who W. J. Shultz was. I suspect he performed in
vaudeville and/or pit orchestras in the New York City area. Has anyone
here ever heard of him? I found nothing about him on the Internet.

Thanks,
Dave Krall
Hammond, Indiana

[ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/24/10/23/241023_092504_W.J.%20Shultz.jpg 

[ A brief description of the Tel-Electric brass roll cylinders is at
[ https://www.mmdigest.com/Gallery/MMMedia/telelectric.html