Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ringling-Barnum Band 1948 #1 (From Buckles)


Scan000011156, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Band Top.

Posted by Buckles at 4/29/2008 06:12:00 AM

2 comments:

Harry Kingston said...

This is my first time getting to see what the inside of the Ringling band top looked like.
A good circus friend of mine for many years was R. H. "Bubba" Voss, who Merle Evans hired to be in the 1955 band. Bubba told me many stories what it was like being there and especially the cook house.
Bubba gave me his fold up wood and canvas resting chair he used in that tent.
Also with Bubba on that 1955 edition was "Boom Boom" Browning who also never missed a meal in the cook house unless he was chasing a girl. Bubba told me a few of Boom's escapedes.
"Boom Boom", was another great musician that I met down the circus trail.
Had the pleasure of meeting Merle and Nina in there Sarasota home and getting a few circus items from them plus some autographs.
Have you ever wondered where all those Ringling route books collectors have today came from, well I remember seeing at least 3 or 4 filing cabinets in there garage full of them. And as small as they were that is a many a route book in a filing cabinet drawer plus 4 cabinets full.
Man could Merle play that great circus music and where has it all gone today????
Harry

29 April, 2008 13:49
Anonymous said...

Harry,
CWM has the Merle Evans music library. Like many of us former musicians, I have a medium sized library of circus music as well as music for small orchestras from the 1880's to the 1920's, when dance bands started to be formed. And yes I have music up to the
70's that was used in circuses. Chuck Schlarbaum has a vast music library of not only circus music, but some of the better bands of the past. The Windjamers Unlimited, founded by Charles Bennet, have a lot of circus music that they share with the public at their various get togethers.
In my garage is the crumb box that Rolland Sherbondy, who played drums with Merle in the 40's, used on the road with RB&BB. Rolland was from Elkhorn, WI, and played with the Holton band many times.
Bob Kitto

29 April, 2008 21:01

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