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Local History

Music

Snow, Leta G.

From the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame: Leta Snow (1880-1980), Kalamazoo’s “patron saint of fine music” was accomplished at every level of community endeavor and shared the lessons of her…

Bright Kalamazoo: 1854 Song and Chorus

Over the years, dozens of songs have been written in and/or inspired by the town of Kalamazoo. Among the earliest of these “Kalamazoo” songs was a piece composed in 1854 about the Kalamazoo River entitled “Bright Kalamazoo.”

Chester Z. Bronson

From an early age, Chester Z. Bronson was at the forefront of American popular entertainment during its most formative years. Though he called Kalamazoo home for much of his adult life, Bronson’s tireless professional career took him on the road...

Duplex Phonograph Co.

As nineteenth century Victorian charm gave way to twentieth century modern, the phonograph emerged as a compelling new form of home entertainment. The skeptics, of course, refused to take the “talking machine” seriously at first, viewing it more...

Early Jazz in Kalamazoo (1917-1925)

Folks weren’t exactly sure what it was or what to call it. At first it was “jass,” a derogatory term that soon came to mean just the opposite. Some called it “wild, weird and woozy.” Others called it “pep,” “ginger,” “snap,” “zippy,” “snappy,”...

Edward B. Desenberg

Music was clearly Edward Desenberg’s first love. Formally educated in Kalamazoo and abroad, Desenberg quickly became an instructor, composer and entertainer of substantial merit. Following closely in his father’s footsteps, Desenberg later...

Edward H. Snuggs

Born in Kalamazoo on the first of March, 1886, Edward Harrison Snuggs grew to become one of the city’s most beloved bandleaders. From his early days as an up-and-coming young trombonist, through the “Jazz Age” and beyond as a top-notch composer...

Ellis L. Brooks

Ellis L. Brooks (1848-1920) was a trombonist, composer and popular bandleader with strong ties to West Michigan. Brooks directed famous bands in New York and Chicago during the late nineteenth century, and was ranked among contemporaries...

Fischer’s Exposition Orchestra

Kalamazoo has long had a strong connection with the production and performance of music. Since the mid-nineteenth century, local, nationally-recognized, and even world-famous instrument makers, educators and performers have actively pursued their...

Flipside Records

Before E-commerce all but eviscerated the independent, small business landscape, first giving way to corporate power, and then later to the development of post-Napster streaming platforms, local record stores once served as a cultural gateway...

Frank E. Holton

Among the leading musicians of the late nineteenth century, Frank Holton emerged from humble West Michigan roots to become not only a celebrated trombonist but one of the most successful musical instrument manufacturers in the world...

George B. and Frank A. Newell

When William and Marilla Newell came to Kalamazoo County in the 1850s and estabished their farm in Texas Township near the Van Buren County line, little could they have known about the lasting impact their future children would have on the...

Gibson Inc.

Until the 1920s, Gibson had specialized almost exclusively in mandolins. But as America’s musical tastes evolved during the 1920s and 1930s, so did Gibson’s. Banjos, ukuleles, and guitars became increasingly popular. In the early ’20s, the company...

Gibson, Orville H. (1856-1918)

When did O.H. Gibson arrive in Kalamazoo, and why? Volumes have been written about the Gibson Guitar company and its musical legacy, but less is known about the man behind the name; the musician, the performer, the craftsman, Orville H. Gibson.

Grace Tyson

The Tyson family was deeply rooted in Kalamazoo County long before Grace Tyson was born. Herbert Tyson (born about 1812) and Elizabeth D. Tyson (born about 1813) maintained a farm in Climax (Pavilion Township, Kalamazoo County) where they raised...

Kalamazoo’s Early Music Stores

Over the years Kalamazoo has become famous for many things musical; guitars, organs, pianos, even records, but what was Kalamazoo’s first record store? Who was behind the town’s earliest music stores and what were music fans buying in those days?

LaVal Records & Productions

During the 1960s and 1970s, Vic Taylor's Kalamazoo-based "LaVal Records" was a big name in popular entertainment, especially among lovers of blues, R&B, and comedy. Taylor did much to promote black music and entertainment in our area.

McElhaney, Eugene C

During the community’s formative years, Kalamazoo was full of highly talented musicians, bandleaders, teachers, and inventors, yet few could lay claim to all those talents. One of the few who could, however, was Professor E.C. McElhaney.

Military Bands of 19th Century Kalamazoo

To say that military and brass bands were popular during the 19th century is like saying the Beatles were popular during the 1960s; military bands were immensely popular in their day. Band music was viewed by most as both patriotic and “proper.”

Musical Institute of Anna Jannasch-Shortt

As noted in an earlier article about the influence and entrepreneurial acumen of German immigrants to Kalamazoo from 1870-1914, many Main Street buildings were home to some of Kalamazoo’s most…

Phillips Brothers

Of all the dance orchestras and concert ensembles that Kalamazoo produced during the 19th century, the Phillips Brothers’ Orchestra was among the busiest… and perhaps the best. Five talented violinists; Joseph, Joshua, Sylvester, Albert and...