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
A birthday present (October - pictured left). The Beatles harmonica along with dark sunglasses. Wearing iconographic symbols presents a uniform image of strength and organization. I was a fan way back. My very first record, aged eight (a Christmas present, by request to my folks in 1967) was the 45rpm Hello Goodbye/I Am The Walrus. … Continue reading Zanthus (aka Henry the Horse)
Waldo Burgoyne (December 18, 1891 - June 5, 1960) photo courtesy of Ray Grieve. Waldo was indeed a magnificent mouth organ exponent racking up a life time of trophies and achievements. He was runner up to the legendary P C Spouse in the Australian Championships at South Street Ballarat in 1927. Later he would go … Continue reading Waldo the Magnificent
From my collection In 1907 Koch of Germany manufactured the Aussie branded The Kangaroo, however somewhere in time this model hopped over to Switzerland to be manufactured - perhaps during or just after the Great War when Germany was a bit on the nose. This wasn’t the first Kangaroo down under. The Kangaroo Chalmer (1s … Continue reading The Harmonica Hop
#636 Now for something completely different that relates to a harmonica I was gifted some time ago. The last Gowings store closed in 2006 and this commemorative harmonica stock somehow became available for other music stores. My curiosity was piqued on how many it was limited to (obviously not 500 as my specimen is #636) … Continue reading Going Gowings Gone
Jack Harrison (1931 - 2013) My son found this beauty in an op shop for me. Western Australian Jack Harrison was a music prodigy from the age of five when he first blew melodies from the ten hole diatonic mouth organ. One year later Jackie, as he was known, presented his talent to radio 6PR’s … Continue reading ‘Huckleberry’ Harp Hound
Who made who, who made you?Who made who, ain't nobody told you?Who made who, who made you? If you made them and they made you Who picked up the bill, and who made who? Yeah who made whoWho turned the screw? AC/DC This article is a combination of quite a few drafts for separate articles … Continue reading Who Made Who?
Cobber: Australian and New Zealand informal - a friend/mate (male). Word origin: from dialect cob to take a liking to someone Source: Collins English Dictionary. Bauer & Krause Here I go again off to find the maker of the Aussie Cobber mouth organ sold exclusively by Jackson & MacDonald of Druitt Street, Sydney. We had … Continue reading On The Trail Of The Cobber Coach.
Sing a songSing a song of songsSing it out, Sing it strongYeah! Yeah! Neil Diamond Music Trade Review November 1914 Colouring added by author. Nice Christmas pressie. Anyone have one in their collection? The Great War may be a reason for their scarcity. Advertising DEVICE FOR PREVENTING SORENESS. A Canadian inventor is on record with … Continue reading Holly Holy Harmonica
Left: My recent acquisition Right: Echophone graphic from a 1953 Hohner catalogue. By happenstance I was able to add this beauty to my collection. I think part of my fascination with the Echophone is the link back to Sydney Dickens of Carlton, Melbourne who had an invention of the same name and type back in … Continue reading Tubular Organ
Harmonica Riff Raff 