The Cobber Mouth Organ was made by F A Rauner. Primary evidence Cobber’s covers, shaped and stamped in a very similar design to the early Crackajacks (manufactured by F A Rauner) - note the angles of ‘40 Bell Metal Reeds’ and ‘Registered made in Germany’. In addition, the model type is bracketed below the brand … Continue reading Cobber Verdict Is In! (Beyond A Reasonable Doubt)
James Donnelly 1865 - 1937 Left: NSW Mouth Organ Champion - Mr. F. Donnelly (Sydney Sun, December 28, 1913) Middle: Thomas & Co Newtown Right: James Donnelly as The Grocer in ‘Horseshoes’ (1923) - Starred Oliver Hardy On the 18th December 1913 at the West’s Glaciarium (a skating rink and picture theatre), the Cobber New … Continue reading Cobber Champ
CAPTAIN MATCHBOX WHOOPEE BAND Jim Conway, along with his brother Mic, formed the entertaining, eclectic Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band just before the onset of the seventies. They had enormous success with their second album, ‘Wangaratta Wahine’, which went double gold and peaked at number four on the Australian charts. This was primarily on the back … Continue reading Jim’s Moonshine Breakdown
A new selection for the collection joining the Cobber & Boomerang tins. Pretty chuffed to have quested this Bess O’ Th’ Barn metal case from Lakes Entrance. I haven’t witnessed too many of these rising to the surface in my ten or so years of collecting for my collection. The Bulletin - Advertised December 1913 … Continue reading Whoa Bessie & Y the Zee!
Harmonica Riff Raff, located in the beautiful Bass Coast acknowledges the Bunurong clan of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of these lands and waters, and pays respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. The Australian Star (Sydney), Wed 17 Feb 1897 The King Billy mouth organ was manufactured by C. … Continue reading King Billy
Hohner Up To Date Chromatically Tuned Shep’s left, Doug’s right. Once upon a time in the west (actually south east and down under), there was a lonely 1898 Hohner Up To Date Chromatically Tuned Harmonica residing quietly in a shack in the Dandenongs (now in a shanty on the Bass Coast). Discovered in May of … Continue reading Another One (not just like the other one)
Bringing It Back - Dear Enemy Dear Enemy (Chris Langford second from right) Thirty days has SeptemberIn the jailhouse, I rememberI got caught with too much soulBringing it back from MexicoBringing it back from Mexico A wee taste of J. J. Cale Down Under. We begin with a couple of Aussie band covers from the … Continue reading Tulsa Groove Down Under
A couple of new (old) Aussie indigenous named ‘Arps; the Nulla - Nulla and the Woomera. While setting out to determine if a Nugget mouth organ had ever been advertised (I didn’t), I dug up a Nulla - Nulla sold by Beale’s of Brisbane. A Nulla Nulla is an indigenous club used, well, you probably … Continue reading Nulla-Nulla and the Woomera two
North wind rolling down my friends are leaving townI know they're waiting just for meOne more summer gone and one more winter songAnd one more time I tried to leave Wintersong (Quill/Tolhurst/Dubois) Country Radio’s follow up single to Gypsy Queen was the brilliant avant-garde Wintersong. Another co-write by Greg Quill and Kerryn Tolhurst, following on … Continue reading Song for Winter (Spring, Summer & Autumn too!)
Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Sometime back, Pat ‘The Groovy Guru’ Missin had alerted HRR that Australia’s Boomerang Mouth Organs were sold in America 🇺🇸. He had unearthed a 1924 Pennsylvania advert from Landau’s Music House promoting their Boomerang mouth organs. Later he stumbled on a report that … Continue reading American Boomerangs
Harmonica Riff Raff 