Sadler Telling Stories 70 | The Boombass (One Man Band) Instrument Manufactured in the 1950s
Summary
TLDRThe video script narrates the history of a vintage boom base, a multi-percussion instrument from the 1950s, cherished by the Sadler family. Passed down from Grandpa Joe, it became a source of joy and noise for the narrator and their sister during childhood. The boom base, with its tambourine, wood block, and cowbell, symbolizes fun and nostalgia, despite its wear from years of use. The narrator reflects on its journey through family events and ponders its future, considering whether to preserve it as a family heirloom or introduce it to the next generation.
Takeaways
- đ¶ The prop is a vintage 'boom base', an all-in-one percussion instrument from the 1950s.
- đ Originally produced in Chicago by the Boom Base Company, which had a patent on the design.
- đ Manufacturing later shifted to Philadelphia, but the prop is one of the original Chicago-made ones.
- đ The boom base is sometimes referred to as an 'Onan band' and has various names online.
- đ” It features multiple percussion elements including symbols, a wood block, a cowbell, and a tambourine.
- đŠ The speaker and their sister used the boom base to make music and noise as kids.
- đŽ The boom base came from the speaker's grandfather, referred to as 'Grandpa Sadler' or 'Granda Joe'.
- đžđź Grandpa Sadler was Slovenian, changed his name from Skua to Sadler due to anti-Slav prejudice.
- đ» He was a successful businessman but struggled with alcoholism after his wife's death.
- đ The boom base was passed down to the speaker without much backstory, and became a cherished childhood item.
- đ The boom base's popularity declined in the 1960s due to the rise of rock and roll and folk music.
- đ The speaker discovered the boom base again while sorting through their mother's belongings after her passing in 2000.
- đȘ It has been considered a family heirloom and was brought out for family reunions and musical moments.
- đ The speaker did some research on the boom base but found it difficult due to the name being used by other musicians.
- đ The boom base, despite showing signs of age and wear, remains a significant and fun artifact in the family's history.
Q & A
What is the prop mentioned in the script?
-The prop mentioned is a 'boom base,' an old percussion instrument that has been in the speaker's family since the 1950s.
What is the origin of the boom base?
-The boom base was originally produced in Chicago by the Boom Base Company, which had filed for a patent on it. Later, manufacturing shifted to Philadelphia.
What is the address mentioned on the boom base plaque?
-The address on the plaque is 1800 Bell Plane Avenue, Chicago 13, Illinois.
Why is the boom base sometimes called an 'Onan band'?
-The exact reason is not provided in the script, but it is suggested that there are various names for the instrument, and 'Onan band' is one of them.
What are the different percussion instruments included in the boom base?
-The boom base includes symbols that can be clacked, a wood block, a cowbell, and a tambourine.
How did the boom base come into the speaker's family?
-The boom base came from the speaker's grandfather, Sadler, who was also known as Granda Joe. He brought it when he moved in with the speaker's family after his wife's death.
Why did the speaker's grandfather change his name from Skua to Sadler?
-He changed his name due to the prejudice against Slavs, particularly Southern Slavs, at the time when he went into business in the late 1920s or early 1930s.
What happened to the market for boom bases in the 1960s?
-The market for boom bases dried up in the 1960s because rock and roll became popular, and people wanted to play their own instruments in bands, making the boom base seem old-fashioned and low class.
How did the boom base affect the speaker's childhood?
-The boom base was a source of fun and noise for the speaker and his sister. They and their neighborhood friends enjoyed making various sounds with it.
What did the speaker decide to do with the boom base after rediscovering it?
-The speaker decided to keep the boom base, possibly to pass it down to his own children, despite the fact that they did not show much interest in it initially.
How old might the boom base be, based on the script?
-The boom base could be as old as 70 years, as it is from the 1950s, and is certainly no less than 60 years old.
Outlines
đ¶ The Boom Base: A Family Heirloom đ¶
The speaker introduces a vintage musical instrument called the Boom Base, dating back to the 1950s and originally produced in Chicago by the Boom Base Company. It's a percussive instrument with various symbols, a wood block, a cowbell, and a tambourine, designed for a single person to create multiple sounds. The speaker recalls how it was passed down from their grandfather, known as Granda Joe, who was a businessman in Chicago. The instrument was given to the speaker and their sister by their grandfather, who had moved in with the family after the death of his wife. The Boom Base was a source of entertainment during their childhood, and the speaker reflects on its history and the memories associated with it.
đ” Boom Base's Legacy and Market Decline đ”
This paragraph delves into the history of the Boom Base company, which thrived in the 1950s and continued production into the 1960s. However, the rise of rock and roll and the shift in musical preferences led to a decline in the demand for such instruments, which were seen as old-fashioned and low class. The speaker reminisces about the joy of playing the Boom Base during their childhood, how it was a hit among neighborhood kids, and its role in family gatherings. The speaker also mentions that the instrument remained in their possession after their father's death and was rediscovered after their mother's passing in 2000, sparking thoughts of passing it down to the next generation.
đ” The Boom Base's Future: A Family Keepsake đ”
In the final paragraph, the speaker contemplates the future of the Boom Base, considering it a family heirloom with a rich history. Despite its age and some signs of wear, the instrument remains in good condition. The speaker expresses uncertainty about whether their own children will inherit the Boom Base, reflecting on its role in family events and the fun it brought to past gatherings. The Boom Base is seen as a symbol of joyous and nostalgic times, and the speaker acknowledges its sentimental value, even if it may not be actively used in the future.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄBoom base
đĄOneman band
đĄVaudeville
đĄGrandpa Sadler
đĄSlovenian
đĄAlcoholic
đĄRock and roll
đĄFolk music
đĄFamily heirloom
đĄLem family reunion
Highlights
Introduction of a vintage Boom Base, an old percussion instrument from the 1950s.
The Boom Base was originally produced in Chicago by the Boom Base company and later manufactured in Philadelphia.
The instrument is sometimes referred to as an 'Onan band' and has various names.
The Boom Base is a one-man percussion instrument with symbols, a wood block, a cowbell, and a tambourine.
The speaker and their sister used the Boom Base to make music and noise as children.
The instrument was passed down from the speaker's grandfather, Sadler, who was originally Slovenian and changed his name to Sadler.
Sadler was a businessman in Chicago and later lived in Arlington Heights.
The speaker's grandmother passed away in 1977, leading to Sadler moving in with the speaker's family.
The Boom Base was among the items Sadler brought to live with the speaker's family.
The instrument was used in Vaudeville and has a rich history.
The Boom Base's market declined in the 1960s due to the rise of rock and roll and folk music.
The speaker's family has kept the Boom Base as a family heirloom despite its age and wear.
The speaker's children have shown little interest in the Boom Base, but the speaker hopes they might in the future.
The Boom Base was brought to a family reunion talent show and used for entertainment.
The speaker reflects on the Boom Base's sentimental value and its potential future in the family.
The Boom Base is considered a museum piece, showing signs of age but still in decent condition.
Transcripts
this time around you notice that I have
a prop and indeed quite an old one going
back to the 1950s it's been in my family
for a very long time and you may be able
to see the label here this is a boom
base originally produced in Chicago by
the boom base company which actually
filed for a patent on it uh eventually a
lot of the manufacturing of this shifted
to Philadelphia but this is one of the
original ones that was in fact produced
in Chicago and the plaque here reads the
boom base built by the boom base company
1800 Bell Plane Avenue Chicago 13
Illinois so what is this this is
sometimes called a Onan band um there's
some other names for this out there and
you can if you search well enough online
you can find people selling these on
various instrument sites and why is it
called the oneman band it's it's
essentially one giant percussion thing
that you can use in various ways so you
notice that it's got these symbols up
here that you can clack you might have a
drumstick or something like that you can
knock them with your hands as well and
of course since it's got this bumper on
the bottom you can bang the symbols like
that if you want to it's also got uh two
other useful percussion instruments a
wood
block you can make all sorts of sounds
with that cow bell can't have enough cow
bell as you know and then it's got this
tambourine and we are always fascinated
with this as kids and the tambourine you
can
bang it like that you can jingle it you
can play
the twanger let's call it I'm sure
there's a technical name for this sort
of thing and so you might be you know
banging it
[Music]
and doing whatever you want with it and
uh we made a lot of Racket with this as
kids me and my sister now where did this
come from how did this wind up in my
family so this has to do with my grandpa
Sadler my dad's father who we all called
Granda Joe his name was Yosef he was
actually
Slovenian and uh changed his name from
skua to Sadler uh when he went into
business in the late 20s or early 30s in
part because there was so much prejudice
against Slavs at the time particularly
Southern Slavs so anyway he became kind
of a big businessman and wound up in
Chicago um wound up living in Arlington
Heights that's where they built a house
my dad uh was was born and grew up there
and Grandpa Sadler lived in Chicago at
that house which we would go to visit
pretty frequently with my grandmother
until she died in
1977 um and she was in her 50s she had
she had cancer unfortunately and so she
passed away kind of early and
unfortunately Grandpa Sadler was a very
hardcore
alcoholic so his wife dying who handled
most of the household Affairs and being
an alcoholic did not mix well my dad
went down there uh you know about a week
after the funeral found the place just a
mess bottles everywhere Grandpa
basically like sleeping in his clothes
and said hey Dad you're coming up to
live with us and so Grandpa Sadler
brought a bunch of stuff you know
typewriter he used to have a consulting
company all this letterhead you know all
of his things and among them was the
boom base and I guess he figured that we
kids could could use it so he didn't
actually tell us anything about it other
than it was a oneman band you know
people used these in Vaudeville
but he uh he gave it to me and my sister
to do whatever the hell we wanted with
cuz he didn't want it I don't I don't
know why he had it we never got that
story from him he might have actually
just like picked it up in a store or
something like that and so it's
interesting I I actually did a little
bit of research
unfortunately when you try to search for
this there are people out there who use
the name boom base for a kind of music
or for a musical artist so you got to be
pretty selective in in your
searching but what what I did find out
is there there was indeed a boom based
company and they were actually doing
quite well this this instrument is from
the 1950s they continued producing them
into the 1960s and then the market for
them basically dried up now why was that
well because
what became big in the 60s rock and roll
I mean rock and roll was around in the
50s but it really took off in terms of
people wanting
to play their own instruments form their
own bands take off on this this wave and
instruments like this just kind of you
know were
old-fashioned and they're always seen as
kind of like low class in a way so you
know you didn't actually want this uh
and this is a time too when folk music
was also becoming big that's when my dad
bought his banjo that became my banjo
that you've seen in other uh videos but
in any case um we kids love this thing
and we'd get it out and we'd just make a
lot of Racket with it and the neighbor
kids thought it was super cool as well
so you know you got all these different
sounds that you can make with it and
it's just sort of tailor made for kids
who might not have a ton of musical
talent but love to make noise um I'm
sure my parents didn't really appreciate
Grandpa giving this boom base to us but
you know we we enjoyed it and uh it
stayed in our our place after my dad
died and grandpa um went with his uh
older son who was my dad's half brother
uh to where he eventually would would
die uh in the early in
1990 um we kept this and every once in a
while we'd get it out and you know make
a little noise with it we'd play with it
and things like that and then I think
what ended up
happening you know I will say this so I
played banjo and I played bass and we we
would get this out every once in a while
with my friends who wanted to make music
some of whom didn't have much talent
some of whom were were a bit better at
that and you know they would check it
out and some some of them would play it
themselves and it was just part of the
the scene that we we had and then you
know I went off to
college and I think what happened is
this stayed in my mom's basement out in
wesa then she moved to monomon Falls and
into a new house there and I think this
came with her and it's one of those
things that that my sister and I
discovered when my mother died in 2000
and we had to go through all of her
stuff including my old bass guitar and
um you know my dad's banjo and and stuff
like that and I decided
that I wanted to to have this and maybe
pass it down to my own kids
unfortunately neither of my kids showed
much interest in this thing and uh maybe
that'll change as they get
older um maybe I just need to to
introduce them to it again uh because it
is it is a really cool thing but it's
kind of a a museum piece as as well so I
don't know maybe maybe we won't give it
to the kids we dug it out at one point
when we so at my family
reunion uh which we haven't gone to for
quite a while but but it's a kind of a
big production the Lem family reunion we
have a talent show and a lot of families
are Musical and we sing there's a barber
shop quartet there's other things and I
would often play my bass or my banjo and
you know once my kids started getting Ed
in that you know cat would play the bass
and I would play the banjo and Maddie
would sing like we did acdc's TNT and a
couple other songs as well and I think I
brought this along one time to the uh
the reunion and I think one of my kids
played it and I think one of my older
cousins also got up there and played it
or maybe it was my uncle aay you know
and they of course you don't have to be
very good with this
but most people aren't very good with it
either so it was kind of you know thrown
together and and and half-ass you could
say but uh it's it's a lot of fun I I I
think there's the the look of this thing
just by itself kind of says fun times
crazy times you know old timey stuff so
I don't know what's going to end up
happening with this um it's a family
heirloom I will probably
keep it wherever I go I probably should
you know shine up the cowbell and clean
up the the tambourine and the wood block
and the symbols but I don't know we
we'll see what happens down the line
with this so this is a little bit of a
shorter story uh but you know this is a
interesting
artifact that has its
own history its own uh story to tell you
you can see that we've put it through a
lot of abuse we kids were not
particularly good about things you could
the symbols probably need to be bent to
be you know
completely uh circular cuz I think we've
dented it a little bit maybe in moving
but you know it's in pretty pretty
decent shape for something from the
1950s I mean
presumably this thing could at this
point be 70 years old certainly it's no
less than 60 years old so that's the
story of the boom base from the Sadler
family passed down to us kids from my
grandpa Joe Grandpa Joe Sadler and uh
currently I'm the uh keeper of it at
present
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